Director Guillermo del Toro’s audacious film debut… “Cronos” features an unbound del Toro creating a vampire film unlike any other vampire film that anyone had seen at that time. Featuring a smart screenplay with an emotional component and not overly the top when it comes to violence and gore, “Cronos” remains to be a unique film to this day and is definitely a highlight in Mexican cinema at that time. So, definitely a wonderful inclusion for The Criterion Collection.
Image courtesy of © 1992 Producciones Iguana S.A. de CV.  © 2010 All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: Cronos – The Criterion Collection #551
RELEASE OF FILM: 1993
DURATION: 92 Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Color, Stereo, In Spanish and English with English Subtitles, 1:78:1 Aspect Ratio
COMPANY: The Criterion Collection
RELEASED: December 7, 2010
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro
Producer: Arthur Gorson, Bertha Navarro
Co-Producer: Francisco Murguia, Bernard L. Nussbaumer, Alejandro Springall
ASsociate Producer: Rafael Cruz, Jorge Sanchez, Julio Solorzano Foppa
Music by Javier Alvarez
Cinematography by Guillermo Navarro
Edited by Raul Davalos
Production Design by Tolita Figuero
Art Direction by Brigitte Broch
Costume Design by Genoveva Petitpierre
Starring:
Federico Luppi as Jesus Gris
Ron Perlman as Angel de la Guardia
Claudio Brook as Dieter De la Guardia
Margarita Isabel as Mercedes
Tamara Shanath as Aurora
Daniel Gimenez Cacho as Tito
Mario Ivan Martinez as Alchemist
Farnesio de Bernal as Manuelito
Jorge Martinez de Hoyos as Narrator (Voice)
Guillermo del Toro made an auspicious and audacious feature debut with Cronos, a highly unorthodox tale about the seductiveness of the idea of immortality. Kindly antiques dealer Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi) happens upon an ancient golden device in the shape of a scarab, and soon finds himself the possessor and victim of its sinister, addictive powers, as well as the target of a mysterious American named Angel (a delightfully crude and deranged Ron Perlman). Featuring marvelous special makeup effects and the haunting imagery for which del Toro has become world-renowned, Cronos is a dark, visually rich, and emotionally captivating fantasy.
Before the “Hellboy” films, “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “Blade II” and “The Devil’s Backbone”, Mexican filmmaker, screenwriter and novelist Guillermo del Toro would write and direct his first film in 1993 known as “Cronos”.
“Cronos” would win various Golden and Silver Ariel Awards in Mexico and it would also be the first film which would feature a collaboration between del Toro and actor Ron Perlman who would later go on to work with del Toro in the “Hellboy” films and “Blade II”.
Despite receiving a limited release in the U.S. in two theaters, the film grossed $17,538 during its opening weekend and over $621,000 when it played on 28 screens. The film received positive reviews from the critics and established director Guillermo del Toro’s career in the U.S. As for “Cronos”, way before the emotional films of “Twilight” and before “True Blood” and even the popular “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series, “Cronos” was a vampire film unlike other vampire films that tend to focus on gore and the damsel being sucked dry by a vampire. Because “Cronos” was so fresh and new, it was and still is considered by some vampire film fans as one of the best vampire films of all time.
But what “Cronos” would be known for is del Toro’s way of departing from previous vampire films by making it intelligent, featuring a unique relationship between a grandfather and his granddaughter and giving the vampire a sense of humanity without being a cold-blooded killer nor the usual, banal vampire storylines that have made it onto film for nearly the last century.
“Cronos” begins with a story of how the Cronos device was created. An alchemist who would escape from the Spanish Inquisition in 1536 and live in Mexico would go on to create a device that would give him immortality. 400 years later, in 1937, the roof of a building where the alchemist was at had collapsed and among the bodies found was the alchemist who has died due a shard being stuck in its chest. When he was found, the alchemist had white, marble-like skin.
When authorities searched the alchemist’s home, what they would find was never revealed to the public (found were bowls of blood which was dripping from a deceased man hung upside down).
All objects from the alchemist’s home were sold but there was no mention of what ever happened to the Cronos device.
Fast forward to 1993 and the setting continues in Mexico. An antique salesman named Jesus Gris (played by Federico Luppi) lives with his wife Mercedes (played by Margarita Isabel) and he takes care of his granddaughter Aurora (played by Tamara Shanath). Together, Jesus and Aurora would run the antique shop and noticed people looking at an old statue of an archangel still in its original covering.
When Jesus goes to see the archangel statue, he notices a crack inside the left eye of the statue and realizes the statue may be hollow. While he and Aurora were playing a game, we see the statue and then bugs start to come out of it.
One day, as Jesus was inspecting the archangle, he tries to find out where the bugs are coming from and when he opens the archangel’s base, he finds a golden scarab, the Cronos device hidden inside it.  Needless to say, he is amazed about what he has found. Could it be worth something? Is it treasure? What is it?
Meanwhile, Angel de la Guardia (played by Ron Perlman) receives a report that another Archangel statue has been found and he reports it to Dieter de la Guardia. Dieter is a man who is dying and to keep him alive and away from other people, he is kept inside a sealed lab. Around the lab, hanging are many versions of the archangel statue similar to the statue that Jesus has in his antique shop.
For Angel, he doesn’t know why he is continuing this goose chase of finding these statues but De la Guardia explains to Angel that he wants the archangel and that he needs to get it now. And we see notes of the Cronos device and apparently Dieter has come up with notes that were written by the Alchemist.
So, Angel makes the trip to the antique shop and purchases the archangel statue. But the Cronos device that was inside it, has already been removed by Jesus.
After Angel leaves, Jesus starts messing around with the golden scarab (Cronos) and while he is working on it, the golden scarab grabs onto his hand with its razor sharp claws and punctures the center of his palm. Blood immediately starts dripping quickly from his hand. When he goes to his wife Mercedes to check it out, Mercedes pulls out a razor-like blade and bandages Jesus’ hand.
That same night, Jesus realizes that he can’t sleep and finds himself to be enormously thirsty. So thirsty, that he downs a whole jug of water but seems to still be thirsty and can’t figure out why. When he looks inside the fridge, he sees a plate full of bloody meat and immediately he feels drawn to it for some reason.
The next thing you know, his hand starts to react unusually and then we see Jesus starting to crave for the Cronos. The feeling of satisfaction of having the Cronus on him and possibly getting an emotional high as he finds himself becoming addicted to the Cronos. As if the pain of Cronos stuck inside him is like a form of sexual pleasure.
He puts the Cronos device on his arm and immediately the Cronos device detects him and puncturing him with its blade to draw out more blood.  We then get a sneak peak of what is Inside the Cronos. Metal gears that are powered by a single living insect that feeds upon blood and produces a chemical solution that literally makes Jesus look and feel younger, healthy and also giving him an increase in his sexual drive. The alchemist’s device of achieving immortality seems to be working on Jesus.
As he goes to visit the antique shop, he notices the whole place has been burglarized and everything inside the store has been nearly thrashed. He finds a business card left behind by Angel de la Guardia and upset of what they did to his shop, Jesus goes to visit them and meets up with Dieter de la Guardia.
During his visit with Dieter, he is introduced to the notebook which was written by the alchemist and about an invention that would prolong one’s life. Dieter de la Guardia tells Jesus that he is dying and that half of his body is in jars while the other half is in the box that Jesus brought in. But inside the box is not the Cronos device and when Dieter finds out that Jesus has used the Cronos device on himself, Dieter is upset and threatens Jesus that he may have the device but he has the instructions.
As days pass, although Jesus knows that he is starting to look healthy and young, he starts to learn than his body no longer can be in the sunlight, that he is now craving for human’s blood and each time he goes without it, his body starts to turn white. And as he needs blood, so does the insect inside the Cronos. So, feeding the Cronos device becomes almost like an addiction for Jesus.  But despite the changes he may be going through, the only person that seems to understand him and still love him unconditionally is his young granddaughter Aurora.
As Jesus starts to get used to his new life, Dieter de la Guardia’s want the Cronos device and will try to get it by any means necessary, even if it means killing Jesus to get it. Will Jesus survive the ordeal?
VIDEO:
“Cronos” is presented in 1:78:1. According to the Criterion Collection, Director Guillermo del Toro and director of photography Guillermo Navarro supervised this new high-definition transfer, which was created in 2K resolution on a Spirit 4K Datacine from the original 35 mm camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter and flicker were manually removed using MTI’s DRS system and Pixel Farm’s PFClean system, while Digital Vision’s DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain and noise reduction.
It’s important to note that while the DVD does look good, one wanting better picture quality should definitely get the Blu-ray disc release of “Cronos”.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Cronos” is presented in stereo. Dialogue is clear and according to the Criterion Collection, the stereo soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35 mm LT/RT magnetic soundtrack. Clicks, thumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated audio workstation.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Cronos – The Criterion Collection #551” comes with the following special features:
- Audio Commentary by Director Guillermo del Toro – A wonderful audio commentary from 2002 by Guillermo del Toro. Throughout the film, del Toro talks about the scenes and what he liked and what he didn’t like (as he looks back on the film) because they were on a strict schedule, also interesting stories on construction of the Cronos devices and the things they had to go through to film on the morgue set. Also, we get to learn a few interesting facts, especially about young actress Tamara Shanath which was quite interesting and unusual. But Guillermo definitely gives us a good insight of why this film was created, a little story on his strict Catholic upbringing and how difficult his mother was and his fascination with horror films like “Videodrome”, working with Ron Perlman and the various talent and more.
- Audio Commentary by Producers Arthur H. Gorson, Bertha Navarro and Co-Producer Alejandro Springall – The producers talk about the film being shot in Mexico, getting actor Federico Luppi and Ron Perlman, talk about the makeup and effects, memories of screening the film at Cannes and more.
- Geometria – (6:28) Guillermo del Toro’s 1987 short horror film which was reworked with special effects. Featuring an introduction (6:54) by Guillermo del Toro talking about the making of this short film and what he wanted to accomplish then but was difficult with only a $2,000 budget.
- Welcome to the Bleak House – (10:15) Guillermo del Toro takes us on a short tour of his collections in his home and how he is expanding it to include his collection of toys, cinema but mostly a large collection of macabre movie and non-movie related items. Let’s just say that some of the things that del Toro has in his home (especially preserved in jars), I don’t see many people wanting to have them in their home or collection.
- Interviews – Featuring several interviews which include:
– Interview with Director Guillermo del Toro (17:35) in regards to working on “Cronos”, the things he has learned since the filming (including some regrets that he has) and working with Ron Perlman and how he was fortunate to have him on his film but most importantly trust him.
– Interview with Guillermo Navarro (12:36) in regards to working as director of photography for “Cronos” and the longtime friendship and bond he and del Toro have in working on a film together.
– Interview with Ron Perlman (7:26) in regards to how he got involved in working on “Cronos”, what he liked about the screenplay but also how he and Guillermo del Toro have continued to work in three more films since that first collaboration.
– Interview with Federico Luppi (5:26) in regards to working with del Toro, playing the character of Jesus Gris and working on “Cronos”.
- Stills Gallery – With your remote, you can view the various stills, rare photos (of his crew working on several versions of the Cronos device) and storyboard illustrations from “Cronos” with captions by director Guillermo del Toro.
- Trailer – (1:28) The original theatrical trailer.
EXTRAS:
“Cronos – The Criterion Collection #551” comes with a 44-page booklet. Inside is an essay titled “Beautiful Dark Things” by film critic, film writer and horror enthusiast Maitland McDonagh. Also, included are excerpts from director Guillermo del Toro’s notes for “Cronos” back in 1991 and shows us how much research he did in preparing for his screenplay for “Cronos”.
Director Guillermo del Toro is one of the most prepared and quite intellectual filmmakers out there.
His life, even since he was a young child, has appreciated horror films, the macabre but also an appreciation for cinema that when he planned his version of a vampire film, he didn’t want to go through the same path as other filmmakers who have done vampire films. No need for the brooding blood-sucking vampire in his films, everything must have a purpose and in this case, even before this film was created, he had done incredible research on alchemy, Gothic films and being a cinema fan, especially a horror film fan, he is a man with a vast knowledge of these type of topics.
But what makes “Cronos” succeed and what makes it so unique is that the film doesn’t want to follow the banality of kitschy horror films. His vampires and for the most part, many of his films tend to make us feel sympathetic to those who have become the monster. In this case, Federico Luppi’s wonderful performance as a grandfather turned vampire is not your average blood sucking killer. All he knows is that this Cronos device has given a chance of being younger and feeling more vibrant but at a cost that his body is constantly wanting human blood. But will he lose his humanity or what is left of his humanity to follow the rules of the alchemist, of what one would do to achieve immortality.
“Cronos” is well-written and despite not having a large budget, it’s a film that works because it was created by a Guillermo del Toro who was not changed or deterred by the Hollywood studio system. He was man who knew what he wanted and got the performances that he wanted. Granted, he does explain on the audio commentary that they were short on time and they faced significant obstacles while filming “Cronos” back in 1993. And of course, with this release in 2010, Guillermo has said that he would have done things differently.
The fact is that director del Toro was able to tell a story with no studio telling him what to do and in someways, that ego of a first time director kind of helps in showing us his youth as director on this film. Personally, if del Toro was able to redo this film, having experienced several big budget films under his belt after “Cronos”, I wouldn’t be surprised if he utilized visual effects and other modern day technology to make “Cronos” seem a bit more violent and bloody.
Personally, I felt that del Toro has done a wonderful job and if anything, “Cronos” is an important film that introduced the world to his talent as a new filmmaker during the early ’90s and since then he has reaped the rewards with other films such as “Pan’s Labrynth” and “Blade II”. And aside from being a well-known screenwriter and director, he has currently gone on to become one of Hollywood’s most popular producers.
The film manages to capture emotion in a vampire film that many dare not try back then (granted, things have change now during these “Twilight”, “True Blood” and “Vampire Diaries” years). But even today, if you pitched a film about a grandfather turning to a vampire who has a close relationship with his granddaughter, it probably wouldn’t fly with today’s film studios who want more style over substance, “Cronos” had style but it also had substance and most of all it was not a film that was put on del Toro’s lap nor was there a studio and execs telling him what to do. “Cronos” was created because Guillermo had wanted to make this film and he did it his way and sure enough, it has paved the way for more films for the director to this day.
While some may question why “Cronos” was included on The Criterion Collection, for one, “Cronos” was an important film to come from Mexico. Although there are a few Mexican films that are included on The Criterion Collection, the fact is that Guillermo del Toro is one of Mexico’s famous directors and that also, “Cronos” did bring in a lot of attention to Mexican cinema back in 1993 and also a Mexican filmmaker that has reaped the benefits of years of hardwork and it is this film that did help pave the way for the success that he has received thus far. “Cronos” was an audacious film at the time and one can easily watch and see why the film has received auspicious reviews.
For the faint of heart when it comes to horror films, “Cronos” is not a film with a lot of gore or bloody violence. Granted, it has its share of violence and bloody moments but it’s nothing gory or sickening and quite pedestrian in what is shows considering what we see in today’s horror films. I admit that there was one part which was gross. But I have no doubt that if del Toro had his opportunity to redo this film as he wants to do with all his films, I wouldn’t be surprised if he would take advantage of things much more visually and make it possibly a bit more grotesque.
Fortunately, the film is what it is and whether or not one wants more gore is subjective to the viewer. Personally, I felt that the film didn’t have to be another vampire film and showcase blood or gore, it was fine the way it is and if anything, the film builds on suspense and good old fashion storytelling. The most you are going to see in this film is skin peeling off and that’s pretty much it. To tell you the truth, the only disturbing scene for me was mostly about a scene in which Jesus craves blood but where he finds it, I was just thinking of how unsanitary it would be for him to get his taste of human’s blood in that area (I would explain more but I would end up spoiling that scene). But “Cronos” is not a film one would get scared or grossed out by. So, for the Criterion Collection fans that are wondering if there are any disturbing scenes ala “Salo”, “Sweet Movie” or “Antichrist” in this film… the answer is no.
As for the DVD, “Cronos – The Criterion Collection #551” does have quite a few more special features than its older 2002 Lions Gate DVD counterpart. For one you get the 44-page booklet with an essay by “Flick Chick” Maitland McDonagh (who definitely knows horror films) and also notes that del Toro made in 1991 and just giving you a wonderful insight of what he had in his head at the time and also showing his intellectual side and approach to planning the film at a young age.
And also, you get two audio commentaries (which were part of the 2002 DVD) but possibly my favorite featurettes that show his collection at his home ala “The Bleak House” and several interviews with del Toro, his cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, Ron Perlman and Federico Luppi. And for del Toro fans, you also get to see his 1987 horror short “Geometria” for the first time. Although not as audacious as “Cronos”, it does show you del Toro’s willingness to do whatever he wanted and in this case, with a small budget, to create the most grotesque short that he can with the least amount of money.
Once again, if you want the better HD picture quality and lossless audio, I definitely recommend going for the Blu-ray version over the DVD version. Otherwise, this Criterion Collection DVD for “Cronos” is a solid release.
Overall, for fans of filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, “Cronos” does make for a wonderful release by the Criterion Collection. Many have demanded more Mexican films to be featured in the collection and “Cronos” was a wise decision. Definitely recommended!
