FRENCH JOURNEY - PROGRAMME 2

MONTPELLIER - BULL FIGHTERS

Once a year Montpellier hosts the highlight of the season for a local speciality - bullfighting. Here though they don’t call it a fight - it’s known as ‘les courses Camargaises’ - and the bull always lives to fight another day. People in this part of France are crazy about it. Thierry Cause used to be a famous razeteur, which is what they call bullfighters around here. He agreed to guide Wendy through the afternoon’s events.

Wendy:  What are the Camargue games?  What can I expect?

Thierry Cause:  The aim of the Camargue games is that the men in white
confront the bull to get the ribbons from its head.  That's the aim of the game.  

6 bulls versus 14 bull fighters.  That seems uneven, but the bulls aren't in the ring for longer than 20 minutes each.  The bull fighters, stay out for the entire afternoon.  

Announcement:  The bull in the ring is called Russian.  He belongs to the herd of L'Etang de l'Or.  He's wearing a ribbon and two tassels worth 270FF each.  

There are no banderillas, no capes, no blood - just a lot of agility and technique.  And motivation, of course.  Each time that a bull fighter succeeds in getting a rosette from the bulls horns, the local tradesmen give him money.   

Announcement:   And the ribbon at 400FF for Bensallat….

Wendy:  So what do you do with that?

Thierry Cause:  That's the bullfighter's hook.  You hold it like this, or like this.  He has to press it into the palm of his hand, like this.  And then you place it on the head of the bull, and pull.

Wendy:  And that doesn't hurt the bull?

Thierry Cause:  Normally, no. There's no problem if the bullfighter is skilful.  He puts the hook in the right place and grabs the ribbon or the tassels.

Wendy:  Which are more dangerous - the bull that runs after the man or the one that stays put?

Thierry Cause:  Both are dangerous but in my opinion, the most dangerous is the bull that stays put and then sets off on a definite course and only moves when he senses he can catch the man.

The bulls have real admirers.  The fans know their names, and they've even built statues of the bravest.  

At the end of the day, the most courageous bull fighter is rewarded with bouquets and prizes.

Announcement:  First prize, best fighter of the afternoon - David Messelien!

Today, the hero of the day is David Messelien.

Wendy:  Weren't you frightened?

David Messelien:  There's always a certain amount of fear, as in any sport and especially in dangerous sports.  But when the bulls come in,  you try to forget the fear and fight.  The most frightening thing is a wound from the horns.  Bulls with big horns can wound you on the arm or thigh. So that's definitely the most frightening.

Wendy:  I was frightened for you

David Messelien:  Most spectators are frightened for us. That's what gives the sport its charm.

Wendy:  Congratulations

David Messelien:  Thankyou

Frédéric, the local hero, is so passionate about this game that he carries his injuries with pride.

Wendy:  What's that?

Frédéric:  A wound from a horn

Wendy:  That happened today?

Frédéric:  Horns do that to your arms

Wendy:  Why do you keep doing it?

Frédéric:  It's a passion.  It's like Formua 1 racing driver Schumacher - he broke his legs, and came back straight away.  If you put me in England and said,  "Walk back - then you'll fight"  I'd walk back.  That's how much I love it.  It's crazy, but it's in the blood.  It's hard not to fight.

Copyright BBC 2000.