Cronos (1992) (film review).
This is a 4K Ultra HD restoration of the film ‘Cronos.’. This is a Spanish film running with English dialogue. Well, except when someone is actually supposed to be speaking Spanish, and then there are subtitles.
An attack kills the unnamed alchemist, causing the building to collapse around him. When people discover the vault in 1937, a piece of glass stabs the long-lived alchemist in the neck, resulting in his death.
An antique dealer, Jesus Gris (actor Federica Luppi), unknowingly has a status that lets insects out of its eye. With his young granddaughter, Mercedes (actress Margarita Isabel), he is examining a new job lot and, in the base under a statue, finds the gold Cronos device. He rings Angel de la Guardia (actor Ron Perlman) about the discovery. He, in turn, goes to see his uncle, named just de la Guardia (actor Claudio Brook), who tells him to get the statue in no uncertain terms.
Gris later plays with the Cronos device, and it attacks him. His wife patches him up and finds a metal shard. Every time Gris examines the device, it inflicts more damage on him, bestowing upon him immortality and a form of vampirism. The de la Guardias are interested in the Cronos device, and the rest of the story will be revealed later.
This film is very much an art movie, so you need to pay attention to the screen. You do have to wonder how an alchemist can also be a good mechanical designer. Basically, this is the means to the final result. As a first-time director, del Toro shows confidence in putting his story over.
There are three audio commentaries available. The first is with director Guillermo del Toro on his first film, which he describes as a vampire movie. When I watched it, I initially thought it was about a device called Cronos infecting people. His personal analysis sheds light on the struggles he faces, including running out of money and having to sell more of his possessions to complete the project. There were 13 Cronos devices, each with different functions according to him, although others here say six.
The second is with producers Arthur H. Gorson and Bertha Navarro and co-producer Alejandro Springall from 2002. Alas, it’s in Spanish with subtitles, but Springall is in English, so give it a chance because that’s easier for us. They were the ones who said only six of the Cronos devices were made. They cover the production details and many of the cast, who all went on to bigger careers. The budget necessitated completing everything in a single take and sending the footage to America for further processing. Del Toro received assistance from his crew in areas he was still learning. Special effects designer Laurencio Cordero did effects on a lot of American films, including ‘Predator.’. This statement may pique your interest. Oh, and ‘Cronos’ won a lot of awards.
The third commentary features film historian and Mexican film expert Jason Wood, hosted by Vic Pratt from the BFI. He points out that this is a Christmas film because of the decorated fir tree. Wood says del Toro still has his special effects shop, although in the interviews, the director said he closed it down. There’s also a reminder at the end that “Cronos’ had 25 significant awards. Notice how the details grow if you watch sequentially.
The Film Gallery is 14 minutes long and shows, amongst other things, how the Cronos device was built and del Toro showing some of his childhood photos and his stop-animation work.
There are numerous extras available on the DVD disc. Let’s start with a 34-minute introduction by Guillermo del Toro and Oliver Père, conducted in 2024, that shows the luck he had in getting his only Mexican film made and using all his talents.
The 7-minute short, ‘Geometria’ (1987, revised in 2010), is based on ‘Short Geometry,’ a short story by Frederic Brown and is presented in Spanish with subtitles. A boy puts himself in a pentagon before calling up a demon to resurrect his dead father from a car crash and not have to retake a geometry test. Foolish lad, he doesn’t protect his mother, and he gets his wishes in not quite the way he imagined. Del Toro conducted a 7-minute interview about this short film.
A 74-minute BFI Screen Talk with Guillermo del Toro was interviewed by Mark Salisbury in 2017 about his career around the release of ‘The Shape of Water.’. He was a fan of ‘The Outer Limits’ and his love of monsters. It skips the film clips. He also points out how hard-headed directors have to be to get their own way.
‘The Making Of Cronos The film, starring actor Frederico Luppo, was released in 2003. He played Jesus Gris, the antique dealer. You’ll have to depend on the subtitles with clips from and behind the film.
‘Interview With The Director,’ which runs at 60 minutes and is from 2010, has the questions as text as he discusses the film. Once again, Guillermo del Toro clarifies that he created several copies of the Cronos device due to the theft of all 13 originals. The film was recorded in 40 days. He understands the different genres and sees the connection theme across his own films as family. He emphasises that the film doesn’t label anyone as a vampire, which likely clarifies why I didn’t perceive it that way. I mean, Jesus Gris doesn’t drink blood. He sees the development of his regular team, starting from here.
‘Interview With Guillermo del Toro’ from 2010 runs at nearly 18 minutes and is probably my favourite here. He points out that he makes his monsters sympathetic despite their looks and that the real monsters tend to be humans. He also doesn’t forget to bring out his first film in up-to-date formats.
‘Interview With Gulliermo Navarro is 13 minutes from 2010 about filming ‘Cronos’ and how his sister, Bertha, became its producer and he himself a cinematographer. The number of films Navarro has filmed is impressive, and so are the others I’ve seen.
The 7-minute “Interview With Ron Perlman” from 2010 highlights how much del Toro was a fan of his work. Any problems, they go and eat.
I’ve only had access to the 30-page booklet as a PDF file. Writer Michelle Kisner examines the film. Jason Wood interviews del Toro. Writer Michael Leader looks at the del Toro and Ron Perlman relationship across the films. Writer Barry Forshaw looks at 1990s vampires. Writer Rich Johnson looks at del Toro’s relationship with monsters. Did I say that there are a lot of small photos and full credits? Read it as a booklet because as a PDF, the text, even under enlargement, is still tiny.
This is a rather full package here that should be a delight for all del Toro fans.
GF Willmetts
February 2025
(pub: British Film Institute, 2025. 4k Ultra HD disk, 2 DVD disks 92 minute film with extras. Price: £29.999 (UK). ASIN: BFIU0009)
cast: Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook and Margarita Isabel
check out website: https://shop.bfi.org.uk/cronos-limited-edition-4k-ultra-hd.html
