Cronos (1993)

 

Guillermo del Toro's debut feature gets a limited edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray double disc release from the BFI.

Antiques dealer Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi) acquires a statue of an angel and discovers, hidden in the base, a brass clockwork device in the shape of a large scarab beetle. Unknown to him (but known to us because we've seen the prologue) this is an immortality device, designed and built by the alchemist Fulcanelli. 

Soon Jesus has wound the device up and had the skin of his palm pierced, leaving him feeling younger but with an aversion to daylight and a craving for blood. And those aren't his only problems. Rich, dying De La Guardia (Claudio Brook) wants the device for himself and sends the brutish Angel (Ron Perlman) to get it.

CRONOS isn't perfect - there are pacing problems and the final act tails off rather than reaching a satisfactory conclusion, but in 1993 there was still no doubt that the film heralded the arrival of a very promising talent. Now, all the years and awards later, it's possible to see some of Del Toro's obsessions (little children exposed to the world of fantasy, well-meaning monsters encountering external threats to their existence) correct and present even at this early stage, while the cronos device itself is a beautiful marvel of production design.

The BFI's set consists of two discs. Disc One is either UHD or Blu-ray with the film in a 4K (2160p) restoration in Dolby Vision from the original 35mm negative supervised by the director. Extras on this disc are limited to three commentary tracks - a new one moderated by Vic Pratt and featuring Jason Wood, author of the Faber Book of Mexican Cinema, and two archival commentaries from 2002, one by Del Toro and another with three of the producers.

Disc Two is a Blu-ray with the other extras including a new 33 minute interview with Del Toro by Olivier Pére. Geometria is a jolly little 6 minute horror short from 1986 and Del Toro talks for seven minutes about it afterwards. There's the 2017 BFI LFF interview with Del Toro conducted by Mark Salisbury around the time THE SHAPE OF WATER came out (75 minutes). The rest of the material is archival from other disc releases including a five minute interview with Federico Luppi from 2003, two interviews with Del Toro from 2010 (60 minutes and 17 minutes), one with DP Guillermo Navarro (17 minutes) and a charming one with Ron Perlman (7 minutes) where he discusses why he and the director get on so well. 

There are also the usual trailer and image galleries, plus the set comes with a 60 page book featuring new and archival writing on the film and Del Toro. Finally you also get four postcards and a fold out poster.

Guillermo Del Toro's CRONOS is out in a two disc set (UHD and Blu-ray or two Blu-rays) on Monday 24th February 2025