DEATH IN THE ARENA

Description: This late 1940s film pays tribute to Manolete, one of the great Spanish bullfighters and one whose death after being gored in 1947 remains as one of the sport's iconic moments. Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez (4 July 1917 – 29 August 1947), better known as Manolete, was a Spanish bullfighter. He rose to prominence shortly after the Spanish Civil War and is considered by some[who?] to be the greatest bullfighter of all time. His style was sober and serious, with few concessions to the gallery, and he excelled at the suerte de matar — the kill. Manolete's contribution to bullfighting included being able to stand very still while the bull passed close to his body and, rather than giving the passes separately, he was able to remain in one spot and link four or five consecutive passes together into a compact series. He popularized a pass with the muleta called the "Manoletina," which is normally given just before entering to kill with the sword. In addition to all of the major bullrings of Spain, he had very important triumphs in Plaza Mexico.e died in August 1947 following a goring in the upper right leg as he killed the fifth bull of the day, the Miura bull Islero, an event that left Spain in a state of shock. Manolete received his fatal goring in the town of Linares where he appeared alongside the up-and-coming matador Luis Miguel Dominguín, who, after Manolete's death, proclaimed himself "Numero Uno."Salvador Dalí portrays Manolete in his famous double-image painting, "The Hallucinogenic Toreador".