Alberto Closas Movies

The title of this Argentine film translates literally to Dance of Fire. It is the sometimes profound, sometimes slightly sordid tale of Emilia, (Amelia Bence), a famous concert pianist. As a child, Emilia was sexually assaulted by a circus clown (Enrique Diosdado) while the music of Manuel de Fallas' "Ritual Dance of Fire" could be heard from the circus tent. Since that time, Emilia has gone into hysterics every time she hears the de Fallas composition. Making matters worse, the lascivious clown is now her business manager. Exploiting Emilia's fragile emotional state, the ruthless manager dominates the poor girl. An outburst of violence against the manager is not only inevitable, but in the context of the story it's downright cathartic. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A beautiful cabaret dancer struggles to support both herself and her newborn child after being abandoned by the handsome sailor who promised her the world in this romantic drama starring Rose Carmina and Crox Alvarado. Maria Antonia (Carmina) has fallen hard for rugged sailor Fernando (Alvarado), but when it begins to appear that the lovelorn dancer has been abandoned she soon makes the decision to marry Miguel (Ruben Rojo) for the sake of her young child. Now, as Maria attempts to settle into her new life, the discovery that Fernando is alive and married leaves the lovelorn dancer wrestling with an uncertain fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Tren Internacional (Valparaiso Express) is the Argentine "answer" to such anglo whodunits as Lad on a Train and Murder on the Orient Express. The film is set on a cross-continent train, where the usual collection of wealthy, suspicious types all congregate. Ingredients essential to the action are a jewelry heist, a romantic triangle, and, of course, a murder. When the train is delayed in the Andes mountains, international thieves Alberto Closas and Mirtha Legrand team up to capture the psycho killer. Supporting actor Joaquin Petrosino was taken to task by contemporary critics for patterning his performance after Sidney Greenstreet, who'd recently passed away. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An adulterous couple is forced to take responsibility for their actions in this tense drama from Spanish filmmaker Juan Antonio Bardem. Maria Jose (Lucia Bose) is a beautiful woman whose husband Miguel (Otello Toso) is a wealthy and powerful businessman. Juan (Alberto Closas) is a mathematics instructor at a Spanish college who is distantly related to Miguel, and owes his position to Miguel's influence. Juan was also Maria Jose's boyfriend when they were younger, and now they're carrying on an affair behind Miguel's back. One night, while driving home from an assignation, Juan and Maria Jose accidentally run over a man on a bicycle; the stranger quickly dies, and the lovers speed away rather than deal with the consequences. But over the next few days, Juan's conscience begins to bother him, and finds it hard to bear the knowledge that he took another man's life. Maria Jose is also troubled, but for different reasons; Rafa (Carlos Casaravilla), a devious socialite, infers to Maria Jose that he knows about her secret life, but she's not certain he he's just speaking about her infidelity or her role in the cyclist's death. A major critical success in Spain, Muerte de un Ciclista (aka Death Of A Cyclist) was released in Europe in 1955, the same year director Bardem published a controversial essay on the decline in Spanish cinema under the rule of Franco. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Analia Gade plays Mercedes, the Muchachita de Valladolid (Girl from Valladolid) of the title. Newly married to diplomat Patricio (Alberto Closas), our virtuous heroine is plunged into the not-so-virtuous world of Foreign Affairs. Before long, Mercedes is pursued by libinous ambassadors from practically every country on the globe. Without ever sacrificing her own values, she learns how to use her feminine wiles for her husband's benefit. Muchachita de Valladolid was based on a popular stage play by Calvo Soleto. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Taking its title from the dance craze of the era, this routine, 1920s romantic comedy stars Mexico's popular Silvia Pinal as Beatriz, a woman whose troubles are brought on by the fact that she has two wildly different suitors. Her fiancé (Pastor Serrador) is a well-placed, cultured though timid individual with an interest in modern abstract art. Her other boyfriend (Alberto Closas) is a macho playboy type and, needless to say, the two men do not appreciate each other's claims on Beatriz. This classic triangle leads to the expected confrontations, misunderstandings, and requisite moments of romance. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi