Filmoteca Canaria is set to conclude the ‘El cuerpo del delito’ cycle with a significant event commemorating the centenary of ‘El ladrón de los guantes blancos’. This film, released in 1926, holds the distinction of being the first feature film made by Canarians and filmed entirely in the Canary Islands, marking a key milestone in the history of island cinema.
In celebration of this anniversary, Filmoteca Canaria will screen the silent film on two occasions, both accompanied by live piano music. The screenings are scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, at 19:00 at Teatro Guiniguada in Gran Canaria, and Thursday, October 8, at 18:00 at Espacio La Granja in Tenerife. Admission is free, but tickets must be reserved in advance either at the box office or online through the respective venues.
‘El ladrón de los guantes blancos’ is a 138-minute crime film centered around the theft of a necklace during a ball, which triggers a thrilling chase to capture the thief, Malcorne. The plot unfolds as investigators navigate various challenges, including thefts and false identities.
The film was directed by José González Rivero and Romualdo García de Paredes, who collaborated on this groundbreaking project. González Rivero, who was also the manager of Teatro Leal in La Laguna in the early 1920s, had begun making local documentaries and newsreels with his own camera and production company, Rivero Film. For this project, he partnered with García de Paredes, who wrote the screenplay and portrayed Tom Carter, the detective investigating the theft.
The cast included actors such as José Miguel Mandillo, Angelina Navarro, Carlos Reyes, Antonio Varela, Guetón Rodríguez Melo, and Pedro Rodríguez Bello, contributing to this unprecedented production in the islands.
Filming took place in Tenerife in 1926, and although the film was screened across various islands and even in Cuba, it disappeared from screens with the advent of sound cinema. In the 1980s, a copy preserved by González Rivero's family was recovered, allowing for its exhibition on several occasions. However, the second reel, featuring the dance scene filmed in the Mirror Hall of the old Casino of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, has been lost and remains unlocated.
The film was shot in black and white with tinting. The original nitrate reels, which are highly flammable, are housed in Filmoteca Española. Some of these reels were in poor condition, prompting Filmoteca Canaria to commission a specialized laboratory in 2023 to restore and digitize the film in 4K. The restored digital copy will be showcased to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its release.
With this anniversary screening, Filmoteca Canaria wraps up the ‘El cuerpo del delito’ cycle, a carefully curated series that has invited audiences to reflect on crime as a mirror of collective concerns.
