German Robles Movies
An aging ex-prostitute comes to terms with her questionable past in this Mexican comedy from director Carlos Garcia Aqraz. In her youth Amelia del Valle was known as La Paloma de Marsella (The Pigeon of Marsella). Now, as Amelia enters her twilight years, she looks to the past with a newfound sense of peace while anticipating the future with no fear of death or old age. Later, an adventurous Amelia throws caution into the wind by accepting an opportunity to appear on television as she learns that life can still hold wonderful surprises and great adventures. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosa DeCastilla
- 1993
The son of one of Columbus' soldiers, Bartolomé de las Casas was educated at the University of Salamanca, taking a law degree there. In 1502 he joined conquistador Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo in what was then the largest military expedition ever to set sail from Spain. In 1510, he became the first man consecrated to the priesthood in the New World. He was 36 at the time. The next year he went along with the men who set out to occupy Cuba. There, he witnessed the brutal treatment and enslavement of that island's native people, including the execution of one of their great chiefs, a man whose life he tried to save. At the time of the early Spanish conquests, it was customary for the conquerors to take any natives they captured who survived the ordeal and give them as slaves to reward the conquerors, along with grants of land. The brutality of this practice, along with many similar ones, moved de las Casas to journey back to Spain to try and win support from the monarchy for more humane treatment of the indigenous people coming under the yoke of Spanish rule. Though he largely succeeded in his appeals to the monarch, eventually winning approval of an edict mandating better treatment, it was widely ignored by the military rulers of the New World colonies. Despite this, he devoted much of the rest of his life to improving conditions for "indios," or native people in the new Spanish colonies in the Caribbean and in Central America. This biographical drama is based on a play which celebrated the life of this pioneer, whose name is used today as a banner for indigenous peoples' rights movements throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Fr. de las Casas wrote several important works during these early days of the conquest, in particular his "Hístory of the Indies." ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- José Alonso, German Robles, (more)
- 1973
This Mexcian horror film combines two elements that few have ever seen combined in one film: vampires and masked professional wrestlers. The film stars grapplers Mil Mascaras and Superzan, who discover that their recent opponents have died in a grisly manner -- their blood was drained. The responsible party is one Baron Von Bradock, a Transylvanian who is keeping an army of vampires in his castle. The wrestlers team up to stop him. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1969
A Great Aztec warrior loses his head and goes on a rampage in this horror movie. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1969
A Spanish "black widow" woman uses her considerable feminine wiles of seduction to cause ultimate destruction. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guillermo Murray, Rosa Maria Vasquez, (more)
- 1968
In this Mexican horror movie a scary bloodsucker is loose on the streets of contemporary Mexico and he is trying to con a young woman out of her family fortune. He first tries by charming the girl's vulnerable aunt. Later he buries the girl alive. Thankfully she is saved and soon someone drives a stake through the evil human leech's heart. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The Spanish language film Los Bravos de California concerns a criminal who kidnaps the governor who ordered the criminal's execution. After escaping the gallows with his hostage, the criminal thinks he is free and clear. However, the new governor responds to the situation in an unexpected way. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1961
This is an effective and entertaining look at a popular trio of femme singers in Mexico during the early 1930s. Directed and written by Rogelio A. Gonzalez and based on a story by Isaac Diaz Araiza, the musical biopic details the rise to fame of the Garnica Asencio Trio, enacted by Amalia Mendoza, Rosa Quintana, and well-known singer Lola Beltran. Although the story plays fast and loose with historical fact at times, the ambiance of the early '30s and the tunes are excellently rendered, giving an upbeat glimpse into Mexico's "golden age" of song. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosita Quintana, Lola Beltran, (more)
- 1960
The second of four films re-edited from chapters of a Mexican horror serial, The Blood of Nostradamus involves a flamboyant vampire (German Robles) who is actually the son of legendary seer Nostradamus. Robles spends much of his time setting devious traps for those who wronged his father, after first haughtily informing them of their impending fates. In this installment, he announces his intentions of slaying the chief of police, which leads to a state of emergency among the local constabulary. As in the prior Curse of Nostradamus, this is a rather trite collection of old-fashioned horror cliches, owing too great a debt to the 1931 Dracula and to the Universal and RKO horror classics of the '30s and '40s. Followed by Monster Demolisher and Genii of Darkness. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Professor Dolan (Domingo Soler) is engaged in a battle of wits with Nostradamus (German Robles), a wicked creature of the undead who is related to the famous French prophet of the same name. Nostradamus wants Dolan to use his influence to help clear the name of his besmirched ancestor, but he refuses. The evil vampire pledges to kill innocent people until he gets his way, so he starts sending Dolan letters telling him the names of his next victims and it's up to the good Professor and his youthful friend Anthony (Julio Aleman) to intervene. Though he has a hunchback who watches over his crypt, Nostradamus converts a convict on death row into vampirism as well, giving him another slave to help carry out his diabolical plans. The Professor is on the board of directors for a committee that is fighting superstition in the culture, though his public statements about the existence of vampires are causing his fellow chairmen to question his sanity. When he pleads with the committee to help him fight the menace that is Nostradamus, they scoff and he tenders his resignation with impudence. Soon he joins forces with Igor (Jack Taylor), a mysterious man descended from a long line of vampire slayers who is actually immune to their attacks. Can they stop this army of the undead? Monster Demolisher was originally part of a Mexican horror serial that was dubbed into English and compiled into four feature-length films for American television. Other titles in the series include The Curse of Nostradamus, The Blood of Nostradamus, and Genie of Darkness. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
The Curse of Nostradamus is the first of four features edited together from chapters of a Mexican horror serial about the escapades of a vampire nobleman (German Robles) who is a descendant of legendary doomsayer Nostradamus. With the help of a hunchbacked manservant, the nobleman schemes to set devious traps for his enemies, including one for the skeptical scholar who first begins to connect historical accounts of Nostradamus with vampire myth. The producers of the original serial pay a faithful homage to Tod Browning's Dracula -- a bit too faithful, in fact, as they frequently lapse into horror clichés that had become old hat by the late '50s with the advent of the Hammer vampire series. The Curse of Nostradamus was followed by The Blood of Nostradamus, Monster Demolisher and Genie of Darkness. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Genie of Darkness is probably the best of the goofy four-part Nostradamus series (which also includes Blood of Nostradamus, Curse of Nostradamus and Monster Demolisher), cobbled together from a lengthy 1960 Mexican serial and badly re-dubbed for its U.S. release. This installment finds the legendary seer reborn Phoenix-like from his own ashes to do battle with his vampiric descendant (German Robles), whose demise at the conclusion of the previous film has proven less than permanent. This chapter benefits slightly from superior editing and an interesting collection of subplots (particularly Robles' doomed romantic fling with a lovely actress) as well as a stronger emphasis on Gothic atmosphere, but suffers from the same meager production values that weakened the other three chapters. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this Mexican horror comedy begins when a naive couple is forced to stay overnight in a dark and scary castle after their car breaks down. They get no sleep as they suffer a barrage of monsters including a gorilla, a werewolf, a Frankenstein clone, a vampire, a mummy, and even a cousin of the Creature from the Black Lagoon. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this sequel to the Mexican horror movie The Vampire, the villainous Hungarian Count Duval rises again after a servant pulls the stake out of his heart. Upon resuscitation, the bloodsucking blueblood becomes a bat. Soon he is wreaking bloody havoc upon the hapless Mexican people. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1947
A robbery is foiled by trouble from ex-lovers. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
