Beginning title cards introduce the story: “The wide world over, cruelty is disguised as sport to gratify man's lust for excitement. From the early ages, humanity has congregated to watch the combating forces of man and beast. To the Spaniard, the love of the bull-fight is inborn. A heritage of barbarism--its heroes embody the bravery of the knights of old. Our story is of a toreador--a son of the people, who becomes its idol--and sunny Seville is his birthplace.”
       Novelist Ibáñez is given an opening credit: “in Vicente Blasco Ibáñez' Blood and Sand.”
       In an alternate version, Juan recovers and gives up both bullfighting and Doña Sol for good.
       The 13 Jan 1922 Var announced that Rudolph Valentino signed a three-year contract “to become a Paramount star.” His first film under this arrangement was Blood and Sand. Bebe Daniels and May McAvoy were signed to play “Doña Sol” and “Carmen,” respectively, but neither appeared in the final production. The 7 Mar 1922 FD reported that producers decided McAvoy “was not quite suited to the type,” and replaced her with Lila Lee. John S. Robertson was originally scheduled to direct, according to the 21 Jan 1922 FD, but he was replaced by Fred Niblo. An item in the Jun 1922 Motion Picture Classic stated that Anna Q. Nilsson was considered for the role of Doña Sol prior to Nita Naldi's casting.
       The 10 Jan 1922 FD noted that Blood and Sand was “going into production shortly in Hollywood.” The 6 May 1922 FD reported that Nita Naldi had “completed work” on the picture, and a 17 Jun 1922 Exhibitors Trade Review item mentioned that Lila Lee had finished the movie.
       At a pre-release opening in downtown Los Angeles, CA, on 6 Aug 1922, Blood and Sand “broke all records for attendance at the Rialto Sunday,” Jesse L. Lasky telegrammed his boss, Adolph Zukor, in New York, according to the 12 Aug 1922 Exhibitors Trade Review. “Line of people one block long in front of theater from 11 in the morning until 10 at night.” Local newspapers described the film as “a masterpiece” and “a triumph.” The 19 Aug 1922 Exhibitors Trade Review deemed the film a “well deserved triumph for the star, Rudolph Valentino,” who at the time was cinema’s number-one matinee idol. When the film opened the following day, on 7 Aug 1922, at the Rivoli in New York, the paid attendance was 8,587, “the biggest Monday in history,” the 19 Aug 1922 Exhibitors Trade Review announced. By the following week, attendance totaled 62,334, with a box office take of $35,085, the 26 Aug 1922 Exhibitors Trade Review reported.
       Music publisher Waterson, Berlin & Snyder, Inc. dedicated a Harry B. Smith-Ted Snyder song, “You Gave Me Your Heart (So I Gave You Mine),” to Blood and Sand, according to the 2 Sep 1922 Exhibitors Trade Review. The cover of the sheet music featured a still from the film, and “professional copies are now in the hands of the singers and the song already has made a hit in New York.” Smith and Snyder had previously written "Sheik of Araby," a hit song inspired by the success of Rudolph Valentino's The Sheik (1921, see entry).
       The 11 Nov 1922 Exhibitors Trade Review announced that Stan Laurel's newest film comedy was Mud and Sand, in which he portrayed “Rhubarb Vaselino.” Other characters were “Filet of Sole” and “Cuspidor.”
       Film Year Book 1922-1923 called Blood and Sand one of “The Ten Best” pictures of 1922.
       Another film adaptation of Vicente Blasco-Ibáñez's novel (but not Tom Cushing’s play) was produced by Twentieth Century-Fox in 1941, directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Tyrone Power, Lynda Darnell, and Rita Hayworth (see entry).
       This film is extant. A copy of Blood and Sand was screened at the Kansas Silent Film Festival in Topeka, KS, on 24 February 2001.