La Bestia Debe Morir (1952)

Directed by Román Viñoly Barreto. Starring Narciso Ibáñez Menta, Laura Hidalgo, Guillermo Battaglia, Beba Bidart, Ernesto Bianco, Milagros de la Vega, Nathán Pinzón, Josefa Goldar, Jesús Pampín, Humberto Balado, Gloria Ferrandiz, Eduardo Moyano.

Little-seen Argentine mystery noir, adapted from Nicholas Blake’s highly-regarded novel, “The Beast Must Die” (the English translation of the film’s title), uses an adventurous plot structure to show how and why writer Menta seeks revenge on a man he does not even know—“I am going to kill a man. I don’t know his name, I don’t know where he lives, I have no idea what he looks like. But I am going to find him and kill him.” Such fiery, high-strung melodrama is to be expected from the country of the production’s origin, which is what makes Menta’s more understated work so compelling in contrast to the frantic performances surrounding him, including one of those not-quite-femme–fatale love interest roles for Hidalgo; on the overheated front, however, Battaglia’s despicable antagonist and his vicious mother (de la Vega) have their deliciously effective moments. Menta co-wrote the screenplay adaptation with director Barreto, who, in turn, co-produced with Hidalgo. As for the novelist, Blake, that was a pseudonym for Cecil Day-Lewis, dad to Daniel. Later filmed by Claude Chabrol as Que la Bête Meure in 1969, and turned into a limited TV series in 2021.

77/100