René Cardona

René Cardona (October 8, 1905 in Havana, Cuba – April 25, 1988, in Mexico City) was a director, actor, producer, screenwriter, 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 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, ''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 Ramón Peón and '' Sobre las olas'' (1932) directed by Zacarías. 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. His 1939 ''El Cobardo'' starred Julián Soler.

Shortly after, he 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 murciélago'') (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 los hombres solos'' (1974), considered Cardona's best film and based on the novel by José León Sánchez

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