Blessed Victorinos! Blessed be the one who came up with the idea of bringing them back to the Málaga fair after twelve years of absence! Thanks to those dark bulls, with dazzling appearance, defiant gaze, fierceness in their guts, overflowing breed, and an endless desire to fight, the Málaga Fair has been saved, which was on the verge of dying from a success as entertaining as it was inconsequential.
The Provincial Council, owner of the plaza, and Alberto García, the new entrepreneur, are seriously committed to making the Málaga bullring, of first category according to the Andalusian Bullfighting Regulation, alongside those of Seville and Córdoba, the third in Spain—after Las Ventas and La Maestranza—in terms of prestige, seriousness (the bull and the demands of the authority and the stands), and the impact of the events held there.
But it does not seem that this goal is easy to achieve because there are certain forces and circumstances working hard to make Málaga a tourist bullring rather than the reference center of bullfighting culture it aspires to be.
What happened at the recently concluded fair confirms this; at least until last Friday when the Victorinos arrived, turned the cycle upside down, and loudly declared that everything that had happened until then was a simulation of the bullfighting festival, which had been based on three fundamental pillars: a bull without presence, a volatile presidential box, and a generous and rowdy audience.
The demands of the stars on the dumb bull, an uninformed audience, and a misguided authority distort the dreamed prestige of the Andalusian capital’s bullring
Until then, until that Friday, 17 ears had been cut, and one would have to look closely to see how many deserved merit; of these, two at a time were carried by the rejoneador Diego Ventura and the matadors on foot David de Miranda, Marco Pérez, Emilio de Justo, and Fortes. And one does not have to be very demanding to affirm that only those received by Ventura fairly corresponded to what was done in the ring. The rest were gifts from stands surrendered to entertainment and led by a presidential box without criteria. One can be a bullfighting fan, but not to that extent.
It is practically impossible to achieve the laudable goal of prestige (first category bullring and third in Spain) if there is no demanding fandom with purity and integrity, wise and generous at the same time, that defends the fundamental values of classical bullfighting. And in Málaga, as in the rest of the bullrings in this country, it is so minority that its presence goes unnoticed.
Secondly, the bull. Ricardo, one of the sons of the breeder Victoriano del Río, said on Wednesday in a Málaga talk show that “the bullfighters are the ones who command and demand.” This explains why some of the most docile breeders in the market have come to Málaga: Lagunajanda, Juan Pedro Domecq, El Parralejo, Victoriano del Río, Núñez del Cuvillo, Garcigrande, and Torrealta, and none of them stood out either for presentation or performance.
Although it is not fashionable, the bull is the great protagonist that gives meaning to this festival, which is called, precisely, “the festival of bulls,” and which today, by imposition of the bullfighting community, has become “the festival of bullfighters.”
The bull fought at this Málaga fair, lacking presence, docile character, and little strength, similar to that of La Maestranza, is incapable of creating the emotion inherent to this spectacle, without which it has no meaning. The handkerchiefs waved in these stands did not respond to the passion of the intensity of the fight but to an exaggerated interest in justifying the ticket price with excessive entertainment quantified by the number of ears awarded.
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And the presidential box. Knowledge and goodwill of the presidents are assumed, but these are not sufficient conditions to direct a bullfighting event. The two people who have taken on this responsibility in Málaga have shown worrying weakness, unable to withstand the pressure from the stands to maintain the desired prestige.
Of course, Málaga is not a lonely island. Current bullfighting is denatured by that modern audience, enthusiastic and with no bullfighting education, majority in all bullrings, which has managed to lower the demand bar in Seville and Madrid, which are the references of the festival.
The bullfighting festival, today and always, lacks meaning without rigor.
Thus, Friday the 21st arrived, the Victorino bulls caused a revolution, and the third, named Borracho, number 53 and 587 kilos, received the honors of the lap of honor. If many bullfights went like this, more than half of the ranking would be at home. If not, just ask Escribano, Emilio de Justo, and Fortes, who truly sweated to come out victorious from a very tough challenge for which, without a doubt, today’s bullfighters are not accustomed.
Manuel Escribano is a proven hero without the fair and deserved recognition in a bullfighting world that values aesthetics above all. He performed a true feat (he was injured in a leg by the first bull and asked his companions and the authority to kill the fourth bull second before entering the infirmary), and passed through the Málaga Fair as a true bullfighting figure.
Emilio de Justo went out on shoulders for the second time through the Main Gate after a memorable performance in which the Victorinos tested his ability as a bullfighter; and the second triumphant exit, also, for the Málaga native Fortes, a very beloved bullfighter in his bullring, who was up to the task of a Victorino receiving a lap of honor.
It was an afternoon full of emotions, a bullfight that enhances a fair.
And the cycle closed yesterday with the commemorative bullfight of the 150th anniversary of the plaza, built in 1876. Bulls from three breeders, Torrealta, Garcigrande, and Núñez del Cuvillo (a thorough cleaning of corrals), a return to nobility without zeal, to unbearable tameness, and to kindness not exempt, of course, from risk. Morante suffered a tremendous fall after a natural pass. The fourth, from Garcigrande, caught him by the lower part of the trousers, at the height of the right leg’s tibia, lifted him, and slammed him against the sand; there he shook him by the back first and then tried to gore him fiercely in the chest and face until he could be helped by his companions. He was not injured but bruised and in pain, so he gave up the lap of honor with the ear they granted him. From his wrists came the most sublime flashes with the cape and the muleta; Roca Rey and David de Miranda went out on shoulders after cutting three and two ears, respectively, bravely earned against unbred animals.
In summary, without bulls that transmit fear and respect to the stands, without a wise and generous fandom, and without a presidential box with proven authority, it is impossible to realize the laudable goal of the Provincial Council and Tauroemoción, the new company. The bullfighting festival, today and always, lacks meaning without rigor.
