Black Jack

Both the plot and the visual appearance of this very unknown film reminds the spectator in some whiles of masterpieces of that time like 'The Third Man', 'Casablanca', 'The Lady of Shangai', 'Beat the Devil', or even 'Mr Arkadin' (an strange and marvelous co production filmed in Spain as well) but it's quality is a sidereal distance far away from them.

Plot is a little complicated, characters are not completely credible and Sanders is a little miscast in this story settled in Mallorca about an smuggler and his ethical doubts. As in many co productions you feel that the result is composed of glued parts and so the whole thing doesn't work as properly as it should.

Anyway, has moments that deserve the watching: A funny José Nieto telling Agnes Morehead she is as beautiful as a fruit in season (though may be you have to be Spanish to enjoy it). And some other beautiful: the cave sequence, the opening with the mills (with remembrances from Orson Welles), besides some glimmer of magic in the acting of Sanders, Morehead and Roc. All the outdoor footage in black and white at the Mallorca seaside is also remarkable.

And of course, the musical sequence (magistrally shot) with Lola Flores and Manolo Caracol making some flamenco sketches at the top of their art is something all spaniards should be proud of