1951 feature film
Possibly the most prestigious movie on Mel Ferrer's long
list of credits, this ill-fated film should have cemented his
early acting career but instead fell victim to the bleakest era of American cinema history.
Based on Tom Lea's best-selling novel of 1949, "The Brave Bulls"
recounts the story of Luis Bello, who rose from dire
poverty to become Mexico's most exalted matador, only to
be plagued by doubts and consumed with fears of death just as his career was reaching
its zenith. Constantly at odds with his ignorant and financially dependent family and
beginning to question the loyalty of his fun loving friends, all of whom depend on him for their livelihood,
Luis turns more and more to his manipulative manager, Raul Fuentes, played with
unerring duplicity by Anthony Quinn. In an attempt to bridle his meal
ticket's doubts as well as to re-direct his pointed questions concerning his
financial future, Raul introduces Luis to playgirl Linda de Calderon, his sometimes
girlfriend whom he enlists to capture the matador's interest. Totally
beguiled, Luis opens up to her about his private fears, but when Linda and
Raul are
killed in a way that leaves their relationship in no doubt to Luis, the
toreador's downfall is complete and his emotional scars become physically crippling.
The one character who remains true to Luis throughout is his younger brother Pepe, and as the film reaches its conclusion, Luis watches with magnanimous pride
as Pepe steps in to take his place in the bullring after yet another failure.
Fortune intervenes one final time, however, and when Pepe is injured Luis
confidently confronts the
dangerously defiant bull (whose story the film has also been following) knowing full well that
one of them must die that day.
The film is the creation of one of Hollywood's most respected
visionaries - director/producer/writer Robert Rossen. In 1949 Rossen had conceived,
written, directed and
produced "All the King's Men," a film masterpiece that drew the
immediate attention of Hollywood, earning Oscars and Golden Globes not only for Rossen but
his two stars, Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge, as well as
nominations for almost everybody connected to the film.
The industry watched with keen interest as this man of integrity took
over the most anticipated film of recent years, and when Mel Ferrer
was signed for the coveted role of Luis Bello the publicity machines
went into high gear with countless articles, including such
sources as Harper's Bazaar and Life Magazine, which traveled to Mexico
to watch and photograph the filming. It was a major coup for the
relatively unknown Ferrer, whose only other acting credit was the small
but successful "Lost Boundaries."
Sadly the pre-publicity proved far less powerful than
studio politics, and the film's release was delayed by two events - Rossen's ongoing battle with
Columbia chief Harry Cohn whose vendetta against
him was greatly aided by the McCarthy hearings in which Rossen was
branded a Communist and blacklisted from Hollywood for the next few
years. The film was finally released a full year after its promised due date
and with Rossen's reputation in tatters, Cohn was free to hamper its
progress. It was issued with virtually no publicity whatsoever and died
a quick and colorless death despite universally good reviews. One final
sad footnote for the film was the 1955 suicide of Miroslava, the
beautiful but troubled Yugoslavian
actress long exiled in Mexico, whom Rossen had chosen to play the central role of
Linda de Calderon.
Mel Ferrer has always been humble about his part in "The Brave Bulls,"
usually attributing his casting to the fact he was "the only actor in
Hollywood who could fit into the costume" - a skin-tight latex affair
built for an extremely lean physique and requiring enormous patience to
maneuver into position. But the role remains one of his
greatest achievements and perfectly suited not only his tall gaunt looks but his lanky elegance and
Spanish heritage as well. His dance background gave all his movements a masculine grace, and he speaks with an authentic Latino accent as
befits not only the part but his fellow actors, all of whom were Mexican,
including Eugene Iglesias who played the key role of his brother Pepe.
One satisfying addenda: Robert Rossen did return in triumph a decade later to win an Academy Award for
himself and Paul Newman for 1961's "The Hustler". All in all, Rossen
directed 8 actors to Oscar winning performances over his somewhat
abbreviated career.
The film has never been released as either a DVD or a video, though
bootlegged versions occasionally pop up on eBay - either taken from television broadcasts
or transferred from film. None are of the highest quality but they
justify the film's reputation for remaining true to Tom Lea's
introspective story.
