FAQ

A Matador's Mistress is a biopic written and directed by Dutch-born screenwriter Menno Meyjes. The movie's original title was Manolete. Also known as Blood and Passion in Canada and The Passion Within in the UK.

Manolete (real name: Manuel Sánchez) [1917 - 1947] was a famous Spanish bullfighter, considered by some to be the greatest bullfighter of all time. He died on 28 August, 1947 in Linares, Spain, following a goring in the right upper leg as he killed the fifth bull of the day, the Miura bull Islero. Manolete's death was so shocking to the people of Spain that General Francisco Franco, then ruler of Spain, ordered three days of national mourning, during which only funeral dirges were heard on the radio. A photo of Manolete can be viewed here.

Although Manolete was filmed in 2005 with a planned release date in 2007, the film suffered from spiraling costs and didn't premier until 2008 at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was again scheduled for release in France in 2010. However, it found no takers for the theatrical release until, in 2011, Xenon Pictures picked it up for DVD release and re-edited it, releasing it under the title A Matador's Mistress.

The movie is in English. In this German trailer, some of the dialogue can be heard. Adrien Brody, who plays Manolete, speaks with his usual New York twang. Penélope Cruz, who plays Manolete's mistress, Lupe Sino, speaks English with her usual Spanish accent.

Viewers who managed to see both versions of the movie say that many changes were made. For instance, the earlier version had more original black-and-white photographs from the period, which lent substance to the film. Even the credits at the end were all photos. The newer version focuses more on the relationship between Manolete and Lupe, leaving out much supporting material that gives the audience a sense of Manolete and the time in which he lived.

Torero refers to all the fighters in the ring: a rejoneador fights on horseback. A novillero is much like an apprentice; a matador is one who has been formally accepted by the union. Toreador is a French word, derived from Bizet's opera Carmen, and is deplored by speakers of Castellano. The term Maestro ("master"), as applied to Manolete in the movie, is a courtesy title given to a matador.

Capilla is a chapel; enfermeria is an infirmary or emergency room. Since the death of Manolete, the presence of a physician at all fights is required by law.

Linares 28 August, 1947. Lupe has refused to come to Linares to watch Manolete fight, which has greatly unnerved him. He is also put off by the popularity and cockiness of an up-and-coming young torero by the name of Luis Miguel Dominguin (Nacho Aldeguer). When it comes to the fifth bull of the day, an obviously ill-tempered and "bad bull" as he is described by Pepe (Juan Echanove), Manolete enters the ring with every intention of killing the bull. Unfortunately, as he moves in for the kill, the bull gores him in the right thigh. Manolete is rushed off to a hospital where the doctors work feverishly to stop the bleeding. Having had a change of heart and intending to reunite with Manolete, Lupe arrives at the hospital, asking to see him. "Only if he asks for you," she is told. With his dying breaths, Manolete asks for "Mamita," which they think refers to his mother, and Lupe is not permitted to see him. Lupe asks Pepe whether it was she who killed him, and Pepe replies, "No. We all did." A doctor from Madrid arrives, but there is no more to be done. His eyesight failing, Manolete sits up on the table but cannot see Lupe standing in the doorway. He falls back on the table, and the doctor closes his eyelids. Word of Manolete's death brings huge crowds to line the streets as his coffin is carried in a procession from the church. Among them is Lupe Sino.

Manolete is buried in a mausoleum in his hometown of Cordoba, Spain, where there is also a Bullfighting Museum that features photos, costumes, a replica of Manolete's mausoleum, and the head of the bull who killed him.

Severance of the femoral artery causes rapid and massive blood loss. According to several authorities, Manolete said, <¿Están abiertos mis ojos? No veo.> ("Are my eyes open? I can't see.")