BULLFIGHTER AND THE LADY - LE

(Budd Boetticher, 1951)
Release date: 25 July 2022 (OOP date: 30 October 2024)
Limited Edition Blu-ray 

American sportsman Johnny Regan (Robert Stack, Written on the Wind) goes to a bullfight while holidaying in Mexico and witnesses the great matador Manolo Estrada (Gilbert Roland, She Done Him Wrong) in action. The two men meet later that evening, and Johnny becomes entranced by Anita (Joy Page, Casablanca), a friend of Manolo’s. Impressed by the world of bullfighting, and seeking to impress Anita, Johnny becomes Manolo's pupil so that he, too, may become a champion torero.

Produced by John Wayne, and based in part on Budd Boetticher’s experiences as a novice bullfighter, Bullfighter and the Lady was initially released in a shorter 87-minute cut, reputedly edited by John Ford. In 1986, with the aid of Boetticher and Stack, the complete 124-minute version was restored, revealing the film to be a true masterpiece. Both cuts are presented on this edition, alongside Boetticher’s final work as a director, the 1985 documentary My Kingdom For… which is part autobiography, part history of the bullfighting art of rejoneo.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• Two presentations of the film: the director’s cut, restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive (124 mins, High Definition); and the theatrical cut (87 mins, Standard Definition)
• Original mono audio
• Audio commentary with critics and authors Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme (2022)
• An Evening with Budd Boetticher (2001, 89 mins): audio recording of the director in conversation with film preservationist Robert Gitt
• My Kingdom For (1985, 85 mins): Boetticher’s final film as director, an autobiographical documentary about his retirement years spent training horses, featuring Bullfighter and the Lady actor Robert Stack
• A Rollercoaster and a Merry-Go-Round (2022, 36 mins): Mary Boetticher reflects on her love of dancing, her fear of horses, and her late husband’s approach to filmmaking
• Budd Boetticher: One on One (1991, 58 mins): career-spanning video interview
• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Limited edition 36-page booklet featuring a new essay by Matthew Thrift, an archival letter from Budd Boetticher discussing his love of bullfighting, an archival profile of Mexican actor Katy Jurado, an overview of contemporary critical responses, Jeff Billington on My Kingdom For, and full film credits
• UK premiere on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK

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BBFC cert: PG
REGION B
EAN: 5060697921014