The Magnificent Matador

Last updated
The Magnificent Matador
The Magnificent Matador poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Budd Boetticher
Screenplay byBudd Boetticher
Charles Lang
Produced by Edward L. Alperson
Starring Maureen O'Hara
Anthony Quinn
Manuel Rojas
Richard Denning
Thomas Gomez
Lola Albright
William Ching
Cinematography Lucien Ballard
Edited by Richard Cahoon
Music by Raoul Kraushaar
Production
company
Edward L. Alperson Productions
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • May 24, 1955 (1955-05-24)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Magnificent Matador is a 1955 American drama film directed by Budd Boetticher and written by Budd Boetticher and Charles Lang. The film stars Maureen O'Hara, Anthony Quinn, Manuel Rojas, Richard Denning, Thomas Gomez, Lola Albright, William Ching and an early appearance of Stuart Whitman. The film was released on May 24, 1955, by 20th Century Fox. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

Cast

Production

Budd Boetticher said he wrote the film for Quinn who had "won two Academy Awards, and he couldn't get a job. So I wrote a script, and the studio changed the title to The Magnificent Matador, which is about the worst title you can imagine. He was typed; he couldn't get work, so I wrote a script in which he was the star. Maureen O'Hara played the opposite lead; she was great, the greatest lady I ever worked with. The picture was OK, but I was happier about what it did for Anthony Quinn. We put him in a that gold suit, and he was a star! He wasn't a star in Viva Zapata (1952), he was a character actor, and The Magnificent Matador made him a star of the first magnitude." [3]

Related Research Articles

Katy Jurado Mexican actress (1924–2002)

María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García, known professionally as Katy Jurado, was a Mexican actress. Jurado began her acting career in Mexico. In 1951, she was recruited by American filmmakers in Mexico and began her Hollywood career. She acted in popular Western films of the 1950s and 1960s. Her talent for playing a variety of characters helped pave the way for Mexican actresses in American cinema. She was the first Latin American actress nominated for an Oscar, as Best Supporting Actress for her work in Broken Lance (1954), and was the first to win a Golden Globe Award, for her performance in High Noon (1952).

<i>The Tall T</i> 1957 film by Budd Boetticher

The Tall T is a 1957 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, and Maureen O'Sullivan. Adapted by Burt Kennedy from the 1955 short story "The Captives" by Elmore Leonard, the film is about an independent former ranch foreman who is kidnapped along with an heiress, who is being held for ransom by three ruthless outlaws. In 2000, The Tall T was selected for the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Maureen OHara Irish-American actress and singer (1920–2015)

Maureen O'Hara was an Irish–American actress and singer, who became successful in Hollywood throughout the 1940s to 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for playing passionate but sensible heroines, often in Westerns and adventure films. She worked with director John Ford and longtime friend John Wayne on numerous occasions.

Lucien Ballard American cinematographer (1908–1988)

Lucien Ballard, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer. He worked on more than 130 films during his 50-year career, collaborating multiple times with directors including Josef von Sternberg, John Brahm, Henry Hathaway, Budd Boetticher, Raoul Walsh, Sam Peckinpah and Tom Gries. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for The Caretakers (1963).

Oscar "Budd" Boetticher Jr. was an American film director. He is best remembered for a series of low-budget Westerns he made in the late 1950s starring Randolph Scott.

Burton Raphael Kennedy was an American screenwriter and director known mainly for directing Westerns. Budd Boetticher called him "the best Western writer ever."

<i>Sinbad the Sailor</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Richard Wallace

Sinbad the Sailor is a 1947 American Technicolor fantasy film directed by Richard Wallace and starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Maureen O'Hara, Walter Slezak, Anthony Quinn, and Mike Mazurki. It tells the tale of the "eighth" voyage of Sinbad, wherein he discovers the lost treasure of Alexander the Great.

<i>The Black Swan</i> (film) 1942 film by Henry King

The Black Swan is a 1942 American swashbuckler Technicolor film directed by Henry King and starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara. It was based on the 1932 novel of the same title by Rafael Sabatini.

<i>Only the Lonely</i> (film) 1991 film by Chris Columbus

Only the Lonely is a 1991 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Chris Columbus, produced by John Hughes, and stars John Candy, Maureen O'Hara, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Quinn. The film is a comedic take on the premise established in the 1953 television play Marty and the 1955 film Marty, while the title comes from the song "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison. The story follows a bachelor who is looking to settle down and start a family with a mortuary beautician, while coping with his overbearing mother who does not approve of her.

<i>Blood and Sand</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Budd Boetticher, Rouben Mamoulian

Blood and Sand (1941) is a romantic Technicolor film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Rita Hayworth, and Alla Nazimova. It was produced by 20th Century Fox. It is based on the 1908 Spanish novel, which was critical of bullfighting, Blood and Sand, by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez. The supporting cast features Anthony Quinn, Lynn Bari, Laird Cregar, J. Carrol Naish, John Carradine and George Reeves.

<i>Against All Flags</i> 1952 film by George Sherman

Against All Flags is a 1952 American pirate film directed by George Sherman and Douglas Sirk and starring Errol Flynn as Brian Hawke, Maureen O'Hara as Prudence "Spitfire" Stevens and Anthony Quinn as Roc Brasiliano. The film's plot is set in 1700, when British officer Brian Hawke infiltrates a group of pirates located on Libertatia on the coast of Madagascar, and falls in love with pirate captain "Spitfire" Stevens.

<i>The Killer Is Loose</i> 1956 film

The Killer Is Loose is a 1956 American crime film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Joseph Cotten, Rhonda Fleming and Wendell Corey.

William Ching American actor (1913–1989)

William Brooks Ching was an American character actor who appeared in numerous films and on television during the later 1940s and 1950s. Ching may be best known for his supporting role in Rudolph Maté's 1950 film noir, D.O.A. along with his role as the overbearing boyfriend of Katharine Hepburn's character in George Cukor's 1952 comedy Pat and Mike.

<i>Seminole</i> (film) 1953 film

Seminole is a 1953 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Rock Hudson, Barbara Hale, Anthony Quinn and Richard Carlson. Much of the film was shot in the Everglades National Park, Florida. The film depicts the Second Seminole War (1835-1842).

City Beneath the Sea is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Robert Ryan, Mala Powers, Anthony Quinn and Suzan Ball. The film is based on the book Port Royal: The Ghost City Beneath the Sea by Harry E. Rieseberg.

<i>East of Sumatra</i> 1953 film by Budd Boetticher

East of Sumatra is a 1953 American south seas adventure film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Jeff Chandler, Marilyn Maxwell, Anthony Quinn and Suzan Ball.

<i>Buchanan Rides Alone</i> 1958 film by Budd Boetticher

Buchanan Rides Alone is a 1958 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Craig Stevens, and Barry Kelley. Based on the 1956 novel The Name's Buchanan by Jonas Ward, the film is about a Texan returning home with enough money to start his own ranch. When he stops in the crooked town of Agry, he is robbed and framed for murder.

Maureen OHara filmography List of films

Maureen O'Hara (1920–2015) was an Irish singer and actress from Dublin, who worked primarily in American film and television. She was born into a close-knit and artistically talented family; her mother was a contralto vocalist, and her three sisters and two brothers were budding actors and musical performers. O'Hara received music and dance lessons at the Ena Burke School of Elocution and Drama, becoming a member of the Rathmines Theatre Company when she was 10 years old. While still a teenager, she won several Radio Éireann Players contests to perform with them. She also won the Dublin Feis Award, for her performance as Portia in The Merchant of Venice. O’Hara was a member of the Abbey Theatre School, and a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music.

Richard Cahoon was an American editor of both film and television. During his career he edited over 40 feature films, and over a dozen television series. His work earned him an Emmy nomination and two Eddie Awards.

Arruza is a 1968 documentary film about Carlos Arruza directed by Budd Boetticher. It took 10 years to be completed.

References

  1. Crowther, Bosley (May 25, 1955). "Movie Review - The Magnificent Matador - Screen: Bulls Sans Fight; ' Magnificent Matador' Shows Little of Peril". The New York Times. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  2. "The Magnificent Matador (1955) - Overview". TCM. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  3. Budd Boetticher: The Last Interview Wheeler, Winston Dixon. Film Criticism; Meadville Vol. 26, no. 3, (Spring 2002): 52-0_3.