No abras nunca esa puerta aka Never open that door (1952) Argentine Noir

Cornell Woolrich Estilo argentino

Directed by Carlos Hugo Christensen. Written by Alejandro Casona and based upon Cornell Woolrich (William Irish) stories Somebody on the Phone and Humming Bird Comes Home. Music by Julián Bautista and Cinematography by Pablo Tabernero.

Alguien al teléfono' (Somebody On The Phone)

This first piece stars Angel Magaña as Raúl Valdez, Renée Dumas as Raúl's sister Luisa Valdez, Nicolás Fregues as Prestamista and Diana de Córdoba as Nelly.

Sitting at a nightclub table with friends Raúl spots his sister Lisa talking to stranger across the dance floor. Luisa is giving the stranger one of her rings. Later numerous suspicious phone calls come to the apartment of the Valdez family (their parents are traveling in Europe).

 Renée Dumas as Luisa Valdez

Angel Magaña as Raúl Valdez

When the phone rings, Raúl answers and there is no one on the other end. However when Luisa is home and she hears the phone, she lets it ring five rings but doesn't get to it in time to answer, however it almost immediately rings again and she then answers it and speaks to someone. When Raúl questions her about the calls Luisa gets agitated. 

Raúl begins to spy on Luisa and when they are at a nearby nightclub he sees her talking to an older man. questioning the headwaiter about the man. Raúl finds out that he is a sort of loan shark. Raúl now suspects that Luisa who likes to gamble is in debt to a casino and that its the loan shark who is making the coded phone calls. 

Confronting Luisa the next morning sends her off the deep end. She runs off into her room. 

Soon after there is a knock on the apartment door. Raúl answers and is told his sister has jumped off the balcony and is lying dead on the sidewalk. 

Raúl  out for revenge goes off after the loan shark tracking him down to his house and shooting him five times to match the telephone code he had with Luisa. 

Raúl winding down back at his parents apartment, totally freaks out when the phone rings again five times in the familiar code. 

El pájaro cantor vuelve al hogar (The songbird returns home)

Starring Roberto Escalada as Daniel, Ilde Pirovano as Mama Rosa, Norma Giménez as María, Luis Otero as Juan.

Ilde Pirovano as Mama Rosa

Roberto Escalada as Daniel

Mama Rosa is blind her only son Daniel left years ago and has never written home. She has a woman caregiver Maria who looks after her. Rosa's son Daniel is now a professional crook, with two accomplices they pull a jewelry robbery in town killing the owner who in turn fatally wounds the diver of the getaway car. 

Mama Rosa with Norma Giménez as María

One of the witnesses states that one of the robbers whistled a tune nervously during the job. Mama Rosa listens to all these details over a news bulletin on the radio. 

Soon a car drives up to Mama Rosa's its her son Daniel and one of his partners named Juan. Daniel is terse with Rosa and treats his mother terribly. Daniel orders his mother and Maria into another room and tells them to keep the door shut. 

Daniel and Juan carry their dying partner up to a bedroom. It all goes Noirsville when once everyone is asleep Mama Rosa pulls out a fuse and turns the tables on her son Daniel and Juan.

Noirsville

It's always great to find and watch new Film Noir. The two Woolrich tales are nicely transposed to the screen. The direction is good and the acting well done 7/10.