The marriage of Fernanda (a provocative and somewhat erotic Carmen Sevilla) to an older man, Eduardo (the aristocrat Jaime de Mora y Aragón), goes through a bad moment because Eduardo is a famous composer who only cares about himself, for So she pretends to be a widow and has a relationship with the young writer Federico (Andrés Pajares). She thus convinces herself that adultery is decent. Then the famous composer Eduardo Bernal discovers that his wife, Fernanda, is unfaithful to him with a young writer named Federico Latorre. A wise scientist named Leopoldo Cumberri (Fernando Fernán Gómez), who has developed a theory about adultery as a disease caused by a virus, will try to cure Fernanda in her sanatorium. She was a friend of her late husband. ...she!
A silly and disconcerting comedy with the best Spanish performers at the time. Director Rafael Gil and writer Rafael J. Salvia adapted the notorious humorous writer Enrique Jardiel Poncela, based on his successful play of the same title, in this justly underrated and anodyne choral comedy of entanglements, adulteries, deceptions and disagreements with multiple crazy characters, among them a hilarious characterization of Fernando Fernán Gómez in the role of a clueless genius or the presence of Manolo Gómez Bur as a dazed taxi driver who admires the alleged talent of the aforementioned genius who uses old computers, surveillance systems and strange machines for his extravagant theories. Although inferior to the literary work, and the big hit play, it is a somewhat entertaining film, containing some sparkling comic pieces, with absurd and parody incidents, and ironic scenes around professional egos and love affairs.
One of the few things that saves the film is the likeable performance of the always great Fernando Fernán Gómez as the typical crazy and forgetful savant, who really steals the show. As is usual in most films from the sixties and seventies, the big fun of the film is guessing the name of the illustrious supporting actor who will appear in some performance, usually brief, uncredited, or in cameos. On this occasion the performers worthy of mention are the following: José Orjas, Guadalupe Muñoz Sampedro, Matilde Muñoz Sampedro, Mary Begoña, Venancio Muro, María Isbert, Julio Riscal, Rosa Palomar, Manuel Alexandre, Erasmo Pascual, Maribel Hidalgo, Rafael Hernández , Mónica Randall, Eduardo Calvo, Rafael de Penagos, Joaquín Prat, Francisco Rabal and the presenter José Luis Uribarri.
The film was uneven and mediocrely directed by Rafael Gil. Gil was the winner of the National Entertainment Union Award for Best Film in 1959. Veteran filmmaker Rafael Gil was one of the best directors of the Franco period. During the Civil War he filmed several documentaries for the Republican side. At the end of the war he began his relationship with the Valencian production company CIFESA, directing his first film in 1941: The Man Who Wanted to Kill, an adaptation of the book by Wenceslao Fernández Flórez and starring Antonio Casal. His first great success was Heloísa is under an almond tree, based on the play by Enrique Jardiel Poncela, also produced by CIFESA. The success prompted Rafael Gil to continue his relationship with CIFESA, with which he directed eight films, almost all of which were highly successful. He has filmed several important old films, such as: Don Quixote Of La Mancha, The Nail, The Faith, The Lady of Fátima, The Adventures of Juan Lucas, The Holy Queen, The War of God, The Kiss of Judas. And he made various films about the bullfighting world such as Currito de la Cruz, El Litri y la shadow de Él, El Relicario, Blackmail a bullfighter, Sangre en el ruedo. His worst films were in the adaptations he made about the Fernando Vizcaino Casas novels. Rating: 4/10.
