La red

"La red" is a story of sexual desire, reportedly inspired by Maxim Gorki's "Malva", and interestingly told with sparse dialogue, and mostly through images, a strategy that merited a special award by the jury in the Cannes film festival. When a robbery fails, a thief escapes, while his mate is caught by the police. The fugitive goes to a remote community to hide from the law, living in a hut by the sea with a beautiful woman (Rossana Podestà) who fishes sponges and sells then in town. But then his mate is released, and the three have to live together. As expected, desire and jealousy arise. When the film premiered in Cannes, Robert Wise selected little-known Italian actress Podestà to play the leading role in "Helen of Troy": convinced by the evidence that "La red" was, Warner Brothers backed the decision. Remade 25 years later by Fernández, as "Erótica".