Item: Corrida
Rating: 4.4
Author: Archivist John

If you are looking for a deep story or some big emotional payoff, you should probably just keep scrolling. This isn't that kind of movie. It is actually barely a movie at all. Corrida is just Man Ray standing in the stands with a camera.

People who love avant-garde history will probably find it fascinating for about two minutes. If you hate seeing bulls get chased around or you get motion sickness from shaky cameras, you will definitely hate this. It is short, bright, and very dusty.

It feels like finding an old dusty reel in your grandpa's attic. Except your grandpa was a famous surrealist artist. But honestly? You wouldn't really know it was him just by looking at the footage.

The Camera is All Over the Place

The first thing you notice is how much the frame jumps. It’s like he was trying to keep up with the bull but the bull was way faster than his hands. There is this one moment where the camera just sort of pans into the dirt for a second. I like that. It feels real.

It’s not polished like The King of Kings. There are no big sets or fancy lighting. Just the hot sun beating down on a big circle of sand. You can almost smell the heat coming off the screen.

The bull looks smaller than you’d expect. Maybe it’s just the angle or the old lens he was using. But it looks lonely out there in the middle of all that empty space. It’s kind of sad, actually.

I kept waiting for one of his usual tricks. You know, like the stuff where he puts nails on the film or makes everything look like a ghost. But it never happens. He just stays behind the lens and watches.

A Tourist with a Very Famous Name

There is a guy in the background wearing a very flat cap. He looks bored. It’s funny how bored people look in the background of famous art. The crowd is just a blur of white shirts and dark hats.

The movement of the matador is really jerky. Part of that is the frame rate, I guess. But it makes the whole thing look like a strange dance where everyone is tripping over their own feet. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Speed King but without the jokes.

One shot lingers on the bull's head for a second too long. Then it cuts away fast. It feels like he ran out of film or got distracted by something else happening in the stands. 🎞️

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Corrida (1929) through its definitive frames.

I wonder if he was even paying attention to the 'art' of it. Or if he just liked the way the light hit the capes. The capes look like gray ghosts in the black and white footage.

It is way different from something like Thunderclap. There is no drama here. No one is trying to save the day. It’s just a guy recording a thing that happened.

Why Even Watch This?

You watch it because it's a time capsule. It’s 1920-something and you are sitting right next to a guy who changed how we look at photos. But right now, he’s just a guy at a show.

The grain on the film is so heavy it almost looks like it’s raining. Even though you can tell it’s a perfectly clear day. I like how the shadows are pitch black. There is no middle ground in the lighting.

It’s weirdly quiet even though there’s no sound. You can imagine the yelling and the dirt hitting the wood. But the silence makes it feel more like a dream. Or a memory that’s starting to fade away.

I think I saw a dog for a split second? I might have imagined it. The film is so scratchy it’s hard to tell what’s a dog and what’s just a chemical stain on the reel.

If you’ve seen Night Life, you know how much fun old footage can be. This is less 'fun' and more 'observational.' It just exists.

Don't expect a masterpiece. Don't expect to be moved. Just look at the way the bull moves across the sand. It’s enough for two minutes of your life.

Actually, it’s probably better if you don’t think about it too much. Just let the flickery light wash over you. Then go watch something with a plot, like Two Can Play.

Man Ray probably didn't think we'd be talking about his home movies a hundred years later. That makes me like it a little bit more. It’s accidental art.