The 15 best Cantinflas movies

Mario Moreno, known globally by the nickname Cantinflas, was a Mexican actor, producer, and comedian.

Cantinflas was one of the great figures of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema and one of the great geniuses of comedy.

His particular mustache, his loose clothing and his absurd language, soon penetrated an audience that turned his figure into an unparalleled symbol to this day.

Let's meet this genius of humor in this ranking that collects his 15 best movies.

15. The Three Musketeers (1942)

This adaptation of the famous book by Alexander Dumas in the purest style of Cantinflas, is one of the comedian's first films.

In it, Cantinflas is involved, along with his companions, in the recovery of a stolen necklace from a well-known actress named Reina. The protagonist manages to recover the jewel and the actress invites him to spend a day at the studios where he works as a symbol of gratitude. Then, Cantinflas loses consciousness due to a bad blow to the head, a situation that makes him imagine that it is D'Artagnan and his companions of the Three Musketeers.

14. The Extra (1962)

This title is one of the countless films that the comedian shot during the sixties, when his career had already taken off internationally.

In it, Cantinflas is Rogaciano, a worker in the Mexican film industry. He works as an extra actor and plays various roles in films of the western genre, under the detrimental gaze of different directors. Soon, he meets Rosita, who also works as an extra and has been fired from her. So, the protagonist tries to help her.

13. The Magician (1949)

It is a film full of scenes full of comedy. Here, Cantinflas temporarily replaces a magician, who decides to take some vacation time. Soon, the protagonist is mistaken for the prince of Arichi, then he will have to get rid of his enemies, who intend to assassinate him.

12. The little father (1965)

It is one of Cantinflas's best-known films, made during the last stage of his career, in which the comedian stood out for roles with a different register than usual.

Cantinflas plays Father Sebastián, a parish priest who moves to a small Mexican town to help Damián, the village priest. Sebastián will have to gradually win over the inhabitants of the place, who have not received him in a very good way.

11. The Prof (1971)

This film is also part of the actor's last stage. This time Cantinflas is Socrates García, a teacher who shows great dedication to his profession. Therefore, he decides to move from the city to a small town, Romeral, where they require his services. However, there he has to deal with the local chieftain and his intentions to promote ignorance among the population. Sebastián has the support of his students, who admire him, the local priest and Hortensia, his landlady.

10. Raquel's bolero (1957)

It is the comedian's first color film and one of the most successful of his career. In it, Cantinflas plays a shoe shine who has decided to take care of the son of his best friend, who has recently passed away.

The man works to get out of poverty and, at the same time, begins to receive classes to train. Then, he falls in love with his teacher Raquel with him.

This film contains one of the most remembered scenes of his career, in which the comedian dances the famous "Ravel's Bolero" with the dancer Elaine Bruce.

9. Up and Down (1959)

In this film full of good times, Cantinflas is an elevator operator who, entrusted by his boss, makes a trip to get a millionaire contract with an international champion. A series of events lead Cantinflas to be mistaken for the athlete Jorge Marciel. Despite everything, the protagonist decides to continue usurped the athlete's identity when a millionaire woman is interested in conquering him.

8. The circus (1943)

In this film Cantinflas plays a shoemaker who falls in love with a young circus worker. Then, the protagonist decides to leave his trade to get involved in the circus as a worker, where he does all kinds of jobs that lead him to screw up in different shows.

7. The Atomic Firefighter (1952)

On The atomic firefighter, Cantinflas plays a firefighter who is left in charge of his goddaughter, who has just lost his mother. The girl is about to receive a large inheritance, however, a group of criminals try to keep the assets of the young woman and kidnap her.

6. If I were a deputy (1952)

Mario Moreno's cinema also contained criticisms of the capitalist system. This movie is an example of this. In it, Cantinflas plays a barber who receives law classes from one of his neighbors in exchange for haircuts. Soon, he begins to advise the most disadvantaged in the courts and his fame lead him to be elected deputy.

5. Fly young! (1947)

It is a film belonging to the first stage of Cantinflas. Here he plays a young man who, taking advantage of a military leave, goes to see his girlfriend, a maid who works in the house of a rich man.

Then, the landowner forces Cantinflas to marry his daughter, a young woman with whom he is not in love. When he returns to military training, Cantinflas tries to avoid marriage by causing his arrest. While he is serving his sanction, he will mistakenly go flying with an air force ship.

4. The Unknown Gendarme (1941)

The unknown gendarme It is one of the first tapes by Mario Moreno, in it the character that made him so famous is discovered.

Cantinflas here becomes a collaborator of the police when he manages to intercept a group of thieves who have stolen a valuable diamond.

3. His Excellency (1967)

It is one of the highest grossing films of the comedian. This movie contains one of his most famous speeches, in which he criticizes the rulers of the world.

In this comedy, Cantinflas plays López, affectionately nicknamed "Lopitos," a bureaucrat from the fictional Republic of Coconuts. In this film, the Mexican comedian deals with political issues in a very subtle way.

2. Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)

It is an ambitious Hollywood production of the time, also Cantinflas's first film outside of his homeland.

It is an adaptation of the homonymous novel by Jules Verne that revolves around Phileas Fogg, a man who wants to go around the world in 80 days. In his adventure, he is accompanied by his butler, played by Cantinflas, and an Indian princess.

1. There is the detail (1940)

It is one of the comedian films most praised by film critics. Here, Cantinflas has a relationship with a maid who works in Mr. Cayetano's house. One day, the protagonist enters the house to get rid of a dog and is mistaken for another person. The situation unleashes a series of crazy circumstances.

Biography of Mario Moreno (Cantinflas)

Mario Moreno Reyes He was born in August 1911 in Mexico City into a humble and numerous family, with a total of eight children.

His beginnings in the workplace were very modest, he worked as a postman, shoemaker, shoe shine, taxi driver, boxer, among other trades. At the age of 16 he enlisted in the infantry army, a corps where he entered because he pretended to be 21 years old.

Mario Moreno's career on stage took place in small companies of traveling comedians, with whom he toured his native country.

In 1934 he met Valentina Subarev, a Mexican actress of Russian origin, and they soon married. Mario and Valentina adopted a boy they named Mario Arturo.

Later, with a lot of experience as a circus worker, Mario managed to make the leap to the cinema in the late 1930s, when he played small roles. The success did not come until the 40s, since then, until the 70s he shot almost fifty films. He worked during his career under the nickname "Cantinflas", although there are many theories about it, today it is unknown what is the true origin of him.

Mario Moreno managed to penetrate the public inside and outside his country, even going so far as to conquer Hollywood with movies like Around the World in Eighty Days, which made him get a Globe of Gold.

Mario Moreno died on April 20, 1993 as a result of a heart attack.