René Cardona

Directing

René Cardona

Born — Died

1905-10-09 — 1988-04-25

Place of birth

Havana, Cuba

Known for

Directing

Credits

100 titles

René Cardona (October 8, 1905 – April 25, 1988) was a Mexican director, actor, producer, screenwriter, and film editor, who was prominent during part of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. 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 City 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 1929 when he produced, wrote, directed and starred in the first Spanish-language film made in Hollywood, S…

Known for

Film credits

1970s · 17 titles

Cyclone poster
5.2

An airplane goes down in the 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 its time to eat as well.

Cyclone

1978

Crónica roja poster
6.1

After one is arrested - possibly unjustly - for murder, the lives of two brothers spiral out of control.

Crónica roja

1979

Fantastic Voyage in a Baloon poster
5.8

1862. Commodore Sir Francis and inventor Douglas initiated on behalf of the Royal Society of London Geography of a balloon ride under the command of Dr. Ferguson, who plans to cross Africa from east to west. But to accomplish this feat will have to overcome numerous adventures in which their lives are at serious risk.

Fantastic Voyage in a Baloon

1975

El pequeño Robin Hood poster
6.2

Directed by René Cardona, and written by René Cardona Jr., «El Pequeño Robin Hood» is a 1975 Adventure/Comedy/Drama/Family film . René Cardona III and Patricia Aspíllaga are starring, alongside René Cardona, Arturo Cobo, Jorge Russek and Alfredo Wally Barrón.

El pequeño Robin Hood

1975

The Children of Sanchez poster
6.5

Hall Bartlett directs the rural drama The Children of Sanchez, based on the tome The Children of Sanchez: Autobiography of a Mexican Family written by Oscar Lewis in the '60s. Anthony Quinn stars as the widowed Jesus Sanchez, a poor farmer struggling to provide for his family in Mexico City. Also starring Lupita Ferrer as Consuelo and Stathis Giallelis as Roberto. This is the last film in the 50-year career of international star Dolores del Rio, who plays the Grandma. Jazz-pop performer Chuck Mangione was nominated for a Golden Globe and won a Grammy award for his original musical score.

The Children of Sanchez

1978

Guns and Guts poster
5.2

An outlaw and a scorned husband both team up to track down and kill the man that wronged them. Along the way, the two men meet a hired gun that loves money just as much as he loves the company of women, so the two men decide to hire him in order to help them on their mission. However, things become complicated when the man they all seek to kill has risen to become a wealthy sheriff with a small army of gunmen at his disposal.

Guns and Guts

1974

Zindy, the Swamp Boy poster
5.0

The story is about a fugitive who lives apart from society in a jungle area with the company of his grandson

Zindy, the Swamp Boy

1973

El valle de los miserables poster
4.3

In 1909, former judge Cristóbal Zamarripa owns Valle Nacional, a tobacco plantation where he exploits workers with the support of the tyrant Porfirio Díaz, who sends him political prisoners as slaves. The others are lured with the promise of high wages, but end up owing everything to the company store. All are tortured, raped, or killed when they protest. Another landowner whose brother was killed by Zamarripa and who falls in love with one of his daughters is going to be punished, but he flees and becomes a revolutionary.

El valle de los miserables

1975

The Vengeance of the Crying Woman poster
5.6

A masked wrestler joins a professor and his niece searching for an ancient medallion to help children. They face a terrifying mummy and a dangerous gangster who want the treasure for themselves.

The Vengeance of the Crying Woman

1974

Jesús, el niño Dios poster
6.4

No synopsis available yet.

Jesús, el niño Dios

1971

Santo vs. the Head Hunters poster
5.8

Famed wrestler/secret agent El Santo must venture deep into the Amazon jungle to rescue a girl who is set to be sacrificed under the full moon by the Jibaro Indians.

Santo vs. the Head Hunters

1971

Manuel Saldivar, el texano poster
5.6

Cowboy-justice dude has to figure out who the masterminds are behind a string of murders.

Manuel Saldivar, el texano

1972

Prisión de mujeres poster
5.3

'Prisión de Mujeres' is a film by Fernando A. Rivero that narrates a harsh reality: the strength of women in a prison, how they lose their dignity and do not stop for anything.

Prisión de mujeres

1977

La hermana Trinquete poster
6.7

Career-thief hides from the police by joining a convent.

La hermana Trinquete

1970

La disputa poster
5.7

The wife of a philandering husband tries to engineer a situation in which she can photograph him in a compromising position in order to file for divorce. Meanwhile, subplots.

La disputa

1974

El Llanto de los Pobres poster
6.0

No synopsis available yet.

El Llanto de los Pobres

1978

La Folle de Chaillot poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

La Folle de Chaillot

1976

1960s · 11 titles

The Brainiac poster
5.5

In 1661 Mexico, Baron Vitelius is executed for witchcraft. 300 years later, during a comet's return, he resurfaces as a brain-eating monster seeking revenge on the Inquisitors' descendants.

The Brainiac

1962

No artwork available
4.2

Prison colony on an island: the staff Doctor has some neuroses he's trying to overcome, and his "weakness" makes him vulnerable to exploitation by a sociopathic prisoner.

El deseo llega de noche

1969

La vida de Pedro Infante poster
5.3

No synopsis available yet.

La vida de Pedro Infante

1966

Un novio para dos hermanas poster
7.5

Pili and uncle Angel travel to Mexico to see Mili dancing at her debut in a theater in the capital. When Mili finds out the bad economic situation of her uncle, she decides to seek work. Meanwhile, Pili works in a department store and meets Rodolfo, the grandson of Mrs. Caceres, owner of the store, which she takes for the chauffeur of the lady. In turn, Ms. Caceres hires Mili to dance at her party, where she meets and falls for Rodolfo. Rodolfo, who does not know of the existence of a twin sister, is convinced that the girl in the party is Pili. And the sisters do not know they are in love with the same man, which will lead to an unexpected conflict.

Un novio para dos hermanas

1967

Santo vs. the King of Crime poster
5.0

El Santo and his loyal friends will try to disarm a dangerous criminal organization.

Santo vs. the King of Crime

1962

Un par de robachicos poster
6.9

No synopsis available yet.

Un par de robachicos

1967

El día de la boda poster
5.4

The love affairs of two couples, modern parents a couple of troubled teens.

El día de la boda

1968

No artwork available
6.1

Adventure film about two sisters looking revenge against the man who murdered their father.

Adventures of the X Sisters

1963

Juana Gallo poster
6.7

Peasant woman leads a regiment during the final days of the Mexican Revolution. Also, romantic entanglements.

Juana Gallo

1961

Operación carambola poster
6.6

Two clumsy and absent-minded spies (Capulina and Chespirito) are hired to save the world from a nuclear attack.

Operación carambola

1968

No artwork available
5.5

Western with romance subplot.

La leyenda del bandido

1967

1950s · 6 titles

1940s · 15 titles

Asesinato en los estudios poster
6.0

During the filming of a movie an actor has to be attacked with blanks but dies because they were real bullets.

Asesinato en los estudios

1946

Unidos por el eje poster
6.7

No synopsis available yet.

Unidos por el eje

1942

El príncipe del desierto poster
6.3

A girl meets a young boy in Arabia who falls in love with her. When they grow up, he goes to Mexico while hiding the fact that he is a prince.

El príncipe del desierto

1947

Con su amable permiso poster
6.0

Unassuming elderly gent is installed as Mayor, by a cabal of financiers that expect to use him as a cat's paw.

Con su amable permiso

1940

Mala yerba poster
5.6

Plantation owner is way too much into his peasant girls. It causes problems.

Mala yerba

1940

La vorágine: abismos de amor poster
6.5

It narrates the adventures of the poet Arturo Cova and his lover Alicia, a story of passion and revenge framed in the plain lands and the Amazon jungle where the two lovers scape from society, and which exposes throughout its plot the harsh living conditions of settlers and Indians enslaved during the rubber rush.

La vorágine: abismos de amor

1949

La casa del rencor poster
5.8

Martina, a sorrowful woman, is the sole inhabitant of an abandoned and eerie house, where a couple arrives on a stormy night seeking shelter. Martina tells them how what was once a happy hacienda turned into a hell filled with resentment when Doña Adelaida—the master’s second wife—and her son Hugo came to live there; the despotism and cruelty of both ultimately destroyed the entire family.

La casa del rencor

1941

El secreto del sacerdote poster
6.0

Priest Jesus knows a dark secret that was passed onto him during confession. When the town mayor threatens the integrity of some people, it is up to the priest to take action or remain silent.

El secreto del sacerdote

1941

Divorciadas poster
6.2

Divorciadas tells the story of three women: Cristina, recently divorced after refusing to endure her husband's lack of love, especially following the death of their young son; Carmen, divorced for many years and living on the fortune left to her by her late husband, leading a free and unconventional life; and Juanita, an employee at the courthouse where she meets Cristina, married but long abandoned by her husband.

Divorciadas

1943

El misterioso señor Marquina poster
5.8

No synopsis available yet.

El misterioso señor Marquina

1942

Si me han de matar mañana poster
6.4

Romantic triangle during the Mexican Revolution.

Si me han de matar mañana

1947

El conde de Montecristo poster
5.6

Based on the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo tells the story of a man who is unjustly imprisoned alongside an old man, who before dying reveals the location of a buried treasure. When the man manages to escape from his miserable cell, he changes his identity, becoming the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo, an identity he uses to take revenge on those who betrayed him and sent him to prison.

El conde de Montecristo

1942

The Rock of Souls poster
6.2

The love between María Ángela and Fernando is impossible because there's an ancient history of hate between their families. His father killed hers, and other family members have killed each other for years. When María Ángela's grandfather finds she's in love with Fernando, he frames the young man and forces her to marry Manuel. Maria Ángela finds that Manuel doesn't love her and together plan her escape with Fernando. But things go wrong and the lovers find their destiny in The Spirit's Canyon.

The Rock of Souls

1943

El abanico de Lady Windermere poster
6.7

A woman with a dubious reputation causes problems in an aristocratic marriage.

El abanico de Lady Windermere

1944

Soy charro de Rancho Grande poster
6.9

No synopsis available yet.

Soy charro de Rancho Grande

1947

1930s · 8 titles

Behind the camera

No artwork available
NR

After a young gambler forges his judge father's signature to cover a debt, a blackmailer threatens his family, and a killing throws suspicion on the young man.

Sombras habaneras

1929

No artwork available
NR

After a young gambler forges his judge father's signature to cover a debt, a blackmailer threatens his family, and a killing throws suspicion on the young man.

Sombras habaneras

1929

El puma poster
6.2

Son of a ranching family returns home after studying in the city for a law degree. He sides with the peons in a labor dispute and his father disowns him; he sets up a law office in another town. First of three movies in a masked-avenger series.

El puma

1959

El puma poster
6.2

Son of a ranching family returns home after studying in the city for a law degree. He sides with the peons in a labor dispute and his father disowns him; he sets up a law office in another town. First of three movies in a masked-avenger series.

El puma

1959

Santa Claus poster
6.8

Pitch, the mean-spirited devil, is trying to ruin Christmas. Santa Claus teams up with Merlin the Magician and the children of the world in order to save the day!

Santa Claus

1959

Santa Claus poster
6.8

Pitch, the mean-spirited devil, is trying to ruin Christmas. Santa Claus teams up with Merlin the Magician and the children of the world in order to save the day!

Santa Claus

1959

Night of the Bloody Apes poster
5.5

A surgeon transplants the heart of an ape into his ailing son with horrific results.

Night of the Bloody Apes

1969

Night of the Bloody Apes poster
5.5

A surgeon transplants the heart of an ape into his ailing son with horrific results.

Night of the Bloody Apes

1969

Survive! poster
5.9

A Uruguayan rugby team crashes in the Andes Mountains and has to survive the extremely cold temperatures and rough climate. As some of the people die, the survivors are forced to make a terrible decision between starvation and cannibalism.

Survive!

1976

The Bat Woman poster
5.4

When a mad scientist begins kidnapping wrestlers and extracting their spinal fluid to create a race of Gill Men, two cops call in Batwoman to investigate. But when her mission leaves the scientist horrifically scarred, he seeks revenge.

The Bat Woman

1968

El pequeño Robin Hood poster
6.2

Directed by René Cardona, and written by René Cardona Jr., «El Pequeño Robin Hood» is a 1975 Adventure/Comedy/Drama/Family film . René Cardona III and Patricia Aspíllaga are starring, alongside René Cardona, Arturo Cobo, Jorge Russek and Alfredo Wally Barrón.

El pequeño Robin Hood

1975

Doctor of Doom poster
4.8

A mad scientist terrorizes a city by kidnapping young women with his ape-man Gomar and then using them as subjects in sadistic brain transplant experiments. A female wrestler whose sister was one of the victims swears vengeance against the Mad Doctor.

Doctor of Doom

1963

Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy poster
4.9

Gloria Venus and Golden Rubi are tag-team Luchadoras, helping a scientist on a quest to discover an ancient Aztec treasure, but the fiendish Prince Fugiyata wants to get there first. Both are in for a surprise, as the treasure is guarded by Xochitl, the Aztec Mummy Sorcerer, who can turn into a bat at will.

Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy

1964

The Vampire and Sex poster
8.0

El vampire y el sexy (or Santo in the Treasure of Dracula in its censored version) is a 1968 Mexican film starring El Santo and directed by René Cardona. ​The Vampire and Sex was filmed as the adult version of Santo in the Treasure of Dracula. While the censored family version was distributed in 1969, the uncensored version was not shown to the public until 2011 when it was discovered.

The Vampire and Sex

1969

Unidos por el eje poster
6.7

No synopsis available yet.

Unidos por el eje

1942

El Hijo Del Pueblo poster
6.3

At the end of an unhappy romance, a Mexico City cabdriver decides he's fed up with big-city classism and hypocrisy, and goes home to his ranch. Soon, a group of city-folk are stranded on his property and dependent on him for help and sustenance.

El Hijo Del Pueblo

1974

El Hijo Del Pueblo poster
6.3

At the end of an unhappy romance, a Mexico City cabdriver decides he's fed up with big-city classism and hypocrisy, and goes home to his ranch. Soon, a group of city-folk are stranded on his property and dependent on him for help and sustenance.

El Hijo Del Pueblo

1974

Santo in the Vengeance of the Mummy poster
4.9

When Santo accompanies a troupe of archaeologists in the search for Aztec artifacts, they find the Mummy of an Aztec who leaves a warning to those who tamper with his resting place. The adventurers ignore the warning, and before long, the Mummy starts bumping them off one-by-one with his bow & arrow.

Santo in the Vengeance of the Mummy

1971

Santo in the Treasure of Dracula poster
6.2

A woman travels to her past life with the help of Santo's past life regression machine

Santo in the Treasure of Dracula

1969

Gema poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Gema

1950

Lauro Puñales poster
5.0

One of Zapata's field marshals runs afoul of dictator Huerta's stooges in his home town.

Lauro Puñales

1969

The Living Idol poster
5.2

An archaeologist believes a Mexican woman is the reincarnation of an Aztec princess.

The Living Idol

1957

Dos cadetes poster
6.6

Mama thinks one of her sons is going into the priesthood... but he wants to join the army instead. Naughty uncle from Paris help him get out from under Mom's thumb.

Dos cadetes

1938

Una noche embarazosa poster
4.7

An Italian taxicab driver is used as a "breeding man" to save the inheritance of a wealthy family in Mexico.

Una noche embarazosa

1977

Port of Temptation poster
4.3

A cabaret dancer helps an injured man, and the two fall in love, unaware that together they will face a tragedy.

Port of Temptation

1951

Port of Temptation poster
4.3

A cabaret dancer helps an injured man, and the two fall in love, unaware that together they will face a tragedy.

Port of Temptation

1951

Yo quiero ser mala poster
6.4

In this Romantic-Comedy from Director Rene Cardona, Actress Maria Elena Marques plays a hard-living woman named Leticia, who suffers from a recently broken heart after being deceived by her ex-boyfriend. Soured on anything to do with love and while drinking away her sorrows, she sets out to marry the very first man she sees. This man just happens to be a nice guy named Roberto, (Abel Salazar). Although the pair's mutual attraction to each other is obvious, Roberto has no idea what he is in for, and he soon proposes. Not long after the marriage, Leticia starts to take advantage of both Roberto and her new Father-in-Law (played by Oscar Pulido), who shows kindness towards the girl. Predictably, marital bliss soon turns into discord, and the couple agree to divorce after a year passes. Their love-hate relationship and pending break-up provides a perfect backdrop for several comedic situations before the two realize that they are actually in love.

Yo quiero ser mala

1950

Ahí viene Vidal Tenorio poster
6.0

Two military goons slaughter a young man's parents and siblings. A few years later, the same guys rape and murder his wife, then use their young son for target practice. Enough is enough.

Ahí viene Vidal Tenorio

1949

Tom Thumb poster
7.3

A young boy born extraordinarily small must rescue his older brothers from a wicked ogre.

Tom Thumb

1958

Tom Thumb poster
7.3

A young boy born extraordinarily small must rescue his older brothers from a wicked ogre.

Tom Thumb

1958

Vuelva el sábado poster
5.8

Young woman loses her secretarial job, so she tries to become a bill-collector.

Vuelva el sábado

1951

Santo vs. the Head Hunters poster
5.8

Famed wrestler/secret agent El Santo must venture deep into the Amazon jungle to rescue a girl who is set to be sacrificed under the full moon by the Jibaro Indians.

Santo vs. the Head Hunters

1971

La Guerra de los Pasteles poster
5.8

No synopsis available yet.

La Guerra de los Pasteles

1979

Santo vs. the Head Hunters poster
5.8

Famed wrestler/secret agent El Santo must venture deep into the Amazon jungle to rescue a girl who is set to be sacrificed under the full moon by the Jibaro Indians.

Santo vs. the Head Hunters

1971

Santo vs. the Riders of Terror poster
5.8

After a group of violent lepers escapes from a sanitarium, - robbing several farms, residents of the town demand the the sheriff - take action. Meanwhile, a local criminal joins forces with the lepers - to commit even more robberies. As the disfigured madmen keep the - entire town indoors with its reign of terror, the sheriff has no - choice but to call on the only man who can help--legendary wrestling - superhero, Santo!

Santo vs. the Riders of Terror

1970

Santo vs. the Riders of Terror poster
5.8

After a group of violent lepers escapes from a sanitarium, - robbing several farms, residents of the town demand the the sheriff - take action. Meanwhile, a local criminal joins forces with the lepers - to commit even more robberies. As the disfigured madmen keep the - entire town indoors with its reign of terror, the sheriff has no - choice but to call on the only man who can help--legendary wrestling - superhero, Santo!

Santo vs. the Riders of Terror

1970

La maestra inolvidable poster
5.5

Idealistic young teacher takes a post in a small, backwoods town and dedicates her life to schooling the village's children.

La maestra inolvidable

1969

Noche de muerte poster
4.3

Someone who wears a blue mask, is squat and has giant hands are killing people and stealing jewelry and money. The witnesses are afraid to talk, despite the detective understands that the clues point to his friend Blue Demon. This is actually an evil plan hatched by the Count and a fighter called ' The Cossack ', taking revenge on Blue. In both the real Blue Demon campaign starts with his secretary and a detective to unravel the mystery.

Noche de muerte

1975

Manuel Saldivar, el texano poster
5.6

Cowboy-justice dude has to figure out who the masterminds are behind a string of murders.

Manuel Saldivar, el texano

1972

El corrido de María Pistolas poster
6.4

Sequel to Maria Pistolas. Comic-tomgirl member of Villa's army has boy trouble.

El corrido de María Pistolas

1964