Austin360 blogs > Austin Movie Blog > Archives > 2008 > March > 10 > Entry
Capsule review: ‘The Matador’
Barbaric, balletic, bullfighting’s the bloodiest of the blood sports, exultant in its Colosseum-esque atavism. David Fandila, subject of Stephen Higgins and Nina Gilden Seavey’s fine documentary, is Spain’s next superstar of the “corrida de toros.” He’s young, handsome and, in the ring, fast and fleet, suave and cocky. Glimmering in sequined Vegas plumage, Fandila executes a sneering, teasing tango with the beast. Subtext rules: How heroic is it to cut down a panting, dying bull, carrying blades in its back like quills, as you playfully prance around it? The debate galvanizes an otherwise straightforward biography. To some, bullfighting is “savagery with an artistic payoff.” To others, it’s “on the margin of rationality and modernity.” The film’s high-definition sparkle and artful precision make the deadly pageantry shine. Still, it could leave you with a sickening sadness.
4 p.m. Monday, 11 a.m. Tuesday, 7 p.m. Saturday, Austin Convention Center
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment Categories: SXSW
Comments
Click here to report comment abuse.
By Catherine Osborn
March 16, 2008 11:18 PM | Link to this
I also thank you, Chris, for your true description of the sick nature of bullfighting. We arrest people who encourage dogs or roosters to fight to the death. Why do bull baiters get away with it?
Where is PETA when you really need them.
By Silvana Lorca
March 13, 2008 2:29 PM | Link to this
Gracias Chris Garcia por llamar a las cosas por su nombre: “el mas sangriento de los deportes sangrientos”.
Gracias por no caer en la hipocresia de justificar el morbo del asesinato de un toro en nombre del arte y la valentia humana. TORTURA NO ES ARTE NI CULTURA.
Curioso es que en el blog oficil del film no se incluyan sus criticas…
Saludos desde Argentina