This is a very interesting Spanish film of the late forties and deserves a look if you like period and adventure movies plenty of passion and melodrama. That kind of films you like despite of its ingenuity or definitely because of it.
The love affair between the duchess (Amparo Rivelles) and a legendary bandit (Jorge Mistral) settled in Sierra Morena and whom is secretly loved by a gypsy girl (also portrayed by Rivelles!) was also a big box office success at the time and it was a pity that Spanish film industry didn't follow the path revealed for this 'spanish western' to make a genre.
The landscape of Sierra Morena (as in American westerns) with its caves and mountains plays also an important role in the film, beautifully shoot-ed outdoors in black and white. Some sequences are specially remarkable, like the opening musical one, or another one where the duchess conquer the heart of the bandits with singing and Spanish folk song. The film begins with a certain mood of comedy, but then it finish tragically, and may be you can't help some tears if you are a little sensitive.
Based on a play of Manuel and Antonio Machado from the Republic era, the film has also some points in common with Goyescas (1942) in the plot and the female characters portrayed by the same actress. But as that one recreate a historical period and has a happy ending, this one goes right to your heart and the roots of melodrama.
