Set in Christmas 1962 at a small boarding house or modest Pension called Clarita run by Doña Clara : Porfía Sánchez , there lives various peculiar characters as Don Pablo : Jose Isbert who believes to be a General, a call-girl named Loli : Maria Asquerino , Doña Engracia : Margarita Lozano, and her ill child Luisito , a failed playwright : Luis Davila and the mysterious Leonor : Yvonne Bastien , among others . All of them haven't money to pay the rent and the Landlady Is about to evict them . Then an unknown benefactor gives 425.000 pesetas to the tenants . The question is to guess who results to be the kind person who has given the valuable money to the unfortunate people .
Enjoyable story with goof feeling , sensibility , emotion , dramatic moments and a brief intrigue . It is an intense drama of social habits with full of topics , concerning poor and distressed people , giving a fine portrayal of the lower classes . Based on a play titled Los Pobrecitos by prolific playwright Alfonso Paso and interesting script from Jose Luis Colina , Antonio Vich , and Antonio Roman himself . Main and support cast are frankly , however many of them are unfortunately dubbed . As usual, the great Jose Isbert steals the show as a fake military officer , and too Gracita Morales repeating her ordinary role as a sympathetic servant . Adding other notorious secondaries as Alberto Dalbes , Margarita Lozano , Juan Calvo, Beni Deus , Erasmo Pascual , Jose Franco , Jose Maria Tasso , and Maria Asquerino.
It displays an evocative cinematography in black and white by prestigious cameraman Manuel Berenguer who achieved national and international successes . As well as atmospheric and appropriate musical score by Manuel Parada. The motion picture was professionaly directed by Antonio Roman delivering certain skillness , but also some routine . Antonio Roman film film debut was a documentary : "La Ciudad Encantada" . His first full length was "Escuadrilla" 1941 in collaboration to Jose Luis Saenz Heredia . Later on , he directed historical drama : "Lola Montes" , and the classy : "Los Últimos de Filipinas" and " Fuenteovejuna" . In addition , others dramas : " Madrugada" , "Pacto de Silencio" , "La Vida Encadenada" and "Intrigue" . Subsequently , he directed Folkloric films . In 1970 he directed a Spaghetti Western: "Ringo de Nebraska" and he went on writing scripts as "Planet of the vampires" directed by his friend Mario Bava . Rating : 6.5/10 notable drama that will appeal to Spanish cinema fans .
