EXCLUSIVE: Antonio Barrera is known to perform with reckless abandon, and it has cost him. We're not trying to justify bullfighting, which is why I think lots of people who are anti-bullfighting have loved the movie, because it doesn't feel like a bullfighting film. There would be no risk of the viewer getting caught up in the romance or artistry of it, not when, according to de Moral, the spectacle never stops being “a mere fight” and so cannot become “a tragic ballet of extraordinary beauty”. Barrio’s death yesterday — the first death of a matador in a bullring in decades, and a moment captured live on Spanish television — has turned … Meet Antonio Barrera, who has the strange distinction of being the most-gored bullfighter in modern history. In his fifteen year career as a professional matador, Spaniard Antonio Barrera has survived 23 cornadas, or “hornings”, making him the most gored torero in modern history. We met him when he was making the most painful decision he's ever made. A few weeks ago here in Mexico City, Morante de la Puebla performed the most beautiful “tragic ballet” of the bullfighting season at the Monumental Plaza de Toros. Barrera is a somewhat infamous bullfighter, since he has the reputation as the most gored matador in history. He's like a bull; if you're not within his peripheral vision, you cannot reach Antonio Barrera. That's driven by politics, conquest—lots of other things. And everyone had a stake in it: his wife, his daughter, his father-in-law. Which is why there's so much pushback against it. By continuing to use this website, you consent to our use of these cookies. We leave Barrera contemplating his future without the “driving force of his life”, asking “cual es mi ilusion ahora?”, or “what is my dream/what do I have to look forward to now?”. Release Calendar DVD & Blu-ray Releases Top Rated Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Showtimes & Tickets In Theaters Coming Soon Coming Soon Movie News India Movie Spotlight. After a career of hardship, he is forced to define his legacy in his final performance. A female matador has been gored by a bull during a performance in Peru. Debut with "Picadores": Bullring of Girona, June 24th, 1991. He didn't have the artistry, the duende that's expected from the great figuras, but rather he was just a human being trying to do this. ... Gored Bullfighter / … Antonio Barrera is the most gored bullfighter in modern history, and known to perform with total abandonment. Would someone like Antonio, or many of the themes arising from his story, even exist outside of bullfighting? Antonio Barrera, né le 9 février 1976 à Séville (Espagne), est un matador espagnol. Were you a fan? The closing scenes are some of the most powerful in the documentary. Now with a family to consider and a body that won't hold up, Barrera decides to face the bulls one last time, desperate for a taste of elusive glory. The Worship of the Egyptian Bull God, Apis: painting, Fillipino Lippi. Antonio Barrera is the most gored matador in modern bullfighting. This website uses cookies to help us give you the best experience when you visit our website. What was it that drew you to him as a subject? He’s been gored twenty three times, an unusually high number that includes seventeen surgeries, countless broken bones and many scars. After making the festival rounds last spring (including a slot at Tribeca Film Festival), Gored is now available for the public to watch online. We talked to director Ido Mizrahy about his bloody doc, and why he doesn't expect bullfighting to die out anytime soon. The choice of having Antonio Barrera as the protagonist, rather than bullfighting in general, was a good way of not hiding from the subject, but rather putting it at eye-level. Antonio Barrera uses a Basque flag as a cape at a fight in San Sebastián in 2012. No, and that's exactly why bullfighting still exists. It didn't turn me into a fan, but I am not a protestor. But I think it still has so many fans and still exists because it satisfies something really primal. The big deal is to be an artist while you're doing it. Known as the Most Gored Bullfighter in History, Antonio Barrera has been impaled 23 times in the bullring. Antonio Barrera is not a great bullfighter. Ido Mizrahy: No, not at all. A few hours later, outside a hotel, I briefly locked eyes with Antonio Barrera. I have no idea. He is, however, insanely brave, and is prepared to die every time he enters the ring. AFP... Spanish Torero Antonio Barrera. But he makes up for these failings with unflinching bravery. The Rocky Balboa of bullfighting. There's still a really visceral need to be around death in a controlled environment. Now that Barrera has a family, however, he has finally decided to call it a day in Léon, Mexico. As soon as we finished, I wanted his take on it before I even locked picture, but he never responded. As the Spanish bullfighting critic J.A. Barrera is proud to "offer his life 100 percent" every time he enters a bull ring; and, with 23 cornadas, he is the most gored bullfighter in modern history. Captivating footage of past and present bullfights reveal Barrera’s tremendous passion for the sport, as well as his seemingly irresistible urge to confront death at every opportunity. It's about obsession, life and death, broken dreams, family. Has making the film changed your view of bullfighting? You have to learn to understand your subject without judging it. How did Barrera respond to the film? The meeting, which began around 11 in the morning, is a "conclave" in which, among other things, the possibility of carrying out "a second reconstruction tour" will be discussed They tend to think, Of course you're supposed to be brave, that's a given. "Gored," the story of Antonio Barrera, the most gored bullfighter in history, sounds like a candidate for a horror film. Everyone was so invested, and the camera was so low on their priority list, that we filmed the real stuff. Morante is one of the aforementioned “artist matadors from another galaxy”, and this new role allows Barrera to still be close to his beloved bulls, without offering his life to them. Fandiño gets tripped up in his cape on Saturday. Known as the “Most Gored Bullfighter in History,” Antonio Barrera has been stabbed 23 times by his horned adversary. Was it difficult filming such crucial moments in his life? Alternative: On July 11th, 1999 at Feria de Avila at the hands of Manuel Diaz El Cordobes and Javier Conde as a witness. Antonio Barrera is the most gored matador in modern bullfighting. The Story. Spain’s new political map is raising questions about the future of public events involving los toros – anything from bullfights to the custom of chasing the animals down the street (or being chased by them) during local fiestas.. I find myself much more interested. So here's the other reality about trying to make a movie about a matador: they are really tricky to pin down. So he created his own brand of bullfighting that was really more about coming back from the dead, and became famous for it. Antonio Barrera is not a great bullfighter. Whatever your views on bullfighting, there is no denying that Antonio Barrera is a captivating subject for a documentary. As the Spanish bullfighting critic J.A. Spanish bullfighter Antonio Barrera in action during a bullfight at Monumental bullring as part of Quito's Fair Jesus del Gran Poder 2009 on December 1st, 2009 in Quito, Ecuador. A film takes a long time to make, so you have to be submerged in the subject. He’s been gored 23 times and undergone 17 surgeries. His wife is desperate for him to give it up, but when they first fell in love she promised to never ask him to retire. Spanish bullfighter Antonio Barrera is lifted in the air at the Macarena bullring, on January 24 in Medellin, Antioquia department, Colombia. Barrera is Spanish, but his career seems to have played out mainly in Mexico. The life and career of Antonio Barrera, a bullfighter who has been gored by bulls 23 times. By the final frames, you’re still not sure which resolution, if any, has been brought forth by his last appearance in the bull ring. Bullfighter Antonio Barrera. Today news channels feed us death all the time, but that's very different. Last year, a professional Spanish bullfighter was gored to death during a competition on live television. The term originates from the sequins and reflective threads of gold or silver. Antonio Barrera, a retired bullfighter and now representative of Bailleres in Spain , plays host . Select from premium Antonio Barrera of the highest quality. Barrera, who comes across as a very nice person, was pushed into the sport by his father, a failed bullfighter himself. But will it be a relieved welcome back to the land of the living, or a final welcome to the death he’s cheated 23 times? The documentary Gored looks at his final performance: Barrera has decided to retire after this final bullfight in León, Mexico, with his wife and daughter watching in the audience. JESUS URIARTE / EL PAÍS. Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia (born January 17, 1974) is a Mexican former professional boxer … We knew we were walking into fertile ground, but, in a way, that's what you want as a filmmaker. In other words, he isn't one of the "artist" matadors with an "aesthetic purity…from another galaxy." VICE: How did you originally find out about Antonio Barrera? He’s now an anonymous figure clad in a normal blue suit, walking through the crowds outside the bullring, behind the gran figura Morante, signing autographs and shining brightly in his matador’s “suit of lights”. As close and as intimate a time as we had with him, when he's not in front of us physically, we can't reach him. He met Antonio Barrera in Spain, and did a profile on him. Get the New Statesman\'s Morning Call email. Movies. Were you confident audiences and critics would see beyond any debates about its morality? Especially as Antonio isn't a poster-boy for bullfighting and doesn't exhibit that artistry, so you never get swallowed up by the romance. Why do pictures of busy outdoor pubs still trigger panic about Covid-19? Meet Antonio Barrera, who has the strange distinction of being the most-gored bullfighter in modern history. Once we started filming, however, we realized it was a much fuller story… it wanted to be a feature-length documentary. The bull gored him after he fell. Meet Antonio Barrera, who has the strange distinction of being the most-gored bullfighter in modern history. Why the threat posed by Covid-19 to the global economy is not over, "This risks creating an arms race": inside Europe's battle over the future of quantum computing, Why Promising Young Woman is trapped in the Noughties, The ghost of James Gandolfini in Enough Said, Seaspiracy: the overfishing documentary that became entangled in its own net. His destiny was set in motion for him: his father was a failed bullfighter and put Antonio in front of the bulls when he was 7, but he just didn't have the goods. Whatever your views on bullfighting, there is no denying that Antonio Barrera is a captivating subject: a brave, tragic hero, Ajax-like in his bravery and in his fate to never to be the best. We're filming people dealing with life-shattering decisions. Whereas in Mexico they seemed to be saying, We know you're not a great artist, but give us everything you've got anyway. With Paco Leganes and Senda. Barrera never reaches the point where the spectacle stops being "a mere fight" and becomes "a tragic ballet of extraordinary beauty.". Later adornments include the montera hat, more elaborate embroidery, and decorative accessories. To my sensibility, I don't necessarily enjoy it, but there's something about it that I totally understand now, and which tells me why it's still around. Antonio Barrera, Self: Gored. In GORED, a feature documentary we co-produced and that’s scheduled for release on Netflix this March, matador Antonio Barrera talks about bullfighting as a religion, where ultimate sacrifice is the goal. He has in theory survived and retired, and is now managing his good friend, the torero Morante de la Puebla (who incidentally cut off Barrera’s coleta – the small ponytail all toreros have – marking his retirement in Léon). Gored gives us glimpses of his near-death experiences: On his knees in front of a thousand-pound bull in the pouring rain; hopping around the ring with a makeshift tourniquet around his bloody upper thigh; staggering, bare-chested, bare-buttocked, bleeding from various wounds, his "suit of lights" split open at the seams by the bull's horns; on a stretcher being rushed to the ringside infirmary unable to breathe. Antonio could offer that. These trajes are based on the flamboyant costumes of the 18th-century dandies and showmen involved in bullfighting, which later became exclusive to the bullfighting ritual. By all accounts, Barrera is not a particularly gifted bullfighter. Johnny Tapia is hoisted up after his fight against Marco Antonio Barrera at their middleweight … For more information, visit the documentary's website here. He's not just "any man" dealing with these issues. They stayed in touch, and when Antonio mentioned he might retire, we thought it might make an interesting short film. His long-suffering wife (the daughter of a fighting bull breeder), who has been with him through 18 of the 23 cornadas, is desperate for him to retire. Getting gored over and over again wasn't painful for him anymore, but to make the decision to walk away from the bulls? The life and career of Antonio Barrera, a bullfighter who has been gored by bulls 23 times. The Spanish affición get pretty snarky about bravery. Find the perfect Antonio Barrera stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Mizrahy explains that this is what drew him and Geoff Gray, his writing partner, to Barrera as a subject – the very fact he isn’t a poster boy for bullfighting insured an honest look at the ancient spectacle that would fully demonstrate its brutality. That was really painful. He has no idea what Barrera thought of the film or whether he’s even seen it. After a career of hardship, he is forced to define his legacy in his final performance. He's not just "any man" dealing with these issues. Mizrahy hasn’t heard from his protagonist since finishing filming. Antonio felt much more welcome in Mexico for a variety of reasons, but mostly because Mexicans really appreciated what he put out there. By signing up to the VICE newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. It is a documentary by Ido Mizrahy on the famed bullfighter Antonio Barrera. Find out more www.goredthemovie.com, Annalena Baerbock: the woman who could become Germany's first Green chancellor. José Tomás has been considered a kind of savior amid the dwindling spectacle that is bullfighting, but on Sunday, in front of more than 45,000 fans in Mexico City, he brought the bull in … What you do is to be Antonio Barrera, the bullfighter with the distinction of being gored more often than any other bullfighter in modern history - 23 times, to be precise. As the Spanish bullfighting critic J A de Moral explains in Gored, he isn’t “fino, has no ‘aesthetic grace…he isn’t one of the artist matadors with an aesthetic purity from another galaxy”. Gored centers on Spanish bullfighter Antonio Barrera, holder of the dubious title of “Most Gored Bullfighter in History,” as he grapples with the end of his career. Birth Day: On February 9th, 1976 Sevilla. Debut in Las Ventas: On April 6th, 1997, alternative with Francisco Javier Porras and Juan Diego. His journey towards retirement in December 2012 is the subject of Ido Mizrahy’s new documentary Gored, which, after a hugely successful festival run last April (including winning Best Documentary at Raindance) has just been released on Netflix and iTunes in the UK. Obtenha fotos jornalísticas preminum de alta resolução em Getty Images But, as Antonio Barrera emphatically says at the end of the doc, "I am a bullfighter." He explains in Gored that there is nothing in the world he loves more than bullfighting; that he has never, not even with a woman, maintained a relationship so intimate as he has with a bull, and that it’s the most pure relationship he knows. But when she fell in love with him, she promised herself she “would never ask him when he would retire – never”. Whatever your views on bullfighting, there is no denying that Antonio Barrera is a captivating subject: a brave, tragic hero, Ajax-like in his bravery and in his fate to never to be the best. Bullfighting is obviously a controversial subject. To film his family in the days leading up to his final bullfight… they couldn't care less about us. Barrera may not be the most graceful bullfighter, but his unyielding fervor has carried him through each gore. Gored is now available on iTunes and Netflix. But, as Antonio Barrera emphatically says at the end of the doc, "I am a bullfighter." He's been gored 23 times and undergone 17 surgeries. Menu. del Moral puts it in Ido Mizrahy's documentary Gored, he has no "aesthetic grace." Antonio Barrera is the most gored bullfighter in modern history, and known to perform with total abandonment. In an earlier era a bullfighter like Barrera would not have lived long. He’s been gored twenty three times, an unusually high number that includes seventeen surgeries, countless broken bones and many mental scars. del Moral puts it in Ido Mizrahy's documentary Gored, he has no "aesthetic grace." He's been gored 23 times and undergone 17 surgeries. Rent the Latest Releases Visit the Video Store from the main menu to rent Hollywood's latest releases. What was interesting to me is that he wasn't one of the gods of bullfighting. My writing partner [the journalist Geoff Gray] had become interested in this ancient spectacle of bullfighting. Mizrahy shows us anti-bullfighting protestors outside Seville’s bullring during the spring feria – various young Spaniards standing around holding placards, and a girl with a megaphone shouting “bulls deserve to live, like us”. If it was just fading away, people would let it be. It's a very privileged point of view, real access to something, which is incredibly rare in documentaries. Antonio Barrera is the most gored bullfighter in modern history, and known to perform with total abandonment. Would someone like Antonio, or many of the themes arising from his story, even exist outside of bullfighting? Cheers and applause. We want to see you put your guts out there, and we'll respect you for it. He describes him as “bull-like” in as much as if you're not in his peripheral vision, he can't see you and you can’t reach him. No, and that's exactly why bullfighting still exists. Morante was in the bar enjoying a drink after his successful afternoon, but Barrera was standing alone outside with the exact same lost, slightly haunted expression he has at the end of Gored – I fear he’ll never find an ilusion quite like the bulls but I’m confident he won’t stop looking. Now if this means he’s the best bullfighter, or the worst bullfighter isn’t clarified, to my uneducated mind either line of reasoning makes sense. A 501 kg bull called “Bienvenido” will be the last he’ll ever fight. In the final few minutes, we see Barrera in his new life. And he had to keep that style because that was what drew people to see him. At this point, against the backdrop of Barrera’s heroics and contemplation of his own mortality, the protestors seem grotesque and incongruous; modernity jarring against not only the timeless beauty of Barrera’s wife in the next shot in her traditional flamenca dress, but also with the profundity of the film. For us to be able to go into a controlled environment and see man try to submit nature in that way, and share in that incredibly difficult task, I think that's what keeps bullfighting relevant. Gored is out now on iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon. The traje de luces ('suit of lights') is the traditional clothing that Spanish bullfighters (toreros, picadores, and rejoneadores) wear in the bullring. 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