April 19, 2009
Bullfighting's Blood Brothers
60 Minutes Interviews A Star Matador, Who Is Then Nearly Killed In The Ring
-
Play CBS Video
Video
Blood Brothers Revisited
Brothers Cayetano and Francisco Ordonez are part of an illustrious bullfighting dynasty in Spain. As Bob Simon reports, they're creating just as much drama outside the ring as in it.
-
Video
Deadly Allure Of Bullfighting
A star matador from Spain explains the deadly allure of bullfighting in an interview with Bob Simon. Cameras later captured him nearly being killed by a bull. Sunday, April 19, 7 p.m. ET/PT.
-
Fast Facts
Spain
Learn about the people, economy and history.
Last October, 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon reported on their exploits inside and outside the ring and there's an update: the Spanish government recently awarded Francisco, the older brother, with the Fine Arts medal - the highest honor any artist can receive.
It led to front page news and to a national scandal. Two previous winners of the award returned their medals in disgust, insisting that Francisco didn't deserve it. His brother Cayetano believes he certainly does deserve it, and after watching and reading this story, you'll understand why.
Francisco Rivera Ordoñez has been fighting for 13 years. In fact, while 60 Minutes was Spain in Spain filming, he fought his 1000th fight. And the crowds couldn’t get enough of him.
Cayetano, his kid brother, has to fight off the crowds. People beg to be touched by their icon. He has been fighting only three years, and although he is still a rookie, he's worshipped all over Spain. He is one of the highest paid matadors in the country.
In fact, the brothers are the two most eligible bachelors in Spain. They each fight around 60 times during the season, and occasionally fight on the same day in the same place.
"When you and Cayetano enter the bull ring together, the crowd goes crazy," Simon remarks.
Referring to Cayetano, Francisco jokes, "More for him, now, 'cause he's younger, he's taller."
Francisco and Cayetano are in different stages of their careers: Cayetano is still blossoming, while Francisco is beginning to think of retirement. The brothers don't like to fight together. They're terrified when the other is in the ring; something awful can happen.
And there's something else: "Of course, there's the competition,” Cayetano tells Simon. “And I'm very happy when he's success…"
"As long as you succeed, too," Simon remarks.
“[As long as I succeed] more," Cayetano says.
It's not just fraternal rivalry that prods them onwards. They are both competing against ghosts.
Their grandfather, Antonio, was the greatest matador of the last 50 years. Hemingway, Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth, Grace Kelly all came to pay homage to the maestro. The boys' father was Paquirri, a legendary matador of his time.
Produced by Michael Gavshon and Paul Bellinger
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Recent Segments
Scroll Left
Scroll Right
- 1
- 2
- 3
- next
See all 141 CommentsThat''s their choice..it''s my choice not to be involved. But I still appreciate their verve.
Posted by pirmin3 at 10:05 AM : Oct 20, 2008
~~~~~~~~~
I hope you remember that remark while you are enjoying yor steak supper, which could very well be from the same bull.
One of those men has publicly tormented and then killed more than 1000 bulls using sword and spear, merely for the thrill of danger and the entertainment of a crowd. Here that would net him 2000 years in prison. In Spain it makes him a national hero.
I''m no vegan and have no sympathy with PETA - but this activity is evil, and the culture that admires it is disgusting and out of place in the modern world. You owe it to your audience to be more clear about the facts and more balanced in your presentation of how those facts are viewed.
That is just silly.
1. The animal was bred for fighting then tortured to death. There''s no way it then ends up as a person''s "steak dinner": the meat is both tough and spoiled by lactic acid buildup. More likely it''s meat will dried, powdered, and fed to cows as an admix to their grain.
2. Eating meat does not oblige one to accept ritual killing. We have laws concerning the treatment of animals. We do not permit them to ritually tormented and tortured to death, let alone for someone''s sick thrill. Yes, there are abuses - but we recognize them as *crimes*, not as something admirable.
That''s mistaken. It is indeed my place, as a moral adult human, to judge this activity and to say that tormenting animals for entertainment and thrills is evil. The "beauty" of the ritual is part of what makes it so deeply abhorrent: dressing up the cruelty with pageantry.
Cruel actions are not excused by being part of a "culture", i.e. something that has been done and accepted for a while by a particular group. The catalog of evils that would be accepted under that fallacious rule is mind boggling.
I would like to correct Mr. Simon on one thing. He stated in his story that their mother, Carmen Ordonez was Paquirri''a widow. She was not. They had divorced. His widow is Isabel Pantoja a well known singer in Spain who had a son by Paquirri and who has not yet shown interest in following in his father or step-brothers''sport.
Bullfighting is just another sport where animals are killed. To me, bow and arrow hunting is worse because if the hunter doesn''t hit a critical point the animal can take off and suffer a very slow death (hours). Since you are not pro PETA, I%u2019d assume you are ok with this type of hunting. So according to your own logic, the US culture is a pretty disgusting one as well.
I just think you got this wrong. You are mixing your own prejudices with the bullfight issue. Just say bullfighting is wrong because you think it is, but don%u2019t label a whole country the way you did because of the limited knowledge you may have of my people.
How dare you promote the discusting barbaric "sport" of bull fighting.
"The greatness of a nation and it''s moral progress can be judged by the way that it''s animals are treated .. Gandhi
Shame on Spain, and shame on you for not even mentioning the cruelty to the animals. It was a perfect teaching moment, and you blew it.
Denise Bruneau
Milwaukee, WI
1. Fighting bulls live betweeen 4 and 5 years on very large open range ranches. They are worth a lot of money and live an ideal life before going to the bullring. They have a much better life than domestic cattle that live 9-14 months in tight pens and are fattened up for the slaughter.
2. The bulls ALWAYS go for meat directly after the bullfight. It is hardy meat (not tender veal), but the meat is ALWAYS sold to the butcher directly after the bullfight and is ALWAYS consumed by people.
3. When a bull performs exceptionally well the audience can petition to have the animal spared. It will then go back to the ranch and be a stud bull with a harem of 50 cows for the rest of its life.
4. Without the bullfight the entire race of the fighting bull (toro de lidia) would become extinct. This bull is a completely different breed of animal than domestic cattle. It is a beautiful, majestic and wild animal. The bullfight guarantees this animal''s preservation. Ban the bullfight and we lose this species.
5. There are bullfights in Spain, France, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela. It has especially grown in popularity in France in the last few decades as there are hundreds of events in hundreds of bullrings every season in France. Portugal also has bullfights but the bull is not killed in the ring in front of the audience, it is killed 5 minutes afterwards in the corrals and then goes for meat.
The matador has the choice to be there %u2013 the bull does not. From the moment he enters the ring from the dark alleyway where he is kept, the bull doesn%u2019t stand a chance. He may be weakened by beatings with sandbags, have the muscles in his neck cut in order to prevent him from lifting his head up all the way, be debilitated with laxatives, have his horns shaved or have petroleum jelly rubbed into his eyes in order to alter his ability to judge distance.
For those who want to know more about this barbaric outdated ritual, visit:
http://www.runningofthenudes.com/bullfighting_facts.asp
You want stop animal suffering? Stop it first in your neighborhood, in your city, in your state and your country.
Rubbish!! Your all so good at spreading the "word" elsewhere.
You want stop animal suffering? Stop it first in your neighborhood, in your city, in your state and your country.
Rubbish!! Your all so good at spreading the "word" elsewhere.
For all of those who criticize bullfighting, first look at what you eat and wear. Are all of you vegans? Do you understand what the process is for all of the cellophane wrapped meats/poultry at the grocery markets and leather shoes, purses, belts, and wallets you all use and wear?
Bullfighting is part of a culture. The entire country of Spain may not agree with the sport, but it is arrogant to state that one comment is a representation for all of Europe or Spain.
Also, from what I have read, Carmen Rivera Ordonez divorced Paquirri, not annulled their marriage so technically she was still his widow.
The Rivera Ordonez brothers have not only my admiration but also my prayers for their continued success and safety.
I thank them for holding true to the Spanish culture.
As Oxford says:
Sport, noun. an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
Bullfighting is not a competition, in fact the name bull fighting is erroneous in it''s translation as the Spanish don''t see it and never have as a fight.
As usual Americans confuse politics with passion. And as still seems to be the case they forget where they''re leather shoes and steaks come from and through what process they come about. And lest I forget the Chileans, Cubans, Mexicans, Panamanians, Philippinos, Vietnamese, Koreans, Afghans and Iraqi innocent people that died in your politically and economically motivated wars did not choose to be under your bombs either.
You want to stop animal suffering? I think that''s really good and you should. Stop it and fight agaisnt it first in your neighborhood, in your city, in your state and your country.
Rubbish!! Your all so good at spreading the "word" elsewhere.
1. It is evil to inflict pain on a living creature in order to derive pleasure.
2. In bullfighting a bull is tormented, injured, and ultimately killed in order to provide thrills for the bullfighter and entertainment for an audience.
3. Therefore, bullfighting is evil.
There is no real comparison to bow hunting. Bow hunters are not national heroes. Bullfighters are. I can, and I do, condemn the entire culture that celebrates blood sports:
1. A culture that glorifies evil activity is contemptible and should not be tolerated.
2. In Spanish culture, bullfighting is extremely popular and bullfighters are celebrated "national heroes"
3. As proven above, bullfighting is evil.
4. Therefore, Spanish culture is contemptible and should not be tolerated.
Everything else is just distraction - cape-waving. Sure there are "good things" in Spanish culture - so what? It is deeply corrupted by the celebration of blood sports. It is, as I said earlier, disgusting.
These points are utterly irrelevant to the question of BULLFIGHTING; cazalis is just waving his cape to try to distract us. The possibility of *some other evil occurring elsewhere* does not excuse or prevent one from objecting to a particular evil under discussion!
These points are also wrong. My shoes and steaks don''t come from public torment of an animal for pleasure. And if my neighbor is fighting dogs or beating his horse, that''s a crime, not a national celebration!
All of this cape waving about the brave and rare bull, other things that may also be objectionable, etc. etc. simply expose the fact that bullfighting is in fact indefensible. Rather than defend it, those who favor it must distract us from it. They can''t deal with the essence of the matter: it is evil to inflict pain and suffering in order to derive pleasure.
She has that half right.
Yes, tormenting and killing an animal in a so-called "artistic performance" is immoral.
But no, nothing else that may be said has any bearing on the "credibility" of that obvious truth. Regardless of whether it may be correct and proven, or not.
As before, supporters of this activity cannot just address the basic truth of the matter, they resort to cape-waving in an attempt to distract and confuse.
Repeating your post times does not make it any more true. It is, however, an abuse of this board and has been reported as such.
You air a story and I draw my own conclusions.
I last saw Francisco in 1986 at my summer camp in Maine, practicing his passes with a cape and sword out on the baseball field of my summer camp that the boys had been sent to by their mother. She wanted them to be away from Europe and Jeffery Lyons the film critic, whose family was friends with Hemingway and the Ordonez family had recommended Kennebec, my summer camp for boys in rustic Belgrade, Maine. Francisco was an amazing athlete and blew by me on the basketball court, though he hardly even knew the rules, let alone the skills.
Cayatano was quiet and shy and the protected younger brother. He did not exhibit any interest in bull fighting at all.
Both boys were supremely well liked and majestically polite and powerful at the same time. Their english was minimal but their command of the moment was unrivaled.
I have been interviewed from time to time about what it was like to have the "Kennedy Children of Europe" at our all boys, spartan and rustic camp.
It was, I imagine,like being in the audience of one of their fights today. Every time I saw them it was magical.
I only wish to tell them that the director, I, known to them as Uncle Joel, thinks of them and hopes to see their smiling faces once again. Perhaps on Lake Salmon at their old camp, which has kept up with the times and has adopted a new theme of Golf, Tennis and Hockey to lure the young princes and princesses of the world.
Please, if you can send them my warmest wishes and hello. Rip Rah Rex
I last saw Francisco in 1986 at my summer camp in Maine, practicing his passes with a cape and sword out on the baseball field of my summer camp that the boys had been sent to by their mother. She wanted them to be away from Europe and Jeffery Lyons the film critic, whose family was friends with Hemingway and the Ordonez family had recommended Kennebec, my summer camp for boys in rustic Belgrade, Maine. Francisco was an amazing athlete and blew by me on the basketball court, though he hardly even knew the rules, let alone the skills.
Cayatano was quiet and shy and the protected younger brother. He did not exhibit any interest in bull fighting at all.
Both boys were supremely well liked and majestically polite and powerful at the same time. Their english was minimal but their command of the moment was unrivaled.
I have been interviewed from time to time about what it was like to have the "Kennedy Children of Europe" at our all boys, spartan and rustic camp.
It was, I imagine,like being in the audience of one of their fights today. Every time I saw them it was magical.
I only wish to tell them that the director, I, known to them as Uncle Joel, thinks of them and hopes to see their smiling faces once again. Perhaps on Lake Salmon at their old camp, which has kept up with the times and has adopted a new theme of Golf, Tennis and Hockey to lure the young princes and princesses of the world.
Please, if you can send them my warmest wishes and hello. Rip Rah Rex
New for you! You shouldn''t be seeing them in Maine, their occupation is a felony anywhere in the USA and they are not eligible to enter the country!
And a reality check please! I don''t care how sweet someone is while tormenting an animal for thrills: the act is evil and the best you can say is that maybe that *used to be* a good person but now he is corrupted by an evil obsession.
From what I understand, the bull is butchered and the meat is often given to charity. A fitting end, following a noble last stand. Much better than the slaughter houses we have here in the United States. At least these Spanish bulls are cultivated, strengthened, respected and revered throughout their lives before meeting their demise!
Oh, I forgot. This is CBS. I should not have been surprised.
I hope CBS will see tonight's story on bullfighting as a serious lapse in judgement and will ensure nothing similar is broadcast in the future. Next time it happens you will lose me for good.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- next
See all 141 Comments