A macabre morality tale that lets del Toro dip his toes into vampiric legend
Guillermo del Toro (Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth, Mimic, Hellboy) has carved out a name for himself as a filmmaker of unparalleled vision. This goes beyond the technical aspects of shooting a film, or composition of visuals, this is a man invested in every small detail of what goes into the look and feel of his films. This was even apparent in Cronos, his debut feature back in 1992, a film that nestled into his unofficial Spanish language trilogy alongside The Devil’s Backbone, and Pan’s Labyrinth, each creatively exploring ideas around myth, mortality, and morality.
Opening in the 16th century with an alchemist who has crafted a device that can prolong life, albeit at a great cost. An Earthquake brings an end to his sordid experiments. Hundreds of years later this cursed trinket is uncovered by elderly antiques dealer Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi) who through handling the device uncovers it’s secret. His encounter with the device that starts dialing back the years, but the cursed artifact unleashes not only a craving for human-blood, but the interest of wealthy industrialist Dieter de la Guardia (Claudio Brook) who has long sought the scarab as a way to prolong his own life. He dispatches his nephew Angel (Ron Perlman in blunt force mode) to recover the resurfaced relic from Jesús, setting a bloody scramble in motion.
Cronos is a macabre morality tale, one that lets del Toro dip his toes into vampiric legend, leveraging tales of immortality into a haunting fable. His predilection for exploring monsters and villains is at the core of the, the two not being equitable. While Jesús is tempted by this object and being turned by it’s transformative abilities, he remains grounded by his warmly realized relationship with his granddaughter, Aurora (Tamara Xanath). Dieter uses those around him, even family, to serve his ongoing lust for power. A fitting parallels to the undercurrents of addiction that accompany vampiric lore. The film is certainly melancholic in tone, encircling aging, death, and decay, but tempered by some dark humor and playfully gnarly body horror. The thing that lingers is that beating heart that del Toro puts at the core of all his films, here echoing a warning about losing humanity when we gain at the expense of others, and championing the way we should seek to live on in the cherished memories of our loved ones.
The Package
Originally shot on 16 and 35mm, this 4K transfer and restoration comes supervised and approved by director Guillermo del Toro. The package looks to contain the previous Blu-ray treatment from the 2010 Criterion release, so a immediate comparison is possible.
Density levels are much improved, especially in darker scenes, while the range of color and contrast is appreciably heightened. Grain levels also feel stronger, but not in a distracting or artificial way. There is a definite tint towards more green hues which might discourage some, but with del Toro signing off on the transfer, this suggests a shift towards an intended palette. Extra features are very well supported with:
- Optional original Spanish-language voice-over introduction
- Two audio commentaries, one featuring del Toro, the other producers Arthur H. Gorson and Bertha Navarro and coproducer Alejandro Springall: Both reinforce the idea of del Toro’s creativity and decisive impact upon the look and feel of the film. Specifics to even small details are gleamed, as well as inspiration drawn from history, literature, and cinema in general. Superb commentaries
- Geometria, an unreleased 1987 short horror film by del Toro, finished in 2010, alongside an interview with the director: an early work where you can see some of the seeds for Chronos being planted
- Welcome to Bleak House, a tour by del Toro of his home office, featuring his personal collections: If you think the glimpses into del Toro’s imagination are wild, wait until you get a load of his home. A treasure trove of curios, collectables, and movie memorabilia
- Interviews with del Toro, cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, and actors Ron Perlman and Federico Luppi: Short, but well informed interviews with key members of the cast and crew that cover aspects of the films production, look, on-set memories and the experience of working with del Toro
- Stills gallery captioned by del Toro
- Trailer
- PLUS: An essay by film critic Maitland McDonagh (and several other new essays on the film) and excerpts from del Toro’s notes for the film: Within the liner notes booklet
- Cover by Mike Mignola – The creator of Hellboy!
The Bottom Line
Cronos is a finely crafted debut from Guillermo del Toro, showcasing a potently raw but fleshed out vision that reflects both the creativity and heart that has fueled his storied career ever since. Criterion’s 4K transfer of Cronos is resplendent, and supported by a wealth of extra features that enrich appreciation for the film, as well as the filmmaker.
Cronos on 4K-UHD is available via Criterion now
