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René Cardona is a Actor, Director, Scriptwriter, Producer and Second Unit Director Cubain born on 9 october 1905 at Havana (Cuba)

René Cardona

René Cardona
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Birth name André René Cardona
Nationality Cuba
Birth 9 october 1905 at Havana (Cuba)
Death 25 april 1988 (at 82 years) at Mexico City (Mexique)

René Cardona (October 8, 1905, Havana, Cuba – April 25, 1988, Mexico City) was a director, actor, producer, screenwriter, script writer and film editor in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.

Biography

René Cardona was born in Havana, Cuba on October 8, 1905, and began medical school in Cuba, but due to the political problems of the island, he and his family moved to New York in 1926, where he continued his studies. Economic circumstances experienced by his family caused him to leave his studies. He befriended famous actor Rodolfo Valentino and obtained work as an extra in several films, until in 1929 he produced, wrote, directed and starred in the first Spanish-language film made in Hollywood, Sombras habaneras (Havana Shadows). He also had the opportunity to work in various positions in the film industry such as second assistant, technical advisor and first assistant director; and learned film and lighting technique. In 1932 he moved to Mexico, where he debuted as an actor and met Julieta Zacarías, sister of the director Miguel Zacarías, and soon after married her. His wife's support would be central to his career in Mexican cinema, in films Mano a Mano (1932) directed by Ramòn Peòn and Sobre las olas (1932) directed by Zacarìas. At this early stage as an actor, Cardona participated in three key Mexican films Marihuana (1936), El baúl macabro (1936) and Allá en el rancho grande (1936), which officially inaugurate the golden age of Mexican cinema and made stars of its protagonists: Esther Fernández, Tito Guízar, and Cardona.


Film directing
After the success of Allá en el rancho grande (1936), the following year Cardona decided to direct his first film in Mexico, Don Juan Tenorio, in which he also starred. Although it was not a success, it did not stop Cardona. He directed Allá en el rancho chico (1938) and La reina del río (1939), debuting two future stars: Blanca Estela Pavón in the first and Susana Guízar in the second.

Shortly after he gave directed the stellar performances of Pedro Infante in Jesusita en Chihuahua (1942), and Germán Valdés "Tin Tan"]] in Hotel de verano (1944). In gratitude, both actors agreed to appear together only once in a Cardona film: También de dolor se canta (1952).

His career became so prolific that during 1937-1986, he directed more than one hundred films, in which he directed several of the biggest stars in Mexico. In the late fifties he made two films aimed at children, Pulgarcito (Tom Thumb) (1957) and Santa Claus (1959), which earned him several international awards. He directed many films in the 1960s which became cult classics, including Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy (1964), The Batwoman (aka La Mujer Murcielago) (1968) and the horror film Night of the Bloody Apes (1969).

In the seventies he produced and directed three films that achieved international success: La isla de hombres solos (1974), considered Cardon'a best film and based on the novel by José León Sánchez, El pequeño Robin Hood (1975), and Supervivientes de los Andes (1976).

Cardona directed his last film in 1982.


Acting
As an actor René also achieved prestige, was a founding member of the ANDA and twice nominated for an Ariel Award and acted in over 100 films, the most memorable are El secreto del sacerdote (1941), Caballería del imperio (1942), El Peñón de las Ánimas (1943), which marked the debut of María Félix, El abanico de Lady Windermere (1944), La barca de oro (1947), Soledad (1947) with Libertad Lamarque, Cartas marcadas (1948), with Pedro Infante and Marga López, La vorágine (1949) with Armando Calvo and Alicia Caro, Las tres perfectas casadas (1953) with Arturo de Córdova and Miroslava Stern among others, his career continued until shortly before his death and he even acted in a few films directed by his son, René Cardona, Jr. such as La casa que arde de noche (1985).


Last years and death
His last screen appearances were in the television series Rosa salvaje and the film El fiscal de hierro (1989). He was bestowed a life honor by the national film library of Mexico on 15 December 1986 and received from El Heraldo de Mexico in recognition of his 52 years of film work in the same year. He died in Mexico City on April 25, 1988.

Best films

Usually with

Source : Wikidata

Filmography of René Cardona (61 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Cyclone
Cyclone (1978)
, 1h40
Directed by René Cardona Jr.
Genres Horror
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Disaster films, Films about seafaring accidents or incidents
Actors John Arthur Kennedy, Carroll Baker, Lionel Stander, Andrés García, Hugo Stiglitz, Mario Almada
Rating48% 2.4155652.4155652.4155652.4155652.415565
An airplane goes down in the Caribbean Ocean during a storm and a few survivors find refuge on a small tour boat. Swept out to sea, these people slowly starve to death in the hot sun with barely any food or clean water. With no place to turn, the boat survivors resort to cannibalism to stay alive...that is, until the rescue planes come to pick them up and the man-eating sharks decide it's time to eat as well.
El valle de los miserables, 1h50
Directed by René Cardona Jr.
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Crime
Actors Mario Almada, Hugo Stiglitz, Ana Luisa Peluffo, Alma Muriel, Silvia Mariscal, Jorge Russek
Roles Don Luis Aguirre
Rating56% 2.811282.811282.811282.811282.81128
In 1909, the former Judge Cristobal Zamarripa Zamarripa is the owner of the Valle Nacional, the a plantation where snuff exploits workers, supported by the tyrant Porfirio Diaz, who sends political prisoners as slaves. Others are engaged with the promise of high wages, but end up owing all to the company store. All are tortured, raped or killed when they protest. Another rancher (whose brother was killed by Zamarripa), will be punished, but flees and becomes revolutionary. The Zamarripa minions betray each other and they flee of the revolutionaries, led by fugitive landowner. The prisoners, upon release, massacred all the Zamarripa Family.
The Bloody Revolver, 1h38
Directed by Miguel M. Delgado
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure, Western
Actors Lola Beltrán, Flor Silvestre, Emilio Fernández, René Cardona, Cuco Sánchez, Antonio Aguilar
Roles Comisario
Rating62% 3.1422153.1422153.1422153.1422153.142215
The film opens in a cave with a close-up of Juan Chávez's (Luis Aguilar) silver-plated revolver as he glances at a "Wanted" poster that offers a reward, dead or alive, for his capture. A suspicious man follows Juan out of the cave, and traces him into a small town. There, he enters a bar called "La Patrona", whose bartender is Carmen (Lola Beltrán) who is infatuated with Juan. She serves him something to drink, and they converse, as a next scene focuses on a beautiful woman named Rosa (Flor Silvestre) who sings the song "Cariño bonito" as she waters her geraniums and watches her birds. At the end of her singing, her aunt (Emma Roldán) arrives at the house and tells her of Juan's return to the town. She replies that he came back for her to take her with him, and to prepare her clothes. When Rosa arrives at the bar, Juan responds to her coldly, and even depreciates her.
The Brainiac, 1h17
Directed by Chano Urueta
Origin Mexique
Genres Science fiction, Horror
Actors Abel Salazar, Ariadne Welter, David Silva, Germán Horacio Robles, René Cardona, Rubén Rojo
Roles Baltasar de Meneses / Luis Meneses
Rating50% 2.5102352.5102352.5102352.5102352.510235
In Mexico City in 1661, Baron Vitelius of Estara is condemned by the Inquisition and sentenced to be burned at the stake. As this sentence is carried out, the Baron promises that he will return with the next passage of a comet (visible over the scene of execution), and slay the descendants of his accusers.
Night Dance Hall, 1h30
Directed by Maurice Cloche
Origin France
Genres Drama, Comedy-drama
Actors Pascale Audret, Claude Titre, Sophie Daumier, Micheline Francey, Roger Fradet, Jany Clair

Une jeune fille se retrouve à Paris après s'être enfuie de chez ses parents, mais la police la retrouve et la ramène chez elle. Elle va alors vivre chez son oncle, mais celui-ci tente de la séduire.
Girl Merchants, 1h42
Directed by Maurice Cloche, Jean-Pierre Decourt
Origin France
Genres Drama
Actors Georges Marchal, Agnès Laurent, Daniela Rocca, Saro Urzì, Pascale Roberts, Roger Duchesne
Rating54% 2.734942.734942.734942.734942.73494
Josette fuit la province où son beau-père la maltraite pour Paris. Sur place, elle rencontre une fausse aveugle qui la met en contact avec M. Jean...
Mulata
Mulata (1954)
, 1h20
Directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares
Genres Drama
Themes Seafaring films, Films about racism, Transport films
Actors Ninón Sevilla, Pedro Armendáriz, René Cardona, Fanny Schiller
Roles Guevara
Rating60% 3.028633.028633.028633.028633.02863
In the Havana port, two mulatto children, Mateo (Ricardo Román) and Caridad (Ninón Sevilla) grow together. She is the daughter of a white man who died in a shipwreck, and a black laundress of African origin. Over the years, Mateo falls for Caridad, but she is in love with a Mexican captain, Martin (Pedro Armendáriz), who accidentally met her at the port. The captain was also in love with Caridad and offers live together and she accepts. Caridad work in a cabaret in the port and the owner, Guevara (René Cardona), are attracted to the girl, and in a moment of jealousy, tries to kill Martin. Martin falls in financial trouble and have to mortgage his boat to Guevara. When Martin returns to Veracruz, Mexico, Guevara feels himself like the new owner of Caridad.