Review of Tu Solo

Tu Solo (1984)
7/10
Neo-realist docudrama talks about young apprentices to achieve success as Toreros .
1 July 2023
An enjoyable and neo-realist picture in documentary style about bullfighting in Spain of the Eighties . The daily life of those who dream of working in the world of the bullfighting ring . A movie that follows the pupils of the School of Tauromachy in Madrid. And especially focusing on a young apprentice who eagerly wants to dedicate himself to bullfighting while his father opposes him with all his might, while the latter beats him and treats him badly. At the same time the movie dealing with Spanish bullfighting , it is called Corrida De Toros (literally "running of bulls") or la fiesta ("the festival"). The film has great interest for fans of bullfighting because being a summary of the typical and well built screenplay upon very young bullfighters who emerging from anonymity, seeking his opportunity, in ¨Becerradas¨ and ¨Capeas¨ or "clown-bullfighting¨ spectacles with El Chino Torero , to get a real fame and fortune. The rest of the film is bullfighting cuts that for those who do not like bulls , however, being some tedious .

The boys in this film, between eight and 16 years old, all of them give naive acting , they are real students of the Madrid Bullfighting School in those years, dedicating their lives to this peculiar Spanish art , and for some politically incorrect today , concerning the world of bullfighting . Students learn to understand and love with patience, with mistakes, with love . Revealing the human side of the bullfighter : his emotions, sensations, and sacrifices. They don't just seek money and fame, they don't boast before their friends , they don't have behind them that mother who folkloric cinema fostered to the point of boredom. They live the illusion of the bull with a magical sense of glory. Contemplating these young people who dedicate their love to the myth, to Manolete, Juan Belmonte, Sebastián Palomo Linares , Manuel Benitez el Cordobés , Paquirri, each one is known in more detail, and that contact with their customs or hobbies transforms them into real characters with a dramatic approach. This bullfighting genre was very popular in the 50s and 60s that includes films as Solos los dos (1968) , Las cicatrices (1967) , Nuevo en esta plaza (1966) , Aprendiendo a morir (1962), Chantaje a un torero (1963) and the various versions of Currito de la Cruz : 1925 silent rendition , 1936 , 1949 and 1965 , most of them starred by real bullfighters as Pepin Martin Vazquez , El Pireo , Rafael Albaicin , Manuel Carmona and Antonio García 'Maravilla'. But this ¨Tú solo¨ follows in the wake of ¨El momento de la verdad¨ (1965) by Francesco Rosi , a semi-documentary film , more than the style of the previous dramatic films. The motion picture was well written/directed by the prestigious cameraman Teo Escamilla.

The movie gives a nice description about the culture of Spain surrounding the old traditions of the Toreador , while learning from little boys , teens and youngsters . Showing the classic figure of the Matador , in which Toreros are really submitted to nerves during slaughter . As the ancient Toreo art-form is described with unflinching and fetching realism , it is the story of bullfighters against brave beasts . The film gives a real description about ¨Bullfighting¨ art , as the bull is released into the ring, where he is tested for ferocity by the matador and Banderilleros with the magenta and gold Capote ("Cape"). This is the first stage, the Tercio de Varas ("the lancing third"). The matador confronts the bull with the Capote, performing a series of passes and observing the behavior and quirks of the bull . Next, a picador enters the arena on horseback armed with a Vara (lance). In the next stage, the Tercio De Banderillas ("the third of Banderillas"), each of the three Banderilleros attempts to plant two Banderillas, sharp barbed sticks, into the bull's shoulders . In the final stage, the "the third of death" , the matador re-enters the ring alone with a small red cape, or Muleta, and a sword .
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