Pedro Armendáriz Movies
A major star in his native Mexico since 1935, actor Pedro Armendariz came to the attention of North American audiences with his sensitive portrayal of a man ruined by greed in the film adaptation of John Steinbeck's The Pearl (1947). Thereafter, Armendariz was active on both sides of the border: several of his best-known Hollywood films, such as The Fugitive (1947) and Three Godfathers (1948), were directed by John Ford. It is difficult to assess which of the actor's film was his best, less difficult to pinpoint his worst. That would have to be The Conqueror (1956), a moron's-eye-view of the life of Genghis Khan starring John Wayne. While modern-day viewings of The Conqueror evoke loud laughter at its idiotic dialogue and overblown performances, the film's risibility is clouded by tragedy. The film was shot on location in Utah not far from where the U.S. government was testing its atomic bombs. In the three decades following the Conqueror, many of the people involved in the making of the film developed cancer, including John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Agnes Moorehead, Richard Boone, director Dick Powell...and Armendariz. Viewers who enjoyed Armendariz's final performance as witty Turkish spy Karim Bey in the James Bond picture From Russia With Love (1963) could not help but notice that the usually corpulent actor was far thinner than he'd been in such earlier films as Captain Sinbad (1963); the fact was that Armendariz was suffering from lymph cancer. Unwilling to suffer the lingering death that would be the fate of many of the Conqueror participants, Armendariz shot himself in his room at the UCLA Medical Center. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
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When a father and son fall in love with the same woman, they must choose between love and family loyalty in this tense family drama starring Flavio Peniche and Agustin Bernal. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
My Son the Hero started out in 1961 as a straightforward Italian sword and sandal affair titled Arrivano i Titani, all about the quest for a magic helmet in ancient Thebes. Well cast (Pedro Armendariz is the star) and extremely well photographed, the original film was still not sufficient different from all the other Italian strongman films glutting the American market in 1963. Thus the American distributors hit upon the notion of transforming the film into a satire, by redubbing all the actors and hoking up the sound effects. What resulted was a heady mixture of Yiddish accents, Borscht-belt one-liners and rippling pecs. The single joke wears out pretty quickly in My Son, the Hero, but the concept is a workable one, as Woody Allen proved two years later with What's Up, Tiger Lily? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pedro Armendáriz, Jacqueline Sassard, (more)
From Russia With Love, the second in the series of James Bond films, is the film that solidifies all the Bond film elements into a formula -- the action sequences are intensified and lend greater tension to the proceedings; John Barry's inimitable score makes its first appearance; Q is seen for the first time; and Sean Connery as Bond has nailed down his role as 007 -- accentuating Bond's stylishness and sophistication, while toning down his cold-bloodedness. In From Russia With Love, the bad guys don't want to take over the world. They want something more mundane -- a Russian decoding device. Assigned to the mission of stealing the decoding device are No. 3, former KGB agent Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), and No. 5, Kronsteen (Vladek Sheybal), an expert chess player who has plotted every move of the mission. Kronsteen's plan requires using Bond's weakness for women as an element in acquiring the decoding device. Once Bond obtains the decoding device from Russian cipher clerk Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi), SPECTRE muscleman Red Grant (Robert Shaw) is to forcibly take it from Bond and kill him. But Bond suspects a trap. Being Bond, however, he can't resist the lure of a beautiful woman. So, flaunting danger, Bond travels to Istanbul to meet Tatiana. The centerpiece of this 007 feature is the thrilling fight to the death between Bond and enemy agent Red Grant aboard the Orient Express. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, (more)
- 1963
Captain Sindbad was based on an Arabian Nights story, was filmed in Germany, and starred an American leading man (Guy Williams), a German leading lady (Heidi Bruhl) and a Mexican villain (Pedro Armendariz). How's that for cultural diversity? Anyway, the story involves Sindbad's (Williams) efforts to enter the impenetrable castle where the evil El Kerim's (Armendariz) heart is being kept. So long as his heart is outside his body, El Kerim is invulnerable, enabling him to be as wicked and despotic as he chooses. Sindbad comes to the rescue just seconds before the heroine (Bruhl) is about to be crushed to death by an elephant. Despite the mortality rate on both sides, Captain Sindbad is pure kiddie-matinee stuff, adroitly put together by director/cinematographer Byron (War of the Worlds) Haskin and boasting top-notch special effects. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Williams, Heidi Bruhl, (more)
- 1962
This typical Mexican tortilla Western about a "charro" or cowboy from south of the border has more Hollywood-style touches than usual. The valiant hero (Pedro Armendariz) carries his two six-shooters wherever he goes and wears his ten-gallon sombrero like a Latin John Wayne. He has a trusty sidekick who will break into song now and again, but is equally armed in case danger rides into town. In-between fighting for justice, the ~charros~ get to watch a small-town beauty contest which adds a light intermission to the proceedings. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pedro Armendáriz, Miguel Aceves Mejia, (more)
- 1962
Overcooked melodrama characterizes this tale set during the Mexican Revolution and starring some of Mexico's most famous, old-time actors (Katy Jurado, María Félix, Emilo Fernández, and Pedro Armendáriz). The story is about as far-fetched as can be imagined. Herrera (Armendáriz) and Gómez (Fernández) are on opposite sides in the Revolution, but then, there is more than one side anyway. Just before the two can fight it out, they are arrested and later released when the fighting is more or less over. But when the two men return home, one finds that his mistress, La Bandida (Félix) is involved with someone else, and the other is soon to be a widower. The saga then continues as both men go after La Bandida -- and all this happens with a great deal of brawling, singing, and carrying-on. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Felix, Pedro Armendáriz, (more)
La Carcel de Cananea is a well-wrought, finely acted Mexican western directed by Gilberto Gazcon and starring the popular Pedro Armendariz as a federal lawman on the trail of a young criminal. The youthful fugitive from justice (Augustin de Anda who died before the film was released) is at first an unknown quantity. But after he is captured by the persistent federal deputy, the two men begin to have a greater appreciation for each other. This friendship of sorts does not help while they both contemplate the prison that waits at the end of their journey. Fortunately for the story, there are no songs or musical numbers to interrupt the narrative. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pedro Armendáriz, Agustín de Anda, (more)
This penultimate film by director Michael Curtiz, perhaps best known for his 1942 Casablanca, is a verbose, routine religious drama on the life of St. Francis of Assisi. After quickly passing over St. Francis' early life as the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi, the story notes his talents in and out of battle. St. Francis hears the call to the cloth (in his hagiography, the call was repeated several times before he finally responded completely), and gives up all his worldly goods to dedicate himself to God. The main focus of attention is then on his relationship to Clare (Dolores Hart) a young aristocratic woman who was so taken with St. Francis that she left her family and became a nun. St. Francis by this time (1212 A.D.) had a well-established reputation for his vows of poverty, and aside from the dubious aspersions cast on his interest in Clare, the drama goes on to note miracles and other aspects of his life, up to and including his death on October 3, 1226. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bradford Dillman, Dolores Hart, (more)
- 1960
This well-balanced film is based on the life of Jose Mojica (Pedro Geraldo), a Mexican entertainer who gave up the stage for a monk's robe and tonsure. As young Mojica's star is rising in the entertainment world he indulges in some very unpleasant personality traits -- a serious ego, arrogance, and unstable temperament plague his relationships. But then circumstances conspire to slowly wake him up, not only making him realize the errors in his attitude and behavior, but bringing him even further to the conclusion that nothing the material world has to offer is worth it. And so Mojica becomes a Friar, a monk whose life starts to touch others in a meaningful way. Libertad Lamarque plays his mother and equally famous Pedro Armendariz plays a man affected by Mojica. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Libertad Lamarque, Pedro Armendáriz, (more)
- 1960
This film (and a few others) on one of Mexico's most well-known rebels was released in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the revolution. In this instance, Pancho Villa (Pedro Armendariz) is presented as a contradictory mix of elements, as though several different people were residing in the same persona. He is at times shown as a genius at strategy, at other times he is an ignorant peasant. Whether an idealistic fighter for the rights of the people or a simple bandit, the personality of the man is emphasized over historical accuracy. And in that regard, his liaison with Valentina (Elsa Aguirre), another revolutionary, is naturally the focus of attention. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pedro Armendáriz, Elsa Aguirre, (more)
- 1960
Their father gunned down by a man seeking vengeance for the murder of his late wife, two young twins find their lives defined by an inescapable cycle of violence. After Pedro pulled the trigger on Antonio, he was sympathetic to the fact that he had just orphaned two children and vowed to raise one of the twins, Pedro, as his own. In the aftermath, notorious bandit "The Colorado" kidnapped Pedro's twin brother "The Tiger." Years later, Pedro is the owner of a ranch the "The Colorado" has vowed to claim as his own. When "The Colorado" attempts to claim the ranch, Pedro kills the criminal by luring him into a pitfall. In the aftermath of his father's death, "The Tiger" vows to take violent revenge against Pedro. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eulalio González, Pedro Armendáriz, (more)
- 1960
In a pitch for the ordinary Joe -- or Jose -- movie-goer, this tortilla western has the same salsa audiences have come to savor in popular, commercial Mexican films. Top-billed Pedro Armendariz and well-known singer Antonio Aguilar co-star as two men in real serious competition for the same woman. Arguments or drinking or both together lead to several fist-fights, interspersed with large doses of horseback riding and the requisite romantic songs. A few popular comedians provide comic relief and, as in most films of this type, a happy ending has to be a part of the whole package. Elvira Quintana and Maria Duval play two sought-after women. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pedro Armendáriz, Antonio Aguilar, (more)
- 1959
A routine swashbuckler set during the 18th century when pirates still roamed the Spanish main, this adventure film stars popular Mexican idol Pedro Armendariz as the appropriately named Captain Tiburon (Capt. Shark). Tiburon and his first mate Taursus (Rodolfo Hoyos) bury two treasure chests on a remote island, and then Taursus betrays the Captain by shooting him and leaving him for dead, with plans to come back later and pick up the loot. The Captain is saved by the only other inhabitant of the island, a young boy named Frank (Terry Rangno, with Robert Palmer as the adult Frank). As time goes by, the two have several adventures, including a battle with an invading war party about to sacrifice a comely maiden. She of course, is saved. But the adventure is not over because Taursus will one day return for the treasure chests. This film was paired with The Sad Horse in double-billing on its release. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pedro Armendáriz, Terry Rangno, (more)
- 1959
Four of the best-known, most popular actors in Mexican cinematic history star in this drama about the Mexican Revolution by equally well-known director Ismael Rodriguez. Maria Felix is Refugio and Dolores Del Rio is Chabela, two women who love the same man and who are both equally dedicated to fighting in the revolution. Pedro Armendariz is Valentin, their lover, and an aging Emilio Fernandez is Antonio. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Felix, Dolores Del Rio, (more)
- 1959
One of several biographical films that dramatize the life of Mexican hero and revolutionary Pancho Villa, this version by director Ismael Rodriguez is a standard recounting of the Mexican peasant's exploits from a favorable light. Villa (Pedro Armendariz) was born in 1878 to sharecroppers on a ranch in northern Mexico. When he was sixteen, he had to escape the ranch for his life because he shot the owner, Sr. Lopez-Negrete in the foot for an act of aggression against his family. After several captures and escapes, Villa (who by then had changed his name from Doroteo Arango) eventually heads into the life of an outlaw. Even when he attempts to go straight, he is caught out by the lawmen looking for him and heads back into the mountains. By 1909, he had joined the Mexican Revolutionary forces and was in charge of the Division of the North. Rising high in position for a short while, his life was always threatened. He was assassinated in 1923. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pedro Armendáriz, Carlos Lopez Moctezuma, (more)
- 1959
Soldiers of Pancho Villa is the English-language title for the Mexican historical epic La Cucaracha. The matchless Maria Felix stars as a patriotic young woman whose admiration for Villa borders on the fanatical. Maria rallies her countrymen to stand by Villa in his fight to wrest control of Mexico from the oppressive aristos. Dolores Del Rio also appears, leading one to muse about the degree of tension that must have existed on the set between two of Mexico's most gorgeous actresses. Emilio Fernandez and Pedro Armendariz round out the all-star cast. Shown but fitfully on American television in the 1960s, Soldiers of Pancho Villa was frequently showcased on the Univision cable service of the 1980s and 1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Popular Mexican star Pedro Armendariz and Rosita Quintana star in this melodrama about a showgirl, rough around the edges, who falls in love with one of the town's greediest merchants. The man is self-centered enough to fix the prices on kidney beans so high that this staple of the poorer classes is out of their reach. The showgirl transfers her affections to a young doctor for awhile, a man who makes her see the problem in her former boyfriend's price fixing. Whether or not she'll remain with the doctor is in question though, once the merchant starts to allow ethics and decent business practices back into his life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pedro Armendáriz, Rosita Quintana, (more)
- 1959
The dark side of American society is emphasized in this standard Mexican melodrama about a family from south of the border, living just north of that dividing line. The paterfamilias is lonesome and nostalgic for his old home, not an uncommon reaction for anyone living outside their country. But the problems of adjusting to a new culture are multiple -- one of the sons in the family successfully battled alcoholism, another is dropping out by dealing in drugs, and the daughter has reasoned that her best bet out of a life of poverty is to make a good marriage. She is not the first woman in the world to get that idea, and what happens to her is a classic tale -after her Caucasian boyfriend tires of their relationship, he dumps her for greener pastures. Unremittingly downbeat, the moral seems to be that a poor Hispanic family in the U.S. has the odds stacked against them for a variety of reasons. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pedro Armendáriz, Ariadne Welter, (more)
- 1959
Although a mood of melancholy or worse pervades this excellent western, it remains an honest and hard-hitting look at the realistic adventures of Martin Brady (Robert Mitchum -- who produced). Brady fled to Mexico while still quite young in order to avoid prison in the U.S. -- he had killed his father's murderer. After years spent working as a gunman for a wealthy "padron," he hates white Americans but has to go north to get weapons. Once on the wrong side of the border, he gets into trouble with U.S. Army for not helping them hunt down Apaches. But the people he meets in a small town, one a European immigrant, begin to change his black-and-white view of the world. Meanwhile, he and Ellen Colton (Julie London), the unhappy wife of an army major, begin to fall in love. Several more adventures and a tragedy or two affect the unlikely couple's future -- ultimately for the better. Baseball hero "Satchel" Paige shows up in a cameo role, leading an Afro-American unit of the U.S. army. Mexican star Pedro Armendariz is Brady's boss, Governor Castro. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Julie London, (more)
