''Arruza'' is a 1968 documentary film about

Carlos Arruza Carlos Arruza (February 17, 1920 – May 20, 1966), born Carlos Ruiz Camino, was one of the most prominent bullfighters of the 20th century. He was known as "El Ciclón" ("the cyclone"). Arruza was born in Mexico to Spanish parents. He began ...

directed by

Budd Boetticher Oscar "Budd" Boetticher Jr. ( ; July 29, 1916 – November 29, 2001) 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. Early life Boetticher was born in ...

. It took 10 years to be completed.

Production

Boetticher left Hollywood at the height of his success to make a film about Arruza. "I wanted to do something nobody else in the world could do," he says. "I thought, "I'll make a picture about bullfighting, and I'll use Carlos playing himself."... I had to do that picture. I tossed the whole Hollywood thing over because I couldn't see any other time ever when the best bullfighter in the world, who is the best friend of a well-known motion picture director, could make a picture together." He recalled "it should have been just a short project, but it turned into a seven-year nightmare." Production started May 5, 1958 and took 10 years to complete. Boetticher spent the first three years filming bullfights with

Lucien Ballard Lucien Ballard, A.S.C. (May 6, 1908 – October 1, 1988) 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 H ...

and Carlos Carbajal. During filming, Boetticher fought with the Mexican government and unions; ran out of money twice (once in 1961); was evicted from hotels; and put into prison and a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

. Arruza died in May 1966. Following a surge in interest in Arruza,

John Sturges John Eliot Sturges (; January 3, 1910 – August 18, 1992) was an American film director. His films include ''Bad Day at Black Rock'' (1955), ''Gunfight at the O.K. Corral'' (1957), ''The Magnificent Seven'' (1960), '' The Great Escape'' (1963 ...

acquired a 25% interest in the film in 1967 to enable the film to be completed, with Arruza's heir's owning 30% and Boetticher the rest. Crone, the editor, died in June 1966. Shooting was completed in February 1967.

Jason Robards Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill, Robards received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes ...

performed the initial narration but another version features

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

Release

The film premiered at the

San Francisco Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in in ...

on October 25, 1968 and Boetticher was invited to screen the film at the

1968 Cannes Film Festival The 21st Cannes Film Festival was to have been held from 10 to 24 May 1968, before being curtailled due to the turmoil of May 1968 in France. Background This edition was marked by the previous controversy around the Langlois affair. On February ...

. The film had an official world premiere on May 22, 1971 in

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

, Mexico, close to the fifth anniversary of Arruza's death. The film opened in Los Angeles on May 24, 1972. The film's release was delayed because Boetticher says "I wasn't satisfied with it. I didn't want it to come out until I was completely happy with it. It's still a picture I can go and look at now and say, "boy, I'm glad I made that."Budd Boetticher: The Last Interview Wheeler, Winston Dixon. Film Criticism; Meadville Vol. 26, Iss. 3, (Spring 2002): 52-0_3.

References

External links

* *
Essay on film
at Senses of Cinema
''Arruza''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atl ...

Review of film
at

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''Arruza''
at Film Fanatic 1972 films American documentary films Mexican documentary films Films directed by Budd Boetticher 1970s English-language films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films 1970s American films 1970s Mexican films 1960s Mexican films {{US-documentary-film-stub