Blood and Sand

Blood and Sand was a 1922 silent movie directed by Fred Niblo and starring Rudolph Valentino, Lila Lee and Nita Naldi. It was based on the 1909 novel Blood and Sand by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez.

Related Topics:
1922 - Silent movie - Fred Niblo - Rudolph Valentino - Lila Lee - Nita Naldi - 1909 - Novel - Vicente Blasco Ibáñez

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Juan Gallardo (Rudolph Valentino), a village boy born into poverty, grows up to become one of the greatest matadors in Spain. He marries a friend from his childhood, the beautiful and virtuous Carmen (Lila Lee), but after he achieves fame and fortune he finds himself drawn to Dona Sol (Nita Naldi), a wealthy, seductive widow. They embark on a torrid affair with rather sadomasochistic overtones, but Juan, feeling guilty over his betrayal of Carmen, tries to free himself of Dona Sol. Furious at being

Related Topics:
Rudolph Valentino - Matadors - Spain - Lila Lee - Nita Naldi - Widow - Sadomasochistic

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rejected, she exposes their affair to Carmen and Juan's mother, seemingly destroying his marriage. Growing more and more miserable and dissipated, Juan becomes reckless in the arena and is eventually killed in a bullfight but does manage to reconcile with Carmen moments before he dies.

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There is also a subplot involving a local outlaw whose career is paralleled to Juan's throughout the film by the village philosopher: Juan's fatal injury in the bullring comes moments after the outlaw is shot by the police.

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Blood and Sand proved very successful at the box office. It was parodied in 1924 by Will Rogers in the Hal Roach short film Big Moments From Little Pictures.

Related Topics:
Box office - Parodied - 1924 - Will Rogers - Hal Roach - Short film - Big Moments From Little Pictures

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