" How Can You Tolerate this Abomination to God's Magnificent Creatures? "
-Pope Benedict XVI -
THE DANCE OF DEATH
Film Photographer Ihor & Mary Alice
The Daily Times, Toronto Canada
Sept. 15th., '82
The Dance of Death may be making a few people squirm in their seats today and it's no wonder.
The 25-minute documentary is playing Toronto's Festival of Festivals today at 12:30 p.m.
It is about bullfighting, and all things considered, it is not a pretty sight.
That's why the associate producer says and Mary Petch-Mashinter ( Pollard ) should know. She has seen through the rough cut and has been following the production through its early stages more than a year ago.
'It's shocking even to me,' she was relating before the first official screening of the documentary. ' The first time I saw the footage I was horrified - and I was used to that kind of thing !'
Sponsored by The International Council Against Bullfighting, the film cost just under $10,000.00
' I hired filmmaker Ihor Macijiwsky. Soon after he boarded a plane bound for Madrid. After filming a week inthe city, the raw footage was brought back and the long process of post production began. It became especially difficult since Mary had counted on Lorne Greene to do the voice-over narration, drawing closer to deadline, and still no confirmation,
the associate producer had to look elsewhere.
Mary Alice & Ed Asner
Ed Asner is the man she found to do the job, but the footage proved to be so offensive he did the voice-over without the visual aid.
She agrees the documentary is controversial but she says it is presented in a straightforward, factual way.
' What it does is expose what a bullfight is all about ' .
The footage follows the course of four bullfights and even contains exclusive footage of training sessions where old horses are used, maimed and finally killed; not to mention the slaughter of the bulls.
One of the reason's for the film is to dissuade tourists from going to bullfights out of curiosity, the producer says.
According to statistics, about 60 percent of the people who attend bullfights in Spain are tourists. Mary says she hopes the documentary will in time have international exposure .'
.......
Thanks to such special people like our Freddy Weirs and Vicki Moore from FAACE, and ICaB's Maria Elena Diaz from Mexico, I was rich in the information I needed to conduct a strong campaign against bullfighting !
Sadly Freddy passed away, and that was the end of the ICaB .. wanting the best for this film, I passed it over into the hands of WSPA for them to take over, work with in order to give the film and it's purpose for being made, the exposure it deserved,
which they have !
Freddy Weirs and Vicki Moore are no longer here with us, but the work for the horses and the bulls, victims of the fiesta, continues because of many worth while and dedicated organizations and individuals ,
And I, well I do what I can, when called upon to help.
And I hope you will join in the crusade to save these animals from their tormentors !
These beautiful animals are forever in my heart !
To all the people who work so hard to stop this horrific spectacle
Thank You !
Mary Alice
Going Abroad ? Eight countries still host bullfighting !
Do Your Part to END THE SUFFERING
of the bulls and horses in bullrings around the world by
Boycotting The Bullfights ~ And Blood Fiesta's WHEREVER !
In 1985, following the death of Alfred Weirs, WSPA took over the work of the International Council Against Bullfighting and since then has led worldwide opposition to this brutal custom. However in 2011 I was able to obtain a copy of the complete film and it can now be seen here on the internet, for the very first time.
International Council Against Bullfighting's
DANCE OF DEATH
Related Sites
Film Photographer Ihor Macijiwsky
INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT AGAINST BULLFIGHTS
MOVIMENTO INTERNACIONAL ANTI-TOURADAS
MOVIMIENTO INTERNACIONAL ANTITAURINO
MOUVEMENT INTERNATIONAL ANTI CORRIDAS
For A Bullfighting Free Europe
http://www.bullfightingfreeeurope.org/
http://www.bullfightingfreeeurope.org/
If you go down in the ring today
You'll never believe your eyes
The bulls are being knifed and speared
By men who tell us lies
A man they call the matador
Will take their lives away
And the audience will cheer
As they enjoy their killing day
The horses will be terrified
But forced to face the bull
Whilst horns are tearing at their side
And riders scream and pull
If you go down in the ring today
You'd better close your eyes
And plug your ears with Dynamite
To drown their desperate cries !!
You'd better close your eyes
And plug your ears with Dynamite
To drown their desperate cries !!
This poem was written and sent to me by a friend of the animals who lives near a bullfighting area in Mexico
"CAS International (Comité Anti Stierenvechten) is the biggest organization in the world
which works exclusively on the abolition of bullfighting and cruel fiestas (festivals)
during which bulls and other animals are tortured.
Together with our colleague organizations,
we want to end this animal abuse as soon as possible."
Watch the Teaser du DVD de Jerome Lescure " ALINEA 3 " Minotaure Film
Part 1 http://youtu.be/kyNnusTp4uk
Part 2 http://youtu.be/KSU1dBrrONI
Without a doubt one of the most up close, telling and exposing film on bullfighting I have ever seen !
In this short film you will see exactly what these animals are subjected to - curious about bullfighting - don't bother buying a ticket ...
GET THIS DVD !
Then tell others about it !
______
PACMA
SPAIN's POLITICAL PARTY FOR THE ANIMALS
Shocking video clips
Of blood sports and horrificly cruel events which animals are used in.
AND SOME VERY BRAVE PROTESTERS WHO MAKE A STAND FOR THE ANIMALS !
_______
Bullfighting - A Hellish Nightmare for Animals !
by
Irish Council Against Blood Sports
____
____
For other Photos, Video footage
Shark On Line's
A Life Story
Historian waged crusade against bullfighting
October 22, 2006
by Lauren FitzPatrick
Polish-American professor of Latin American history Michael A. Ogorzaly turned his compassion toward animals into a personal and historical crusade.
"Bullfighting ought to be ended," he'd tell his wife, Rosamaria Garcia Ogorzaly.
Or as he'd put it, it "belongs in the dustbin of history."
Ogorzaly's second book, "When Bulls Cry: The Case Against Bullfighting," was published in April. It was the pinnacle of his career as a historian and professor, and he was thrilled to hold the first printed copies, said Bob Bionaz, one of his
Chicago State University colleagues.
All this from a wheelchair, which kept him mobile and relatively independent since he survived a car crash at age 20. Years before the Americans with Disabilities Act, Mr. Ogorzaly had learned to drive a hand-operated van so he could retain his independence, Bionaz said.
Mr. Ogorzaly, of Chicago's Beverly community, died Oct. 15 of complications after a heart attack.
He was 58.
He truly believed bullfighting was wrong and took to task anyone who had sponsored or glorified what he considered a blood sport.
"It was hard for him to watch," his wife said of his thorough research. "He had night sweats -- he often couldn't get to sleep. He had to see so many of them, and they're just as gruesome on film." ..............
FAACE – Fight Against Animal Cruelty in Europe http://www.faace.co.uk
A Tribute to Vicki Moore
About Vicki http://www.faace.co.uk/vicki.htm
Order a copy of Vicki's biography, Life On The Line
2000 Liverpool Echo
Monday, February 7, 2000
By Paddy Shennan,
Liverpool ECHO feature writer
Merseyside animal rights campaigner Vicki Moore died yesterday at the age of 44.
Here PADDY SHENNAN pays tribute to a woman who was never afraid torisk her life for what she believed in.
(Reprinted with Permission)
SELFLESS, tireless, fearless, passionate, devoted and determined Vicki Moore
was all these things and more. Much more.
She was a born fighter and, above everything else, she was compassionate. And she reserved that compassion for the countless, helpless animals across Europe who faced cruel and tortuous death.
Vicki spent so much time, so much effort and so much money fighting the good fight against the bloodthirsty bull-baiters and the sick sadists who bullied and slaughtered allkinds of creatures great and small in the name of fun and sport.
Why is she doing it? the cynics would ask. Why does she care? Perhaps it was because nobody else did.
The animal rights crusader became the scourge of the bloodthirsty bull-baiters of
Spain, in particular. She often found herself at the mercy of thugs who were furious that this lone woman from another country was intent on stopping their pleasure.
Intent and, often, successful. That she faced regular threats and occasional beatings was a tribute to the power and influence she developed over the years.
To the outsider, it looked like the achievements of a single white female but it wasn't. And Vicki Moore, who was recognised as an ECHO Mersey Marvel during her incredible life, was always the first to correct anybody who thought that was the case.
Vicki was able to go on her troubleshooting European tours because of her rock back home in Southport husband Tony Moore, the quiet campaigner who stayed firmly in the background. "We were two people who were one," a devastated Tony said after his wife's death. That was so true.
Twelve years ago, when the ECHO first told the story of
one of the region's most
incredible double acts, Tony Moore told me he was in debt. He told me his wife left him for weeks on end to stay in hotels across Europe. He was left alone to look after the house, two dogs, ten cats . . . and a bundle of bills. But he wouldn't have had it any other way.
Their lives had turned upside down about a year or so earlier,
when Vicki read a couple of lines in a newspaper
about what Spanish villagers
had in mind for a helpless donkey at their annual fiesta.
The animal, set to be ridden to its death in a ceremony at Villanueva de la Vera, was later christened Blackie. It seemed to be a story which had everything, even a happy ending. The interest generated in the media by the Moores helped save the donkey, who spent the rest of its life at a sanctuary in Devon. Things would never be the same again for Vicki and Tony Moore.
Vicki, a singer and a Shakespearean actress, met her husband-to-be on the cabaret circuit where they later worked together, putting on their own brand of musical comedy. Now it was time for Vicki to take a giant leap onto the world stage.
It was decided that Tony would keep things ticking over at home and he became the silent partner who shied away from the limelight, preferring to wait in the wings and act as prompter. He was also the anchorman of the Fight Against Animal Cruelty in Europe (FAACE), which the couple launched in August 1987.
Explaining how their roles were worked out, he said: "If I get upset when I'm talking to people, I tend to lose my rag, whereas Vicki can place an argument neatly and get her point across." Vicki spent the rest of her life putting her point across forcefully across the killing fields of Europe whether it was the "blood fiestas" in Spain or, much closer to home, at the Waterloo Cup at Altcar.
She often found herself at the mercy of drunken, rampaging hooligans during her many visits to Spain on one terrifying occasion she was clubbed on the head while shotguns were fired within inches of her face. One cowardly yob told her: "We want to blast your face to leave you with a souvenir of Villanueva!" It was something the campaigner got used to but it was something which never deflected her from her path.
Tragically, it wasn't a sick human but a frightened animal
which indirectly led to Vicki's premature death.
Husband Tony believes she had never fully recovered from being gored by a bull in 1995 a sickening incident captured by a film crew and shown around the world.
She was attacked by the animal during an annual fiesta at Coria, near to Spain's border with Portugal. During the summer, festival bulls are forced to run through the streets whilst being showered with sharp paper darts fired from blowpipes.
At the time of the attack she had been trying to secretly
film the event for British
television. Vicki was tossed into the air 10 times. She was gored 11 times in the, chest, back, groin, legs and also suffered a
punctured lung and 8 badly smashed ribs.
Vicki had kept her continuing health problems secret
she didn't want to deflect
attention away from animals in danger onto herself.
That was typical of a woman whose fighting spirit knew no boundaries.
In a tribute to Vicki, animal rights activist Carla Lane said: "There are millions who will feel the way she did, but there are only
a very few strong voices."
Vicki Moore spoke up for all kinds of animals in all kinds of situations and, at times, she was often a lone voice. But it was a powerful voice and, eventually, the world did begin to listen as TV crews followed the campaigner on her travels.
She was a woman of action. A woman who cared. A woman who will never be forgotten.
EDITORIAL
A LIFE OF HEROISM
But the only thing that mattered to Vicki Moore was the animals.
The premature death of Vicki Moore will be received with great sadness, not only by animal rights campaigners but by many people who have nevermarched in protest or held a banner aloft.
The vast majority of us emphatically agree that slaughtering bulls for sport or watching hares being torn to shreds by mad dogs is barbaric and intolerable.
Yet we leave it to rare men and women like Vicki to get up and do something about it all.
Vicki spoke quietly and softly in defence of the animals that the world exploits. Yet, if you listened hard enough, you could hear a real passion in her voice, one that explained why she was devoting her life to helping the creatures we treat with such contempt.
And then there were her actions.
Perhaps they seemed foolhardy at times to those who did not understand her but, to those who did, they amounted to bravery beyond belief as she fought on the front-line for the cause she believed in so deeply.
Time and again Vicki risked the wrath of the Spanish people and their authorities as she went undercover with her camera to gather evidence on bull fighting and bull running.
The ultimate irony therefore was that she should be gored within a whisker of death by a terrified bull five years ago. The fact that Vicki was able to survive her appalling injuries and continue the fight for animal rights proved just how strong and determined a woman she really was.
She struggled in pain for years with the legacy of those injuries but preferred not to talk about her own daily plight, for fear it would detract from that of the animals she championed.
That summed up her spirit and her focus.
Vicki was a hero to the cause, because to her the cause mattered far more than the heroics.
Article by
THE LIVERPOOL ECHO
(Reprinted with Permission)
(Reprinted with Permission)
Who Cares
Who cares about the misery animals suffer in their lives
They are humilitated and beaten for the pleasure of mankind
Some animals are bred for food and pets and are treated very well
Others right throughout the world have a life of living hell
We have animals that are magnificent they are noble and are proud
Yet they are beaten and humiliated then killed for the pleasure of a crowd
People gather and pay money to watch this cruelty take place
How can we let this happen in our so called human race
It is not right to cheer and shout as proud animals have to die
If we have to tolerate such barbarism it`s time the world asked why
We need governments to tell the truth we dont want to hear them lie
The world must put a stop to this tradition where animals have to die
So become a voice for animals that suffer in despair
Become a voice for animals and show that at least YOU care
2004 Alan Dennis
©
(CVFA/UK)
WHO CARES ?
WE CARE !!!
A message from the Irish Council Against Bloodsports http://www.banbloodsports.com/
Holidaymakers - Make your holiday cruelty-free!
This summer you can help end one of the world's most cruel and barbaric blood "sports". If holidaying in Spain, Portugal, France or other bullfighting countries, please boycott the bullrings.
Our "Holidaymakers - Make your holiday cruelty-free" fact sheet is now available to download in a printer-friendly format. Please read the fact sheet, print it out and distribute it among friends who are planning a holiday. Why not also ask your local travel agents to display a copy to warn clients about how distressing a visit to a bullring can be. Thank you.
Download Anti Bullfighting Leaflet from Irish Council Against Bloodsports from
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14045630/AntiBullfighting-Leaflet-A4, read their information pages, see still photography of bullfighting in Sapin, France and Portugal and view video clips of bullfighting.
Most importantly
EDUCATE OTHERS ABOUT THE FACTS OF BULLFIGHTING