Around the World with Orson Welles: Corrida a Madrid

Welles, who is said to have a been a "picador" in Spain in his youth, presents us with what is arguably the finest of all episodes in the Around the World series. Maybe for practical reasons, perhaps as a narrative strategy, or even for his love of the subject, Welles only appears when half of the episode has already passed. This gives Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth, two well-bred Britons, the opportunity to expose in some detail a few aspects of the complex world of bull-fighting. The training of the toreros, their salaries, their clothes, all are touched upon. Interestingly, there is a (completely justified) insistence on the central role of the bull - on the love and respect it gathers among aficionados. And Welles' makes it a point to deny the myth, still prevalent today, that bulls are stabbed before entering the arena. Welles explains some of the intricacies of bull-fighting with the authority of someone who hasn't just read that just before the shootong started. His is a sympathetic, almost passionate perspective. There is a brief reference to the legendary bullfighter Manolete, killed in 1947 by the same bull he himself killed - a relationship still sung about today. El Gallo, another legend, also makes a brief cameo. All in all, in its detail, in its focus, this episode is closer to an actual ethnographic exercise than any other of the episodes in series. And that's a good enough reason to recommend this one over the others.