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.
