El expreso de Andalucía

Enjoyable Spanish thriller based on the crime at the "Expreso de Andalucía" (Andalusian Express) in 1923 . It deals with the street vendor nicknamed El Rubio (Bálsamo) to be aware three packets with robbed jewels by Arturo (José Calvo) have been sent by a train express to Sevilla . El Rubio tells this one to his friends , the College student Miguel Hernández (Vicente Parra) , and an ex-Pelotari called Jorge Andrade (Jorge Mistral who committed suicide at 51) . They intend the hit to be bloodless , but complications arise soon . The bunch decides aboard the train in Aranjuez and to take the packets . But to execute the action Jorge is forced to kill a couple of operators . The police will keep track of the three thieves , who have attempted to sell that jewelry to the antiques dealer Salinas (Carlos Casaravilla) and his gorgeous mistress Silvia , who is an unsuccessful Revista vedette (Mara Berni) . Meanwhile , Lola (Marisa De Leza) enamored to Jorge , communicates him the investigations carried out by an astute Police Inspector (Antonio Casas) .

The plot is simple but also twisted and based on actual facts ¨the Crime Express Andalusia¨ , dealing with three delinquents carry out a plan to steal a shipment of jewelry traveling aboard the express train of Andalusia . It contains a brilliant Neo-realist tone , including a Femme Fatale and dark fatalism . Considered to be one of the best Spanish Noir Films , though submitted by the rigid censorship that forced a moralizing final in which baddies must be punished . It belongs an excellent Noir trilogy by Francisco Rovira Veleta , formed by ¨Hay Un Camino a La Derecha¨ , ¨Los Atracadores¨ and this one , but ¨Expreso de Andalucía¨ is the best , and his masterpiece . Based on a famous criminal deed that became part of the Spanish black history , it happened in Miguel Primo De Rivera's dictatorship (1923-1930) when was in the peak of its existence ; the impact that the facts originated in the Spanish society of the twenties was huge . Immediately , popular songs as well as legends were created and over time , a novel , various movies , documentaries and even nowadays , one of the top attractions of Madrid Wax Museum . It was previously adapted by Ignacio F. Iquino as ¨Al Margen De La Ley ¨(1935) with Juan De Landa , Paco Martínez Soria and set in 1924 when the events took place and as "La Huella Del Crimen TV series , season 2 : "El Crimen Del Expreso De Andalucía (1991) with Tito Valverde , Francisco Casares , Mario Pardo . In ¨Expreso de Andalucía¨ or ¨Il Mondo Sarà Nostro¨ filmmaker gives a good portrayal about the different characters who move on a rowdy Madrid ¨Rastro¨ . It's an efficient police story , an excellent Noir Film in similar style to those realized at the same time in 50's Barcelona where emerged titles as ¨Brigada Criminal¨ (50) by Ignacio F. Iquino , ¨Apartado Correos 1001¨ , ¨Contrabando¨ (55) by Julio Salvador , ¨Distrito Quinto¨ (57) , ¨La Carcel De Cristal¨(57) , ¨Un Vaso De Whisky¨ (58) by Julio Coll and ¨A Sangre Fria¨(59) , ¨Regresa Un Desconocido¨ by Juan Bosch . The cast is frankly good as Jorge Mistral as the handsome Andrade , Vicente Parra as the young student and undergraduate university Miguel , Marisa De Leza as a sensible stand seller and Antonio Casas as a stubborn cop . Plus , a brief appearance by the newcomer José Luis López Vazquez . It packs an evocative cinematography in black and White , plenty of lights and shades , by Tino Santoni , and there stands out a spectacular Madrid with its bustling streets , busy squares , Corralas , street boiling , and noisy Rastro .

The motion picture was compellingly directed by Francisco Rovira Veleta . At his beginnings , Veleta collaborated in CIFESA for notorious filmmakers as Luis Lucia and Juan De Orduña . His films debuts were ¨Doce Horas De Vida¨ (48) and ¨39 Cartas De Amor¨. His best works characterized for dealing with Neo-realist portrayals , such as : ¨Hay Un Camino a La Derecha¨ (53) about unemployment , ¨Los Atracadores¨ about juvenile delinquency , including an eerie scene of Garrote Vil and this ¨El Expreso De Andalucía¨ (1956) at his best . Then , he made ¨Once Pares Botas¨ about football , ¨Familia Provisional¨ (55) with script by Luis Garcia Berlanga , ¨Historias De La Feria¨(57) and ¨Altas Variedades¨( 60) . His greatest hits were ¨Los Tarantos¨ based on Alfredo Mañas story and ¨Amor Brujo¨ based on Manuel Falla music , being nominated for Academy Award . After that , he directed ¨Dama De Alba¨(65) based on Alejandro Casona novel and ¨Larga Agonia De Los Peces Fuera Del Agua¨ with singer Joan Manuel Serrat . Furthermore , the historical ¨La Espada Negra¨(76) with screenplay by Carlos Blanco about Catholic Kings and finally ¨Crónica Sentimental En Rojo¨ (85) with the great José Luis López who usually played for director Rovira Veleta . Vazquez.

This is a fabulous fifties Spanish film with tremendous atmosphere, and it is also an excellent 'train film', though there is plenty of action elsewhere than just on the Andalucian Express. The film contains a great deal of footage shot on location in Madrid in 1955, and I have never seen such a gigantic street market thronging with so many thousands of people. Much of the action of the film takes place there. So that is what Madrid was like then! Before rampant commercialism! Before mass tourism! It is really an amazing revelation, from the social historical point of view. The director of this excellent film was Francisco Rovira Beleta (1912-1999), a Catalan from Barcelona, whose credit often read only Rovira Beleta or Rovira-Beleta with the hyphen. He directed 20 films between 1949 and 1986, plus three documentaries. The peak of his career came with his film EL AMOR BRUJO (1967), based upon the famous musical composition of that name by de Falla, which was released with English subtitles as BEWITCHED LOVE and was nominated for an Oscar. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find this film with subtitles today. A few of his efforts involved well known talent from outside Spain, such as Danielle Darrieux, Gina Lollobrigida, Christian Marquand, and Susan Hampshire. But essentially this director is now known only to Spaniards. The story of this film is based upon a famous real crime case concerning events which took place on the Andalucian Express in 1923, when packets of stolen jewels were meant to be sent by one group of criminals by that train from Madrid to Seville. Another group of criminals getting on at Aranjuez attempt to rob the train and steal the jewels for themselves. But things go desperately wrong. A large part of the film is devoted to portraying all the characters, their backgrounds and relationships. This story was also filmed in 1935 and again in 1991, according to a well-informed Spanish reviewer for IMDb. The film's twists and turns, tragic events, and intense mood are spellbinding. It is by no means an ordinary 'caper film', but a profound noir.