La zorra y el escorpión

Margarita, a lighthearted baroness, finds her domestic routine unsettled one night when her steward seizes the chance presented by her husband's absence. What begins as a series of polite manipulations quickly turns into a chain of awkward, witty encounters that pit social rank against personal desire. As secrets, flirtations, and class tensions multiply around the mansion, the houseguests and servants reveal hypocrisy and fragile pride. The film keeps the action close to the characters, relying on mistaken assumptions and flirtatious banter to move the plot toward a sentimental resolution without giving away final turns.

Released in 1984, La zorra y el escorpión was directed by Manuel Iglesias and adapts a stage play by Alfonso Paso. The cast includes Esperanza Roy as Margarita and Máximo Valverde as Ernesto, with supporting appearances by Nino Bastida, Carmen Carrión, and Alfredo Calles.

There are no records of major awards or notable festival recognition attached to this film. It did not surface prominently in national award lists, and no significant nominations or wins are commonly cited in reference sources.

The film never became a mainstream classic, but it occupies a modest place within Spain's 1980s cinema that turned popular theatre into screen comedies. For viewers interested in theatrical adaptations, it offers a slice of period style and social satire, and it occasionally turns up in retrospectives focused on stage-to-film transfers.

Critical coverage is limited, which makes broad judgments difficult. From what survives, the movie favors farce, witty dialogue, and character interplay over visual experimentation. Themes center on class pretension, romantic maneuvering, and the contrast between public manners and private desires. Esperanza Roy's performance brings a coquettish energy that keeps the story buoyant, while the screenplay leans on its theatrical roots to create tight, scene-driven comic set pieces.