The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz | 
| Director: Luis Bunuel
Actors: Miroslava Stern, Ernesto Alonso, Rita Macedo, Ariadna Welter, Eva Calvo
Studio: Water Bearer Films
List Price: $29.95
Buy Used: $26.95
You Save: $3.00 (10%)
Used (4) from $26.95
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 35249
Format: Black & White, Color, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Subtitled), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 6302666503
UPC: 759259180345
EAN: 9786302666502
ASIN: 6302666503
Theatrical Release Date: 1955
Release Date: November 11, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: EX Library VCR, with usual markings
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Jewel Of Mexican Cinema. June 9, 2000
Mr. Fellini (El Paso, Texas United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
"The Criminal Life Of Archibaldo de la Cruz" is yet another brilliant film from the great Luis Bunuel. It vibrates with his exquisite eye for composition, style and eroticism. It's one of those films that keeps you gripped and watching without any actual violence (though there is some with the Bunuel mark of surrealism). The performances are all convincing, the plot is complex and keeps you guessing all the way through. There are surprises large and small and it all seems so real because Bunuel makes it all so plausible, he had such an insight into human behavior which is really evident here in a film driven completely by story and characters, more by the characters actually. There is also a lot of style here in the photography, costumes, settings etc. Bunuel was not a tame director and here his eye for style and conversations and behaviors is what makes this a brilliant jewel of cinema from his "Mexican years" after he left Spain. "The Criminal Life Of Archibaldo De La Cruz" stands among his best works. He shows a touch of eroticism here that is convincing and artistic (it usually has to do with his obsessions with legs and shoes, but it's brilliantly filmed). Here we have a great example of cinema driven by the characters and their minds, lusts and dark secrets. We really feel as if we are in the mind of de la Cruz. As always, Bunuel adds his touch of surrealism, which is great. Don't miss this one, great cinema.
Bunuel at his best. October 16, 2001
Anna Shlimovich (Wayland, MA United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is one of the best creations by Bunuel. As always, unpredictable, surrealistic, beautiful, witty and puzzling. The cinematography is extraordinary, too. This is a true masterpiece for those who like Bunuel or enjoy the art of cinema.
Not a Hollywood mass-production style movie, for sure.
 Not all that glitters in Bunuel is gold June 12, 2007
Jose J Calzada (Mexico, DF Mexico)
Adapted from a mediocre novel by Mexican playwright Rodolfo Usigli (gladly the only one he wrote) "Ensayo de un Crimen" gathers several of the worst cinematographic moments issued from such an uneven filmmaker as Luis Bunuel. Its many clumsy aspects are generously distributed on all areas of its making: there is not a single actor that can deliver his/her lines without sounding like your average end-of-semester college play. The scenery and decor are elementary and full of anachronisms. To mention just one, in the initial flashback Archibaldo (as a young child) is playing in the 20's with a Lionel train from the 40-50's! Bunuel's directing job is plainly bad, even if he tries to embellish it with a couple of his famous "oniric" sequences that just don't work here.
Maybe the worst part of all is the script. There's not a single line that doesn't sound corny and forced. Here's to those who watched the film with the benefit of translated subtitles or dubbed into a foreign language: I envy you. In Spanish, the dialogs are plainly awful.
However, the most remarkable feature is the enormous amount of praise this unholy stinker has received during its 50 years of existence! Undoubtedly this shows that to most moviegoers and critics -moviegoers of the Summa cum Laude species, I guess- suppose that the sole name of a famous filmmaker must mean you're watching a work of art.
To this I must add that practically none of the movies that Bunuel filmed during his stay in Mexico is a true masterpiece. Even the celebrated "Los Olvidados" is sadly marred by an unabashed pamphlet scene extolling the social merits of the Juvenile Delinquent re-adaptation centers issued from the government of President Cardenas. Maybe Bunuel considered necessary giving a little lick to the hand that was feeding him at the moment...
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