Cronos (1993)

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writer:

Guillermo del Toro (screenplay)

Release Date:

May 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

In 1535, an alchemist builds an extraordinary mechanism encapsulated into a small golden device. The invention...

Plot Keywords:

Invention | Eternal Life | Antique Dealer | Dying | Mechanism

Awards:

21 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Federico Luppi	...	Jesus Gris
Ron Perlman	...	Angel de la Guardia
Claudio Brook	...	De la Guardia
Margarita Isabel	...	Mercedes
Tamara Shanath	...	Aurora
Daniel Giménez Cacho	...	Tito
Mario Iván Martínez	...	Alchemist
Farnesio de Bernal	...	Manuelito
Juan Carlos Colombo	...	Funeral Director
Jorge Martínez de Hoyos	...	Narrator (voice)
Luis Rodríguez	...	Buyer
Javier Álvarez	...	Bleeding Man
Gerardo Moscoso	...	Drunk
Eugenio Lobo	...	Stoned Man
Adriana Olivera	...	Tango Student
Clementina Rojas	...	Tango Student
Tzinia Salgado	...	Tango Student
Luis de Icaza	...	Tango Student
Jorge Bolada	...	Tango Student
Ignacio Raiz Oviedo	...	Tango Student
Napo	...	Mimo (as Francisco Sánchez)
Laurencio Cordero	...	Watchman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Guillermo del Toro	...	Man Walking Dog (uncredited)

Directed by
Guillermo del Toro

Writing credits
Guillermo del Toro		(screenplay)

Produced by
Rafael Cruz	....	associate producer
Arthur Gorson	....	producer
Francisco Murguía	....	co-producer
Bertha Navarro	....	producer
Bernard L. Nussbaumer	....	co-producer
Julio Solórzano Foppa	....	associate producer
Alejandro Springall	....	co-producer
Jorge Sánchez	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Javier Álvarez

Cinematography by
Guillermo Navarro

Film Editing by
Raúl Dávalos

Production Design by
Tolita Figuero

Art Direction by
Brigitte Broch

Costume Design by
Genoveva Petitpierre

Makeup Department
M. Carrajal	....	makeup artist
Rigo Mora	....	special makeup effects artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joaquin Silva	....	second assistant director
Sebastián Silva	....	assistant director

Art Department
María Figueroa	....	art designer
Gilberto Avina Gomez	....	art apprentice
Gilberto Aviña Gomez	....	art department
Jorge Siller	....	art apprentice (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Asman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Fernando Cámara	....	sound engineer
David E. Fluhr	....	sound re-recording mixer
George R. Groves Jr.	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric A. Norris	....	sound effects editor
Santiago Núñez	....	cable person
Randal S. Thomas	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Laurencio Cordero	....	special effects (as Laurencio 'Chovy' Cordero)

Visual Effects by
William Koshowany	....	optical line-up

Camera and Electrical Department
Carlos Silva	....	electrician swing

Editorial Department
Jennifer Dolce	....	first assistant editor
Phyllis Housen	....	assistant editor
Paul O'Bryan	....	associate editor
Chuck Winston	....	color timer

Other crew
Pablo Buelna	....	location manager
Mariana Gironella	....	script supervisor
Norberto Nava	....	security coordinator

Thanks
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	....	special thanks
Lance Bird	....	special thanks
James Cameron	....	special thanks
Alfonso Cuarón	....	special thanks
Alex del Toro	....	special thanks
Emilio Echevarría	....	special thanks
Robert Littman	....	special thanks
Emilio Navarro	....	dedicatee
Carlos Slim	....	special thanks (as Ing. Carlos Slim)

Production Companies

• CNCAIMC
• Fondo de Fomento a la Calidad Cinematográfica
• Grupo Del Toro
• Guillermo Springall
• Iguana Producciones
• Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE)
• Servicos Filmicos ANC
• Universidad de Guadalajara
• Ventana Films (as Venta)

Distributors

• October Films (1994) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Cineplex Odeon Films (1993) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2003) (Canada) (DVD)
• Cineplex-Odeon Home Video (1994) (Canada) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• MCA (1994) (Canada) (VHS)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (France)
• Nelonen (1999) (Finland) (TV)
• Prime Films S.L. (Spain)
• Vidmark Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence and for language

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Spain:18 | Denmark:16 | UK:15 (re-rating, 2010) | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Company:

CNCAIMC

Trivia:

Guillermo del Toro started writing on the script as early as 1984, where it was titled "Vampire of the Grey Dawn".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Jesús searches for Aurora after she has taken the Cronos, as he walks through two doors, he stops. Behind him, reflected in the glass of the door, is crew and equipment.

Quotes:

[to Jesus, who is about to take the blood from her fingers]
Aurora Gris:Grandfather.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Blood Pact: The Making of 'Blade II' (2002) (V)

Soundtrack:

Eloisa

a simply beautiful movie

Cronos is the first Guillermo Del Toro movie, and it is a great achievement. There's not much to say : it is a beautiful movie, a classical, beautiful and simple movie. There's some fantastic in it, but that's not all : the greatness of this movie is based on the characters : Ron Perlman and the man at the morgue are specially brilliant. It is dark, full of suspense, tensed, and extremely funny in the same time. With low budget and simple frames, Del Toro has managed to picture the true essence of cinema : a good story, good characters, and lots of blood, humor and cruelty. What else could we add ? Just watch this. This movie has been badly underrated. It is intelligent and honest. Far superior to lots of over intellectual or too much precious horror movies with over beautiful aesthetics. CRONOS is simply brilliant. Long life to Guillermo Del Toro !