chantaje-eng

Director: Antonio de Obregón

Story & screenplay: Antonio de Obregón & Eugenio Deslav (Eugène Deslaw)

Director of photography: Enrique Barreyre (Henri Barreyre)
Music: Jesús García Leoz
Editing: Bienvenida Sanz

Producers: UNIÓN CINEMATOGRÁFICA ESPAÑOLA
Distribution by C.E.A. DISTRIBUCION S.A.

35 mm - Black & White
Original duration: 2470 meters (about 90 minutes?)

Fliming from 1945/09/20 to 1945/11/03

Premiere:
The 26th september of 1946 in Madrid (Palacico de la Prensa)

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I.- Casting

Alfredo Mayo (Carlos Vidal), Mary Delgado (Luisa de Linares), Luis García Ortega (Doctor Linares), Alicia Romay (Carmen), Luis Peña (Police officer Fernandis), Alfonso Candel (Photographer), Rufino Inglés (Fernando), Mecha Delgado (Julia), Julia Lajos (the singer), Matilde Galiana (Feliciana), Manuel Káiser (Doctor Bravo), Adolfo Gallo (Mario), Manuel Requena, Conrado San Martín (no mentionned)

II.- The story

The Policie officer Fernandis (Luis Peña) discovers the body a man whose name is Carlos Vidal (Alfredo Mayo): in his pocket the photography of a woman, the wife of the famous doctor Linares (Luis García Ortega). Mrs Linares, Luisa (Mary Delgado) has to say Fernandis her story (and the film is built with flashback). When Luisa was a medical studiant in the University of Madrid, she fell in love with in the Carlos Vidal. But he was a crook. Later she married the Doctor Linares. When Vidal came back to Madrid later and discovered Luis was know the wife of a rich and famous Spanish surgeon he decided to blackmail her. After some months, Luis exhausted wanted to kill her ex-lover. She fired a shot and left hastily the room without seeing the shot has been unsuccessful. Fernandis 'll discover the real has culprit: a photographer (Alfonso Candel) who was a member of the band leaded by Vidal.

III.- Remarks

3.1.- The film

Unfortunately we can give you more details about the film "Chantaje" because we have never seen. But we have read what said a film reviewer, Miguel Rodenas, in the well known newparpers from Madrid ABC - 1946 /09/27 - pages 19-20/28 in its morning edition, that means some hours after the premier. And the style of the paper is notably eulogistic and convoluted, a frequent film journalistic style!

And two weeks later the same newpapers said "Chantaje" a great success for the film reviewers and the public!

3.2.- The director Antonio de Obregón

Antonio de Obregón Chorot (Madrid 1910 - Madrid 1985) was as said by Augusto M. Torres in his book "Directores españoles malditos" ed. Huerga & Hierro - 2004, one of the damned directors of the Spanish cinema. It 's true his filmography is quite short. See his bio-filmography here.

3.3.- The actors

3.3.1.- Mary Delgado

Mary Delgado (1916-1984) after having finish "Chantaje" will play again with our favourite actor in "Audiencia pública" (1946) by Florián Rey and in "Luis Candelas, el ladrón de Madrid" (1947) by Fernán. This Spanish actress had begun her career in 1939 with the film"Cancionera" by Julián Torremocha, adapted from S. Alvarez Quintero. Her filmography will have about 20 titles until 1963. Theater artist too, she'll work in some plays filmed by the Spanish TV at the beginning of the sixties and she 'll appear in TV series until 1976. She received a Spanish National prize as the best actress for her role of Luisa in "Chantaje" in 1946 and a prize for the best main actress thanks to her role of Rosita in "El fantasma y Doña Juanita" (1945) directed by Rafael Gil, with the always excellent Juan Calvo, by the Club of the Spanish Cinema Writers.

3.3.2.- The other actors

The other actors, except Alfredo Mayo and Luis Peña who were for the first time in the same film in "Harka" (1941), are essentially theater artists and of course very well known by Antonio de Obregón!

IV.- Conclusion

Of course we would like to see "Chantaje" (1946) directed by Antonio de Obregón. Unfortunately at the moment we only have to hope a first edition of the film. Maybe it would be possible with DVD version of some works of this damned director as he was named by Augusto M. Torres.

Version VHS and/or DVD of "Chantaje" : NO
Keeping of the first version: Probably YES
See the Spanish film archives (Fondos Fílmicos de la Filmoteca Española) in Madrid

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Page writen the 8th January 2010 - Last version : The first day of February 2010
www.don-alfredo-mayo.com

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