Cantinflas Movies
A small man with big ears, a distinctive mustache, pants that never stayed up, and a jaunty little cap cocked upon his eternally mussed hair, comic actor Cantinflas is beloved throughout the Spanish-speaking world and considered the Mexican Charlie Chaplin. Like Chaplin, Cantinflas' frenetic brand of slapstick was as balletic as it was athletic, leading others to compare him to Buster Keaton. His ability to combine humor with pathos was also decidedly Chaplin-esque, while his portrayal of the cocky, optimistic, but naïve little guy evoked Harold Lloyd. But despite such comparisons, Cantinflas' overall style was unique. Unlike the great silent funnymen to which he is compared, Cantinflas worked during the sound era. He usually played a smart-alecky peasant or average fellow and was famous for weasling out of trouble with the authorities by overwhelming them with intimidatingly pompous machine-gun speed monologues that, while sounding gloriously informed, signified absolutely nothing.He was born Mario Moreno Reyes and started out singing and dancing in traveling tent variety shows known as carpas. He gained a large following as a circus clown and acrobat and then became a bullfighter/bullring clown, the Mexican equivalent of American rodeo clowns who distract bulls from performers in trouble. Cantinflas made his film debut in 1936 with No te Engages Corazon. Forty-nine more films followed. His humor is deeply rooted in Spanish cultures; this combined with his unique patter did not translate well to non-Spanish-speaking audiences. He did have one English-language success when he played Passepartout, loyal valet of Phinneas Fogg, in the smash hit Around the World in 80 Days (1956). He did not make another Hollywood film until 1960's notorious box-office bomb Pepe. After that rare failure, Cantinflas returned to making Spanish-language films. Following his retirement in the late '60s, Cantinflas devoted his life to helping others through charity and humanitarian organizations, especially those dedicated to helping children. In 1988, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Mexican Academy of Cinema. In 1993, shortly before his death from lung cancer, Cantinflas was named a "symbol of peace and happiness of the Americas." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The Three Musketeers get an entertaining new member. ~ All Movie Guide
When a Spanish revolutionary war general goes home, he's out to spoil any romancing plans a certain young couple may have. ~ All Movie Guide
As he rises through the ranks as a vaudeville superstar with a little help from his best friend, a gifted orphan discovers that there are few problems in life that can't be solved with a little humor in this comedy starring Cantinflas and Marina Tamayo. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cantinflas
El Signo de la Muerte stars the famous Mexican comedian Cantinflas as a mild mannered man who ends up running with a group of bad guys who kill women for fun. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
In this Spanish-language comedy with echoes of a subplot in Chaplin's City Lights, the Mexican comedian Cantinflas stars as a down-and-outer who feigns an identity as the brother of a rich woman. Over time, he takes advantage of the assumed persona to elevate himself first to the maid's beau, then to 'master of the house' status, but the ruse becomes increasingly difficult to sustain over time, resulting in some fairly outrageous complications. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1941
When Cantiflas accidently captures a gang of criminals he is elevated to police officer status in this comedy. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1942
The title may be Tres Mosqueteros (The Three Musketeers), but this Mexican comedy has less to do with Dumas than with its star, the inimitable Cantinflas. While visiting a movie studio where a film version of The Three Musketeers is in production, Cantinflas dozes off and dreams that he's D'Artagnan, while his three disreputable neighborhood buddies show up as the Musketeers. The plot then segues into the standard "Queen's Necklace" storyline, with our hero saving the French monarchy from the wicked machinations of Cardinal Richelieu (Angel Garasa). Almost as funny as the Ritz Brothers' sendup of the same material, Cantinflas' spin on The Three Musketeers is definite the more ribald of the two films. Best of all is the stunning cinematography of the great Gabriel Figueroa, who lavishes as much care on this farce as he would on such films as The Pearl and The Fugitive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ángel Garasa
- 1943
Enjoy this version of Shakespeare's play starring Mexican comedian Cantinflas. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1953
Few Mexican filmgoers gave a fig about the quasi-melodramatic plotline of El Senor Fotografo. The star was the incomparable Cantinflas, and that was all that mattered. Per the title, Cantinflas plays a trouble-prone photographer, whose assignments inevitably end in slapstick confusion. The "straight" plotline concerns governmental corruption, a topic with which most Mexicans were all too familiar. With Cantinflas involved, the bad guys are routed in high comic fashion. The cinematography in El Senor Fotografo was in the skilled hands of Mexico's top lensman, Gabriel Figueroa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cantinflas, Rosita Arenas, (more)
One of Mexico's most beloved singers and actors, Jorge Negrete was the star of a long string of musical-Westerns, and appeared in over 40 motion pictures before his untimely death in 1953; he was only 42 years old. El Charro Inmortal features highlights from some of Negrete's most memorable roles, as well as appearances from some of his celebrity friends and admirers, including Cantinflas, Luis Aguilar, Pedro Infante, and Negrete's widow, Maria Felix. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jorge Negrete, Maria Felix, (more)
Razzle-dazzle showman Michael Todd hocked everything he had to make this spectacular presentation of Jules Verne's 1872 novel Around the World in 80 Days, the second film to be lensed in the wide-screen Todd-AO production. Nearly as fascinating as the finished product are the many in-production anecdotes concerning Todd's efforts to pull the wool over the eyes of local authorities in order to cadge the film's round-the-world location shots--not to mention the wheeling and dealing to convince over forty top celebrities to appear in cameo roles. David Niven heads the huge cast as ultra-precise, supremely punctual Phileas Fogg, who places a 20,000-pound wager with several fellow members of London Reform Club, insisting that he can go around the world in eighty days (this, remember, is 1872). Together with his resourceful valet Passepartout (Cantinflas), Fogg sets out on his world-girdling journey from Paris via balloon. Meanwhile, suspicion grows that Fogg has stolen his 20,000 pounds from Bank of England. Diligent Inspector Fix (Robert Newton) is sent out by the bank's president (Robert Morley) to bring Fogg to justice. Hopscotching around the globe, Fogg pauses in Spain, where Passepartout engages in a comic bullfight (a specialty of Cantinflas). In India, Fogg and Passepartout rescue young widow Princess Aouda (Shirley MacLaine, in her third film) from being forced into committing suicide so that she may join her late husband. The threesome visit Hong Kong, Japan, San Francisco, and the Wild West. Only hours short of winning his wager, Fogg is arrested by the diligent Inspector Fixx. Though exonerated of the bank robbery charges, he has lost everything--except the love of the winsome Aouda. But salvation is at hand when Passepartout discovers that, by crossing the International Date Line, there's still time to reach the Reform Club. Will they make it? See for yourself. Among the film's 46 guest stars, the most memorable include Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, Jose Greco, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lorre, Red Skelton, Buster Keaton, John Mills, and Beatrice Lillie. All were paid in barter--Ronald Colman did his brief bit for a new car. Newscaster Edward R. Murrow provides opening narration, and there's a tantalizing clip from Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon (1902). Offering a little something for everyone, Around the World in 80 Days is nothing less than an extravaganza, and it won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Cinematography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Niven, Cantinflas, (more)
The beloved Mexican funnyman Cantinflas stars in this comedy as a shoeshine man who, after the death of his best friend and fellow bootblack, is put in charge of arranging the man's funeral and caring for his young son. Needing to raise some money, the shoeshine man tries to get work at a night club, but his eccentric dance act soon raises the ire of Raquel, the club's star dancer, and Cantinflas is sent packing. He next tries his luck as a life guard at a luxurious resort hotel in Acapulco, though when he gets his first emergency call, it soon becomes obvious that he doesn't know the first thing about rescuing swimmers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cantinflas, Manola Saavedra, (more)
