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Thursday, March 6, 2025
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
El expreso de Andalucía aka Andalusian Express (1956) Classic Spanish Noir
Directed by Francisco Rovira Beleta.
Written by Vicente Coello. Story by Vicente Coello, with additional contributions by Giuseppe Mangione, Francisco Rovira Beleta, and Manuel Salo.
Cinematography by Tino Santoni. Music by Carlo Innocenzi and Isidro B. Maiztegui.
The film stars Jorge Mistral (Carmen la de Ronda, Boy on a Dolphin) as Jorge Andrade an ex pelota (jai alai) player, Marisa de Leza (Day after day) as Lola the sister of El Rubio who loves Jorge, Mara Berni (Buonanotte... avvocato!, Il moralista) as Silvia Ríos an exotic dancer, Vicente Parra as Miguel Hernández a young law student, Ignazio Balsamo as el Rubio, Carlos Casaravilla (Death Of A Cyclist) as Carlos Salinas an antique dealer/ fence. he reminds me of Salvador Dali, lol, and Antonio Casas (The Good The Bad and The Ugly) as the Police Inspector.
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| Jorge Mistral as Jorge Andrade |
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| Marisa de Leza as Lola |
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| Ignazio Balsamo as el Rubio |
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| Mara Berni as Silvia Ríos |
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| Vicente Parra as Miguel Hernández |
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An Italian / Spanish Production.
The Andalusia Express was a luxury "name" night train that ran from Madrid to Seville, with a mail carriage that delivered mail to the various RPO (railway post office) stations along its route. It transported mail from Madrid to the south of the peninsula and also to North Africa, as well as baggage and packages of valuables. Very similar to the way it was done in the U.S at the height of rail travel.
Story
The denizens of the barrio de Embajadores, center their economic activities on El Rasto a huge open air flea market in Madrid. Lola and her brother El Rubio eek out a living running a stand that sells glasses, sunglasses, gloves, and other cheap trinkets. Lola loves a injury retired ex pelota player who flirts with her and who lives just across the patio of their corrala tenement.
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| The El Rasto flea market |
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| Jorge on left, Lola on right |
A couple of other low life acquaintances of El Rubio get him, for a few pesetas, to deliver some small packages of medical samples to the Railway Post Office at the Atocha Station, and send them registered mail to be picked up in Seville.
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| Atocha Station RPO |
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Later that same day, Rubio is walking along El Rasto, and he comes upon a commotion and catches a glimpse through a cafe window of the guys he delivered the packages for, running out the back door from the police, they are suspected of being connected with a big jewel robbery.
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El Rubio puts two and two together and figures out it was the jewels he mailed to Seville in the packages, and that since he gave his name on the paperwork, that is making him now an unwilling accomplice. When he asked the clerk behind the window, when do they get to Seville, the clerk replied that the packages go out on the next night train that departs in 22 hours. That gives him some time.
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His anxiety rising, El Rubio tracks down another acquittance to his home by the rail yards, he is a young law student, Miguel Hernández. He needs to speak with Miguel because his father is a postal inspector for the post office.
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El Rubio tells Miguel about his suspicions about mailing the jewels. He asks Miguel if there is anyway he can help him get the packages back. Miguel tells El Rubio he'll see what he can find out and he will drop by his corrala later.
When Miguel gets to El Rubio's corrala, Jorge Andrade sitting outside reading a newspaper, spots him going into El Rubio's flat. Curiosity aroused, Jorge goes over to see what's up.
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Miguel has a newspaper and announces to El Rubio, that the jewel thieves made off with 5 million pesetas worth of goods, and El Rubio is definitely on the hook if the police find out what was in those packages.
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At this point Jorge Andrade, the ex high living pelota player on the skids, saunters nonchalantly into the room. He tells them he overheard their whole conversation, and Jorge taking command of the situation explains that they can just steal the packages off the train and fence the jewels with Carlos Salinas, a crooked antique dealer he knows for quick cash, which they all can use, and be all set for life. The police will think what a bunch of stupid crooks, they just stole relatively worthless medical samples, and not spend a lot on time on the case. Easy-peasy.
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All they have to do, says Jorge, is figure a plausible excuse to get Miguel Hernández in that mail car to unlock the door, which should be easy since, after all, his father is the postal inspector, and the clerks in the mail car will know and trust him.
Jorge also tells them that they will need some operating money to get the plan rolling. Miguel, offers what he can spare to Jorge.
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To get more operating money, Andrade goes to Carlos Salinas' antique shop to tell him about their can't miss "inside job" heist. When he gets to the shop, the clerk who is closing up for the day tells Andrade to go upstairs to wait in Carlos Salinas' apartment for him, he will be back shortly.
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Up in the apartment Andrade meets Silvia Ríos, Carlos Salinas' current blonde gal pal who is an exotic dancer. They both like what they see.
What could go wrong?
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Carlos likes the sound of the plan, fronts Jorge more money for the operation, and the die is cast.
Noirsville
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Rovira Beleta skillfully takes an actual event that happened about twenty-five years earlier and weaves a fast paced, fictional reimagining of the tale in High Noir Style and Story, with the beautiful cinematography of Tino Santoni.
We are immersed into the world of mid 1950s skid row Madrid far from tourist meccas which have an almost archival quality Add in the all the great performances of Jorge Mistral, Marisa de Leza, Mara Berni, Vicente Parra, Ignazio Balsamo, Carlos Casaravilla and Antonio Casas, and we have a great Spanish Film Noir.
Separated at Birth?
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| Salvador Dali - Carlos Casaravilla |
There is only one actor in the cast that most English speakers and Americans will know by sight (but probably not by name) and he is Antonio Casas, the police inspector. In Sergio Leone's The Good The Bad And The Ugly Casas plays the rancher Stevens. The guy who Lee Van Cleef visits, in his first intro to the film. The guy with the "Nice family" that Lee Van Cleef completely slaughters.
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| Antonio Casas as Stevens in The Good The Bad and The Ugly |
Rovia Beleta, Bravo,
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