fiesta

January 20 movie: Fiesta. I had forgotten how much I love this movie. The best part is when Ricardo Montalban dances with Cyd Charisse. They were incredible together. There's also a very moving scene where Montalban plays the piano. And while I'm no expert on piano playing, he certainly appears to be actually playing the piece. There are plenty of shots where you can see his head and his hands, and the fingering appears to be exactly right (unlike the typical movie where the actor randomly bangs away at the keys and then they cut to a close-up of an actual pianist's hands). It's a difficult piece, too! I wonder if Montalban played the piano, or was he just really good at faking it.

I almost forgot, the best part isn't really the dancing. Well it is, but the other best part is the bullfighting. Fiesta takes place in a magical world where no bulls are harmed during a bullfight, and the goal is for the matador to get close enough to tap the bull on the forehead. At which point the matador turns his back on the bull and slowly walk away, and the bull is too busy groveling in shame to, you know, gore the matador. It's brilliant.