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    f o r a l l a f i c i o n a d o s

    PHOTO: Vicente Barrera, one of todays great toreros, with a natural in the Manolete stile

    Vicente Barrera, one of todays great toreros, with a natural in the Manolete stile. Photo: Ricardo

    Manolete - myth and legend

    "Manolete", alias, Manuel Rodriguez Sanchez is one of Spain's most legendary bullfighters. He was born in the city of Cordoba in July 1917.

    Thirty years later, when he was at the zenith of his career, he met his death on the horns of the bull "Islero". This year, the fiftieth anniversary of his death, which occurred on 28th August in the town of Linares, will be commemorated.

    Text and photographs by Ricardo Delgado and Francisco Caño
    Translation by Andrea Taylor

    In a way, it was strange that he should meet his fate on the horns of one of the dreaded Miura bulls in a small town in Andalusia like Linares, in the province of Jaen. Many of the greatest bullfighters have met their death in small villages when, ironically, most of them take their greatest risks in the big, more important rings in Spain. However, death often creeps up on them unawares when they are least expecting it.

    Manolete's earnings on that tragic afternoon were 300,000 pesetas - an unbelievable sum in 1947, and even more incredible in a small provincial town like Linares. But Manolete was second to none; in a class of his own. Undoubtedly, he was the biggest star in the Spanish bullfight cosmos at the time. He was rated as The Best. He took his alternativa in Seville in July 1939, right at the end of the Spanish civil war, and at the age of 29, he already commented that he was thinking of quitting the business and going into retirement. "I have already earned more money than five generations of my ancestors all together," he said. "But I have never really had time to enjoy the money. I'm planning to quit the ring while I'm still all in one piece."

    Antonita Lupe Sino, actress, and his long-time girlfriend, did not agree. "They'll never let him go until they see him dead," she said, referring to the public. Manolete was slim, almost anorexic-looking by today's standards, and this was said to be the result of his extremely poor childhood. If you see photographs and films of him, he always appears with that tragic, mournful expression; he was a true Don Quixote, dressed in a suit of lights. This, together with his very personal and special way of fighting bulls, (he always stood tall, erect, and with his body close to the beast) and his unique repertoire in the ring, made him stand out from all the others - an idol, whose style is still copied by young bullfighters today.

    In February 1946, he inaugurated the new Plaza Mexico, in Mexico City DC., the largest bullfighting arena in the world. This arena had, in fact, been built for his sake, as a direct result of the fever he had created among the Mexican aficionados the previous season. This arena has a capacity of 55,000 spectators and here, Manolete would receive the largest fee ever paid to a bullfighter so far; 200,000 pesos. Manolete used to pay 1,000 pesetas a day to his banderilleros - a sum which is around double the pay which banderilleros receive today in comparative terms. He imported a Buick from the USA, a car which needed special petrol not available in Spain, where the fuel at that time was more suited to tractors and agricultural machinery!!

    Barnaby Conrad, the well-known American writer and amateur bullfighter, who followed Manolete in South America, wrote once : "The machinery was beginning to wear out. Even though he was only 29, he looked like a man of 40. He was drinking a lot, and the precision of his fighting began to wane. I remember once, in Peru, when he needed to give nine descabellos to kill his bull. Tears were pouring down his face as he left the ring."

    Manolete met his tragic death with his last bull in Linares. It happened as he went in for the kill; the "moment of truth" as the Spanish say. He threw himself over the horns, disregarding the danger, instead of taking the easy way out as so many bullfighters do by feinting to one side. The sword was already in up to the hilt, when the bull hooked his mighty head sideways and plunged his terrible horns deep into the torero's groin, tossing him into the air. The beast tried repeatedly to gore the wounded man on the ground until it staggered to it's knees and fell down dead.


    PHOTO: The death of Manolete

    The death of Manolete. Guillermo, his sword-handler [L], with his hand against the
    wound trying to stop the blood. Luis Miguel Dominguin [R], with capa. Photo: Caño


    During this very bullfight, the light of a new bullfighting star began to shine; Luis Miguel Dominguin. He pronounced himself "Numero Uno" - the Number One - shortly after Manolete's death. Dominguin was a hearthrob and fond of provoking public opinion. One of his brothers was a self-proclaimed communist, and this had not passed unnoticed by General Franco himself. The General once asked Dominguin whether it was true that he had a communist for a brother, and Luis Miguel's witty reply was "In our family, we are all communists!" His romances were numerous, and much publicised. Ava Gardner, Lauren Bacall, Romy Schneider, Rita Hayworth and Brigitte Bardot were just a few of his conquests. He belonged to the the select group of foreign intellectuals including Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles, Picasso, Cocteau and Luis Bunuel. Dominguin actually financed the latter's film production "Viridiana".

    Manolete used to say to José Camará, his manager, that he would give his best in all rings; even the smaller ones, because according to "El Monstruo" as he was known, the public were paying the same money to see him, wherever he fought. As we can see in the photograph, he did not die immediately following then goring; but his tretament in the bullring infirmary, much criticised and argued about ever since, was deficient, and he passed away in the early hours of the following morning. Many bullfighters meet their death precisely because of the very primitive and basic first aid that they are given after a goring, rather than from the type of wound itself.

    Guillermo, Manolete's faithful sword-handler, said after the tragic event, that he would never step into a bullring again - and he kept his promise, for he never did.

    Manolete is buried in his native town of Cordoba, and in this city, you can also visit the famous bullfight museum, where you can see a number of relics of the "Monstruo" and other famous Cordoban bullfighting stars. During this 50th. anniversary of Manolete's death, many special commemorative acts will be taking place all over Spain in his honour. Since his death, Manolete has had many imitators; but not one of them has been capable of living up to one of the greatest legends ever to wear the suit of lights.


    PHOTO: Jose Tomás, one of todays toreros walking in Manoletes footsteps

    Jose Tomás, a contemporary torero, walking in Manoletes footsteps. Foto: Ricardo






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