Fernando A. Rivero (Mexico City, February 9th 1902 – April 20th 1975) was a Mexican set designer, film director, painter, actor, and writer, regarded as a foundational figure—“the father” of Mexican film scenographers. He studied architecture but left the program for financial reasons, worked at the jewelry shop El Nuevo Mundo, emigrated to the United States in 1927 to work as a draftsman for advertising companies and newspapers, and returned to Mexico in 1931. After inheriting money upon his grandfather’s death, he founded the Compañía Anunciadora Mexicana; a later press note also states he was orphaned at age four and adopted by relatives, and that he began professionally in advertising, following the example of his father, Pedro Rivero Noriega. In 1931 he declared his company bankrupt and entered the film industry as a set designer on Santa (1931), continuing as a scenographer throughout his career on 34 films and occasionally appearing on screen (including roles as a “corpse” and a “suicide” in early-1930s productions). He worked for a period in Argentina and Spain, but the Spanish Civil War forced his return to Mexico in 1937, arriving aboard the ship “Durango” and rejoining the industry with La paloma (1937). Rivero also described and tested a movable-set system of his own invention—designed to free camera and actor movement by separating lighting rigging from set walls—and later announced a business renting these “sets movibles”; he was also among the technicians who co-founded the Unión de Trabajadores de los Estudios Cinematográficos de México (UTECM) in 1933. He debuted as a director in 1938 with El beso mortal—a film adapted from Paul Gury’s play that drew controversy for its focus on venereal disease—and he went on to direct 20 films, closing that directing filmography in 1952 while continuing set-design work. His directing output included Cantinflas short films (1939–1940), documentaries, and features such as La posada sangrienta and Seda, sangre y sol (1941), Los miserables and Mi reino por un torero (1943), La casa embrujada and Nosotros (1944), Perdida (1949), and La extraña pasajera (1952). After leaving cinema, he returned to advertising work as a draftsman.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- February 9, 1908
- April 20, 1972 (aged 64)
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Director and writer
- 5 on MovieCove · 44 credits in all
What are Fernando A. Rivero's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
A split, not a type: Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 2
Grounded 3 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 0
Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Fernando A. Rivero's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Fernando A. Rivero's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted.
Filmography
44 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page.
La extraña pasajera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Víctimas del divorcio(1952)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
La noche es nuestra(1952)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Los amantes(1951)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Good night my love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Burlada (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Pecado de ser pobre(1950)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Perdida (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Mujeres en mi Vida (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Dinero maldito (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
The Bewitched House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Coqueta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Canciones y recuerdos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
El príncipe del desierto (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)
La morena de mi copla (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Marina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Nosotros (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Mi reino por un torero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
Los miserables (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
El fanfarrón: ¡Aquí llegó el valentón! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
The Bloody Inn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)
Seda Sangre Y Sol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)
Cantinflas boxeador (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
Cantinflas Ruletero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)
Jengibre contra Dinamita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Siempre listo en las tinieblas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Juntos pero no revueltos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
El beso mortal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
México lindo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
Refugiados en Madrid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
La paloma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
Venganza suprema (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Who Killed Eve? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
The Phantom of the Monastery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
The Woman of the Port (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Desecration (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Enemigos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
The Tiger of Yautepec (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Su última canción (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
The Lark(1933)
Prisoner 13 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Hand to Hand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Santa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Una vida por otra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)
Career shape
A full career of 44 titles from 1932 to 1953.
How do Fernando A. Rivero's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 30th percentile, the median of the 4 of 5 with a score; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 24th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 4 titles are Mixed.
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Mixed3
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Fernando A. Rivero work with?
People who share at least 2 of Fernando A. Rivero's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alfredo Rosas Priego shares the most, 4.
Writers
- José G. CruzShared titles: Los amantes (1951), Pecado de ser pobre (1950)See all 2 shared titles with José G. Cruz
Actors
- Emilia GuiúShared titles: La noche es nuestra (1952), Víctimas del divorcio (1952), Los amantes (1951)See all 3 shared titles with Emilia Guiú
- Gloria JordánShared titles: La noche es nuestra (1952), Los amantes (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Gloria Jordán
- Jorge SareliShared titles: La noche es nuestra (1952), Víctimas del divorcio (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Jorge Sareli
- Pedro VargasShared titles: Víctimas del divorcio (1952), Pecado de ser pobre (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Pedro Vargas
Composers and editors
- Alfredo Rosas PriegoShared titles: La noche es nuestra (1952), Víctimas del divorcio (1952), Los amantes (1951), Pecado de ser pobre (1950)See all 4 shared titles with Alfredo Rosas Priego
- Antonio Díaz CondeShared titles: La noche es nuestra (1952), Víctimas del divorcio (1952), Los amantes (1951), Pecado de ser pobre (1950)See all 4 shared titles with Antonio Díaz Conde
Producers
- Guillermo CalderónShared titles: La noche es nuestra (1952), Víctimas del divorcio (1952), Los amantes (1951)See all 3 shared titles with Guillermo Calderón
- Pedro A. CalderónShared titles: La noche es nuestra (1952), Víctimas del divorcio (1952), Los amantes (1951)See all 3 shared titles with Pedro A. Calderón