This is indeed a neglected great movie.

As someone whose familiarity with bullfighting consists of some vague Hemmingway, the yearly silly newscasts from Pamplona, and a disgusting half- afternoon in Tijuana, and whose opinion of amusement through the suffering of dumb beasts is decidedly negative, I had to talk myself into watching it. I am very glad I did. It (at least the full 125 minute version) is very compelling.

The photography is often mesmerizing, and there are scenes which I know I will remember a long time, such as the when the drunk taunts Estrada to have a go even though his right wrist is useless, following which his wife accosts the drunk with a sword and a speech which, even in Spanish, took my breath away. The many semi-documentary clips are simultaneously fascinating, compelling and repulsive.

My main point however, is the magnificent performance of Gilbert Roland as Estrada who has incredible screen presence here, handling the bulls, the drunks, the cocky Yankee, his wife, and his cheroot, often simultaneously, with grace and aplomb -- a truly beautiful character who defines the movie, even after he departs it.

Yes, the title is lame and has probably turned off many potential viewers who decided not to bother; but whether or not you are interested in bullfighting, and whether or not you approve of it, do not deny yourself the experience of seeing it.

Robert Stack with blonde hair? Could that really be "Elliot Ness?" Well, it was the early '50s, before Stack made a name for himself with the TV hit, "The Untouchables. For those looking back at this film for the first time, as I did in the 1990s, this was a weird sight.

Blonde or not, the main question which might answer if you will enjoy this film is, "Does bullfighting interest you?" If it does, you'll like this; if it doesn't, you're going to be bored.

II saw the two-hour "restored" version and it looked nicely-photographed in black-and-white and very detailed about the sport of bullfighting. There were a number of scenes where I started to get bored, to be honest, and I hard time sticking with it but I have no interest in bullfighting, either. It leaves me cold. If I had interest, well, I would have a totally different outlook on the film.

Kudos to Stack for doing - at least in some spots - his own bullfighting. That was impressive and shows me the man had guts. The skeet-shooting scene also was real as he was a pretty good marksman.

The romantic scenes, as expected, were so-so as "Chuck Regan" (Stack) pursues his bullfighting coach's daughter, "Anita de la Vega" (Joy Page)

If you love bullfighting, this film would be a "must-have" because it goes into the "sport" in some detail and even mixes in some live footage (in the long version). I would suggest the longer version, anyway, because that's the way the filmmaker intended the audience to see his work. Given a choice, always see the longer version and then make up your own mind whether it should have been cut or not.