Barcelona, 1950. A man (Carlos Muñoz) is murdered in front of a Police station. The case is assigned to two agents, a skilled veteran Marcial Velasco (Manuel de Juan) and an eager young one , Miguel (Conrado San Martín) , who join forces to solve it while bit by bit their efforts unveil the truth . Some clues lead to Don Rafael Quintana López (Luis Pérez de León) , father of the killed young . The police find out that the victim had answered a newspaper a job offering and that it is actually a scam. Immediately a surveillance device will be set up to control the post office box with which the victim contacted. Hidden in mystery, no one could find the head of the gang !.
A noir film with thrills , intrigue , twists and turns . A thriller in which we follow the complex investigations of two tough police inspectors , watching their progress with ups and downs, to a spectacular climax in a local amusement park. The exaltation of police work is evident in the film, and the exhibition of investigative techniques is constant (listening, monitoring of suspects, deductions and search for tracks , interrogations and confrontations, etc.). The filming of Apartado de correos 1001 took place during the summer of 1950 and the premiere took place on December 6 of the same year at the Kursaal cinema in Barcelona. It remained on the exhibition for 32 days, assuming a notable success both , public and critics, sharing the billboard with Criminal Brigade (Ignacio F. Iquino), a film with similar characteristics released just two days before. The choice of a rookie police officer allows a greater identification of the viewer, the identity of the main criminal being unknown until the final moments of the tape. At first the film was going to be directed by Antonio Román, with Julio Salvador being the assistant director. Finally, Román went on to direct another film from the same production company : El pasado amenaza , and thus Salvador was the director of Apartado de correos 1001. The film is loosely based on true events: behind an ambiguous job offer published in an advertisement in La Vanguardia, a plot was hidden to defraud the unwary who responded to said offer. According to the policeman Gil Llamas, the work of the scriptwriters "was limited to handling the known data, seasoning them with the inevitable love story and with a certain murder perpetrated in front of the Police Headquarter¨. One of the most famous films of Spanish cinematography for which Conrado San Martín acquired the category of national idol. Its director Julio Salvador earned the hope and respect of all critics in the country. It is well paced , nicely performed by fine actors/actresses, as the adequate leading role by Conrado San Martin, accompanied by a fine support cast such as : Elena Espejo , Tomás Blanco, Carlos Muñoz , Carlos Muñoz , Manuel de Juan , Guillermo Marín. Script by future director Antonio Isasi, who was editor as well , and also by future director Julio Coll and with a brilliant supporting cast. The great attraction of the film is in the vision of the Barcelona at the time with some unusual characters in the Spanish cinema supported by an effective dramatic structure based on two explanatory flashbacks.
It displays an atmospheric cinematography by cameraman Federico G. Larraya , though a perfect being really necessary because the film copy is washed-out . Shot on location, so many views of Barcelona at the time. The picture was filmed in many real exteriors and interiors of the city of Barcelona: Ronda and Plaza de la Universidad, Frontón y Atracciones Apolo (an anthological final sequence shot there), facade and interior of La Vanguardia, exterior and interior of the Post Office, Plaza de Antonio López, Ramblas, Vía Layetana and Copérnico and Aribau streets As well as skill , appropriate edition by prestigious Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi to be followed by a notorious career as a famed director . The motion picture was professionality directed and it was very successful in its day . It can pass as an effective production , which is never boring and leaves an acceptable memory of movies made with effort and dedication and with Noir/thriller elements , of course . And it's not a tiring film , being entertaining enough , thanks to thriller , action , plot twists and turns . Julio Salvador made various pictures with his fetish actor Conrado San Martin such as ¨Sin Sonrisa De Dios¨, ¨Duda¨ , ¨Lo Que Nunca Muere¨ and his best film ¨Apartado Correos 1001¨. Salvador was also writer , producing or directing some international co-productions with famous actors . As he wrote "Love Brides of the Blood Mummy¨dealing with a Mummy rebirth and ¨The Mercenary¨ with Ray Danton . Furthermore , he wrote ¨Crypt of the Living Dead" also titled "Hannah, Queen of the Vampires" or "Young Hannah, Queen of the Vampires . Rating : Above average , 7/10 . An alright movie that will appeal to Spanish cinema enthusiasts .
