On a dark night , the corpse of an upper-class society woman (Julia Lajos) is found at her apartment . When the body of a woman is discovered , the examination reveals that she died victim of a hitting with an iron , then the officers of the law immediately suspect that the killer was the woman's maid called Petra (Antonia Plana) . For her part, the servant demands that the woman's fiancé called Miguel (Manuel Luna) is the killer , besides , another suspect appears : a lottery selller named Lola (Mary Delgado) . Along the way , other happenings take place and things go wrong when some reporters covering the story gradually piece together the chain of events providing red herrings . Until the day in which takes place the trial at the supreme court , where ultimately are uncovered the causes that led to the killing and solving the criminal questions .
Entertaining and enjoyable criminal comedy narrated by means of flashbacks , containing intrigue , suspense , twists and turns . Based on an actual story about a crime in C/ Fuencarral 109 but due to the rigid censorship was changed to Bordadores street , in fact , many years later was shot another rendition for ¨La Huella del Crimen TV series¨ titled : ¨El Crimen de la Calle Fuencarral¨ (1985) by Angelino Fons and starred Carmen Maura, the latter was based on facts happened on July 1, 1888. More than this vintage retelling . It is a ¨Criminal Sainete¨ belonging to Edgar Neville trilogy along with ¨La Torre de Los Siete Jorobados¨, and ¨Martes De Carnaval¨. Due to production needs , it was also set in Bordadores street , as this intriguing film reflects the traditional Madrid of the late nineteenth century , without missing the typical popular zarzuela scenes and the Bombilla dances, with specific references to the chotis and including Cante Jondo , a vocal style in flamenco, an unspoiled form of Andalusian folk music . Main and support cast are acceptable , playing some usual actors of the 40s , such as : Manuel Luna , Mary Delgado , Jose Franco , Julia Caba Alba , Rafael Calvo , José Prada , among others . Actress Mary Delgado was commissioned to sing the Havana-born Soldadito de Chiclana, composed expressly for this film by maestro José Muñoz Molleda . Filming and locations took place in Madrid and Ciudad Lineal studios . As Edgar Neville shot in various Madrid streets : Puerta del Sol, Plaza de la Cebada , among them .
The motion picture was competently written and directed by Edgar Neville . It won some prizes as Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain 1947 ,Winner CEC Award Best Actress : Mary Delgado , Best Supporting Actress : Antonia Plana , National Syndicate of Spectacle, Spain 1946 Winner Prize of the National Syndicate of Spectacle Best Film . Director Edgar Neville , Count of Berlanga de Duero , was considered to be one of the best filmmakers in the Francoist time . He was a notorious playwright , screenwriter and director , Edgar opted for a humor not politically compromised , which he cultivated in all genres : theatrical stage , poetry, novels, cinema, painting and others . From their privileged positions he criticized without harshness the customs of the bourgeoisie at that time , in which Neville belonged himself as well as the kitsch and the absurd habits . Together with Tono, Antonio Mingote and Mihura, he wrote for the humor magazine La Codorniz , successor to the weekly La Ametralladora, which Mihura published in San Sebastián. Neville stood out above all as a good filmmaker . ¨La vida en un hilo¨ or ¨Life in a thread¨ was a great success with the public and critic . It was first conceived as a film and later it was turned into a musical comedy by his son Santiago . It is a smiling reflection on the mechanisms of chance, as well as a plot against the bourgeoisie , being understood as a disease of the soul , against cornyness and against narrow-mindedness disguised as common sense . The play ¨El baile¨, which ran for seven years on stage , it was also a great hit . It is about a loving trio that triumphs over time and generations . Adapted to the cinema, it was distinguished by its agile and brilliant dialogues , in which tenderness and nonsense alternate here and there . Edgar directed a number of films , some of them written along with his sweetheart actress Conchita Montes , standing out the following movies : La torre de los siete jorobados 1944 , La vida en un hilo 1945 , El crimen de la calle de Bordadores 1946 ,El traje de luces 1946 , Nada 1947 , El marqués de Salamanca 1948 , El último caballo 1950 , La ironía del dinero 1955 , El baile 1957 , Mi calle 1959 . He also made documentary , such as : La Ciudad Universitaria, Juventudes de España , Duende y Misterio del Flamenco, Cante Jondo, among others .
