L'espionne de Madrid

Colorful story of love and tragedy plenty of songs with the great Sarita Montiel . In Madrid during First World War, at a music hall performs La Bella Charito (Sara Montiel) , she is singing at a noisy theater in a variety show where people ignore how great she is . There even appears the known artist Mata Hari (Greta Chi) who is really an undercover spy for German military . Charito is a beautiful entertainer who becomes involved in trublesome loves , as a journalist boyfriend (Alberto De Mendoza) , a high-class gentleman (Gerard Tichy) , but finds true love with an innocent country boy (Luigi Giuliani), a Basque Pelotari who doesn't know her true identity as a popular singer of spice songs . She is a fine woman full of goodness as well as a turbulent past and distresses.

Musical drama full of songs and attractive scenarios , being well paced concerning the glorious spectacle of the Spanish Revista in which a singer La Bella Charito/Sara Montiel shows her singing skills . Dealing with her rising , becoming the singing sensation of the time, as well as her problems in relation with complicated lovers . There is even a certain description of social habits on the Oyarzun town (San Sebastian), including Folkloric dances, local party, Pelotaris, Basque Epzadanzaris, procession, religion, and wine Txacoli. It achieved a big hit , thanks to a lot of songs finely played by Sara Montiel. The film had problems with censorship due to some brief erotic elements , as when the original scriptwas submitted to the censors, as required by law in General Franco's regime, it was rejected . "The Queen of Chantecler" packs a brilliant and glimmer cinematography by Mario Montuori . Evocative original musical score by Gregorio Garcia Segura filled with known and classic Spanish songs .

Sara Montiel is frankly well as one very highly sensual singer , making lavish utilization of her considerable physical assets , attractive countenance , charms and whatever acting ability was necessary , Sara made her Bella Charito one of the most enticing , heartless and hot-blooded screen heroine of the Spanish cinema . At the beginning , Sarita won a beauty and talent contest held by Cifesa, the most influential Spanish film studio of that era . In the next four years she appeared in 14 films for Cifesa , including her first international success Locura De Amor (1948), which led to a long term-contract in Mexico. She quickly established herself as one of the most popular film actors of the decade. They starred 14 films between 1950 and 1954. Hollywood came calling and she was formally introduced to American moviegoers in Veracruz (1954), playing Gary Cooper's love interest. Later she filmed she worked at Warner Bros in Serenade (1956) with Mario Lanza, directed by Anthony Mann, who became her first husband. After starring in Samuel Fuller's Yuma (1957) with Rod Steiger, Sarita shot El Ultimo Cuplé (1957) ("The Last Song") in Spain, a musical production that turned out to be the biggest box-office success in Spain's film history. It played for over one year in the same theaters in which it opened. A similar reaction followed in Western Europe and Latin America. Sarita Montiel had become the most popular actress-singer of 1957 and a national treasure for Spain.The unprecedented success of "El Último Cuple" threw a wrench into her Hollywood career, as she was offered a multimillion-dollar contract to star in four films in Europe . Her next vehicle, La Violetera (1958) ("The Violet Peddler"), confirmed Sara's popularity and broke the box-office records set by the previous movie. The theme song from "La Violetera" became Montiel's signature song as well as ¨El Relicario¨ from ¨El Ultimo Cuple¨. In ¨La reina del Chantecler¨(1962) is well accompanied by a great support cast, such as : Gérard Tichy , Amelia de la Torre, Julia Caba Alba , Milagros Leal , José María Seoane, Francisco Piquer, Antonio Garisa ,Mary Begoña, Miguel Ligero , María Isbert , José Franco, Ana Mariscal, Pedro Osinaga , among others.

The motion picture was regular but professionally directed by Rafael Gil . It was a big hit and considered to be one of the greatest successes of Sara Montiel .And it won Prize of the National Syndicate of Spectacle Best Film , Rank: 3th place , Best Set Decorator : Enrique Alarcón. Rafael Gil was a craftsman who used to work for the powerful production company CIFESA , the main filming enterprise from Franquismo. Director Gil took advantage of the marvelous actors from this budget enough production . Being filmed in his usual style and in stylistic scholarship , without leaving a trace the tragic and dramatic issues , in terms of narrative excitement . Rafael was one of the best filmmakers from Spanish cinema , directing several classic and interesting movies , such as : ¨Don Quijote De La Mancha¨ , ¨El Clavo¨ , ¨Eloisa está debajo de un almendro¨, ¨Murió hace 15 años¨ ¨La Fe¨ , ¨La Señora De Fatima¨, ¨La Reina Santa¨ , ¨La pródiga¨, ¨La Guerra De Dios¨ , ¨El Beso De Judas¨ , ¨Sor Intrepida¨, ¨El gran galeoto¨, ¨El Litri¨, ¨Currito de la Cruz¨, ¨La otra vida del capitan Contreras¨, ¨La Casa de Troya¨, ¨Rogelia¨, ¨La gran mentira¨ , as well as Sara Montiel vehicles as : ¨Samba¨ , ¨La reina del Chantecler¨ and several others. Rating : 6/10 , decent musical drama . Well worth watching .

Well, this film is very dramatic and very intimate. You may not love the plot, but you may love and admire the voice of Sarita Montiel - "our everything". She is quite outstanding in this movie, although, in my opinion, "Serenade" (1956) is a greater one. Please listen to Sara's velvety, low, very womanly voice, and please remember it in your heart. She is a woman that takes you away to the other, much more beautiful world, with only a modulation in her voice, with only a movement of her brows and eyes. Listen to her, watch her. And note the scene, closer to the final, in which she loses her lover and returns to the Chantecler, - watch now teared playbills swaying at the wind from the sea... This is the REAL ART of cinema. Enjoy "La Reina del Chantecler" and "Serenade", these are among of the greatest pictures ever filmed.