The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz

1955 1h 29m ES

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 184

ComedyDramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A bizarre black comedy about a man whose overwhelming ambition in life is to be a renowned serial killer of women, and will stop at nothing to achieve it - but not everything goes according to plan...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Ernesto Alonso
Archibaldo de la Cruz
Miroslava
Lavinia
Rita Macedo
Patricia Terrazas
Andrea Palma
Mrs. Cervantes
Rodolfo Landa
Alejandro Rivas
Ariadna Welter
Carlota Cervantes
José María Linares Rivas
Willy Corduran
Leonor Llausás
The Governess

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Luis Buñuel
Writers: Luis Buñuel, Eduardo Ugarte
Languages: Spanish
Countries: Mexico

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Luis Buñuel, shot by Agustín Jiménez. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jorge Pérez. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jorge Busto shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Ernesto Alonso and Miroslava and Rita Macedo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0048037 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Luis Buñuel directs. Agustín Jiménez behind the camera. Jorge Pérez scores. Jorge Busto cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Mexico. Dialogue in Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
271 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Luis Buñuel, shot by Agustín Jiménez. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jorge Pérez. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jorge Busto shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Ernesto Alonso and Miroslava and Rita Macedo carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0048037 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 14 themes, including "mexico", "mannequin", "dark comedy", "surrealism".