7/10
Decent and passional melodrama about two brothers vying in the sea and land
26 June 2018
A survival drama about tragical loves in which two brothers , a good guy called Carmelo: Conrado San Martin and a bad guy called Jorge : Jean Danet , compete for the love a femme fatale , Alicia : Pascale Roberts . The tough fisherman Jorge wishing for a better life will turn a smuggler in Tanger , taking a lot of smuggling goods and even involving his good brother into the wrong misdemeanors . Things go awry when Alicia falls for Jorge and a loving triangle takes place . Several flashbacks occur aboard the "San Juan" boat in which the two brothers meet again . After a strong argument between Carmelo and Florencio: Fernando Nogueras , the latter falls down sea and Jorge blames him his drowning .

In the film various issues are treated such as objects smuggling , the hardworking fishing by boats , trawling , and paced in semi-documentary style , including rural habits , Folkloric chorus and dances , village parties , cockfighting , religiosity and many other things .This is a Spanish/French coproduction in fabulous Technicolor in which there are thills , emotion , passion and confrontation . Protagonist trio : Conrado San Martin and the other French players give acceptable acting . They are accompanied by a nice plethora of Spanish secondaries , such as : Fernando Sancho, Mariano Azaña , Jose Prada, Rufino Ingles , Fernando Nogueros , Rafael Bardem and special mention for Xan Das Bolas who steals the show playing a sympathetic role as Sabio or Wise .

It displays a colorful and evocative cinematography in Agfacolor by Jose Aguayo , and photography assistant by the prestigious Alejandro Ulloa , being shot in Huelva Andalucia and studios Ballesteros . The motion picture was well directed by Arturo Ruiz Del Castillo. He was a notorious drawer , writer,filmmaker and producer , creating Horizonte Film Production . In his beginning he worked at the Barraca stage company along with Federico Garcia Lorca and made several shorts . His first film was "Las inquietudes de Santi Andia" based on Pio Baroja novel who also wrote the script . It failed at boxoffice and as a result , Castillo started to direct popular films in all kinds of genres such as Religious movie : " La manigua sin Dios" , about Paraguay colonization by Jesuitas ; Wartime : " El santuario no se rinde" upon the siege of Santa Maria de Cabeza during Spanish Civil War ; Historical: " Catalina de Inglaterra" ; Melodrama : "La laguna negra" based on Antonio Machado poem ; Children picture: " Pachin" ; Spaghetti : "El secreto del capitan O'Hara" ; Folkloric movies : "Maria Antonia La Caramba" , " Bajo el cielo Andaluz" ; sports movie : Ases buscan la paz about footballer Ladislao Kubala , and he standed out in the comic-sketch movie "El guardian del Paraiso" , among others. Rating : 6.5/10 well worth watching . The picture will appeal to Spanish cinema buffs
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