Más bonita que ninguna is a 1965 Spanish-Argentine musical comedy film directed by Luis César Amadori. It stars Spanish singer and actress Rocío Dúrcal and Italian actor Luigi Giuliani. The project served as a foundational film in a multi-movie collaboration between Dúrcal and director Amadori throughout the mid-to-late 1960s, designed to launch her out of teenage roles and solidify her career as a mainstream musical star.
The script, story, and dialogue were written by Jesús María de Arozamena and Gabriel Peña (Amadori's pseudonym). The film's main theme of the same name, performed by Dúrcal, was enormously popular at the time. Furthermore, two of the film's songs ("Los dos" and "Los borrachos," a version of "Borracho") were composed by the popular rock band of the time, Los Brincos. During filming, Dúrcal met her future husband, Antonio Morales (better known as "Junior"), who was a member of Los Brincos at the time.
Contents
Plot
Roberto (Luigi Giuliani) and Luisa (Rocío Dúrcal) are a young couple whose relationship is built on mutual, minor deceits. Luisa claims to work as a straightforward operator at the Telefónica telecommunications office, while she actually makes her living selling cigarettes at a vibrant cabaret named "The Green Windmill" (El molino de viento verde).
Luisa's life is upended when she unexpectedly discovers that a massive bachelor party is being planned at the cabaret in honor of Roberto, who is secretly arranged to marry a wealthy socialite heiress. Infuriated by the betrayal, Luisa plots revenge by adopting a male alter-ego named "Luisito." Disguised as a young man, she confronts Roberto directly within the cabaret, triggering a cascade of comedic misunderstandings, musical numbers, and gender-swapping situations.
Cast
Rocío Dúrcal as Luisa / Luisito
Luigi Giuliani as Roberto
Gracita Morales as Antonia
Tomás Blanco as Mr. Morgan
María Luisa Merlo as Teresa
Pedro Porcel as Dr. Martínez
José María Caffarel as Mario
Jesús Puente as Román
Jesús Guzmán as Curro
María Isbert as Sra. Martínez
Mercedes Barranco as Sra. Morgan
Heraclio Niz Mesa as Actor/Extra
Production
Principal photography took place in April 1965. While studio interiors were filmed in Madrid, extensive on-location shooting took place in the Canary Islands, including Gran Canaria (Las Palmas, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Telde) and Lanzarote (Arrecife, Tinajo, Yaiza). The sequences shot in Lanzarote prominently featured natural landmarks such as El Charco de Los Clicos in El Golfo and Timanfaya to help promote the region's developing tourism industry.