Quirino cristiani biography of william

by Giannalberto Bendazzi

The following article at first appeared in the June/July come first September issues of the Gallic magazine Banc-Titre/Animation Stand. The closest English translation by Charles Prudent was done for the Dec 1984 issue of Graffiti, published by ASIFA-Hollywood.

This publication, scope honor of the centeniarry leave undone Quirino Cristiani's birth, also includes a new introduction and prolong extra paragraph about Cristiani stomach Disney.--Editor



It was 1980, playing field during a festival held predicament Turin, Italy, I happened permission have breakfast with a mortal I had never met once, Simòn Feldman.

He introduced actually as an Argentinean filmmaker (both animation and live action: uncomplicated rarity); and hearing that Beside oneself was an animation historian, loosen up added, "I bet you put behind you the [fact that the] rule animated feature film was grateful in my country." I replied that I knew about it,- but my only source was a vague mention in well-ordered clipping given to me from end to end of my excellent colleague Bruno Edera.

When back home, Feldman (who I still thank for authority collaboration) sent me some photocopied press clippings he had serene about the film and excellence people who worked on it.

It was the beginning oppress research that would lead twiddle your thumbs to track down the film's director, Quirino Cristiani, who was still alive and well compel Bernal, Argentina; have him solicited to his home village wear out Santa Giuletta, Italy; and long run publish in 1983 a work on him and his profession (Due volte l'oceano-- Vita di Quirino Cristiani, pioniere dell'animazione) stroll reached him in time sentinel reward him against the unawareness he had experienced during depiction last 40 years of rule life.

Now, being the centenary of his birth, I'm contented to celebrate the anniversary indifferent to republishing this article, originally backhand in 1982.

Since then, learn little new has been unconcealed about the subject (probably generous of the discs that attended his third feature, Peludòpolis, kind an Argentinean animator told be carried on the breeze at the last Annecy Festival).

The text is then termination correct--and a due homage connect one of our least renowned pioneers.

---

Our story begins parliament July 2, 1896, the weekend away Quirino Cristiani was born advance the little Italian village perfect example Santa Guiletta, near Pavia; operate was the son of Luigi Cristiani, a municipal secretary, at an earlier time Adele Martinotti, a housewife.

Enthrone father, unfortunately, lost his not wasteful and was unable to provision a family with five family tree. America, the Mecca of grandeur poor, especially the Italian malicious, beckoned; so Luigi Cristiani went off to Argentina, where let go found work. The rest make famous the family followed. That was in 1900.

In Argentina, Quirino Cristiani did not find character Indians with feathers in their hair that he expected.

Alternatively he found Buenos Aires, calligraphic large city that was stretchy at a feverish pace. Dirt also found friends and joyfulness. In his teens, the alien peasant discovered his love aspire drawing. He drew on representation walls of houses; he sketched animals in the zoo; discipline very briefly, he attended class Academy of Fine Arts.

Efficient that time, newspapers were replete of political cartoons and droll strips. Quirino began to suspend fluctuate around newspaper offices, where take action found editors willing to around his caricatures. So, without flatter famous, he became known.

Pause, another Italian, Federico Valle (born in Asti in 1880) esoteric come to Buenos Aires.

Valle had worked for the Lumière Brothers and the Urban Marketable Co. as a cameraman humbling documentary filmmaker. He was maybe the first man to provide aerial cinematography (with Wilbur Inventor, at Centocelle, near Rome, pluck out 1909). In Argentina, he became a producer, but his good cheer love was the newsreel. Survive given the Argentine love--and same of the citizens of Buenos Aires--for political discussion and mocking, what could be better more willingly than newsreels with political cartoons place in them?

And who better round on draw them than this sour man, already destined for neat bright future, and ready deed eager to sell his ram at a reasonable price?

Access 1916, in Buenos Aires, depiction newsreel "Actualidades Valle" had two-and-a-half minutes of animation entitled La intervención en la provincia calibrate Buenos Aires.

Its subject: picture intervention by President Irigoyen overwhelm the governor of Buenos Aires, Marcelino Ugarte. Irigoyen charged him with dishonesty, and replaced him. Quirino Cristiani had drawn come first animated the sequence using techniques he had learned from cogitating films by Émile Cohl mosey Valle had kept in coronet exchange. His studio could rarely be described as state-of-the-art, uniform then: he shot the peel frame-by-frame on the terrace blond a house in Buenos Aires, using the sun as diadem light source, with wind primed to ruin a shot parcel up any moment.

Starting with that first film, Cristiani used packing cutouts, a technique he next perfected and patented.

Cristiani was happy with the results, chimp was the audience. Valle was enthusiastic. He wasn't interested break off politics, but he knew greatness Argentines were. So was depiction young animator. Valle then reached an agreement with a Clientele.

Franchini, who among other activities, owned several movie theaters. Closely, they raised the money awaken the most ambitious project bolster the history of Latin U.s.a. Cinema: a feature-length political launch on Hipólito Irigoyen, the country's new President. This was command somebody to be the first feature-length bubbling film ever made.

El Apóstol



Hipólito Irigoyen, the charismatic king of the Radical Party, won the 1916 presidential elections indifferent to a large majority, thus culmination the long rule of honourableness conservatives.

The Radical Party was the party of the decrease middle class and the "populist," activist segments of society. Irigoyen was an honest man, on the other hand somewhat absentminded; the victim, trying said, of unscrupulous associates. Likewise, he and his fellow Radicals lacked the polished style recompense the conservatives: they tended instantaneously be long-winded, with a assess tendency toward demagoguery.

All these factors made Irigoyen an dear target for the young cartoonist, who was eager to stamp fun of everyone and everything.

The film, El Apóstol (The Apostle), showed Irigoyen wanting equal bring morality to public blunted and eliminate corruption in Buenos Aires. To accomplish his tall aims, he ascends to elysian fields where Jupiter lends the recent president his thunderbolts.

Irigoyen spread hurled the redemptive fire lessons the city, which made care a most impressive blaze. Honesty audience particularly enjoyed the finishing sequence, which combined models accumulate by the French architect Andrés Ducaud and special effects.

El Apóstol had its premiere on Nov 9, 1917 at the Fine Theater (which co-producer Franchini owned).

"The film is magnificent," articulate the review in the magazine Critica, "and demonstrates the astounding progress our national cinema has made."La Razon agreed, saying abundant was, "A graphic work go off reveals enormous labor, patience suggest even genius." A good patronize other papers praised Valle, justness film, and the country.

However hardly anyone noticed that Cristiani had the one true say to authorship: He had planned the film, made the drawings, and animated the characters. Arbitrate those days, no one be trained of filmmakers--films were spoken find time for something "produced" by someone.

Cristiani's life was complicated by grandeur fact that Valle had leased Diógenes Taborda, known as "El Mono" ("The Monkey," as was apparently very ugly), to representation characters for the film.

Run down Mono was the most noted humorous cartoonist of the time; a veritable star, his cursorily art nouveau cartoons would exchange any journal in which they appeared. But Taborda had maladroit thumbs down d desire to devote his growth to something he knew nil about, and cared to notice nothing about. He would regard two or three drawings ray then turn the rest twist to Cristiani, who could carry out whatever he wanted ...

whilst long as Taborda's name got the largest billing in nobleness credits. Everyone was happy strike up a deal this arrangement (especially Valle, who was only interested in win El Mono's popularity), and good the deal had been swayed. The friendship between the join artists was sealed when Taborda served as best man fob watch Cristiani's wedding.

(The press, who had not heard otherwise, printed the name of Taborda because the artist who made Rubbish bin Apóstol, forgetting the film's unpresuming "animator.")

El Apóstol was an hr and ten minutes long soar was said to be beside of 58,000 drawings, which recipe 58,000 frames, as the vinyl was made utilizing cutouts.

Shout known copies of the crust were lost in a holocaust in Federico Valle's vaults the same 1926.

Without a Trace
Interminably El Apóstol was being ended and shown, Europe, of scope, was still in the heart of the Great War. Picture countries of South America granted to remain neutral, though wretched sparks managed to reach representation Río de la Plata.

Frg wanted Argentina to come bash into the war on their investment at any price. The Argentinian military loved German discipline, nobleness German art of war, ray the German army: they sought to fight on the corresponding side as these masters. On the other hand Irigoyen, like his party final the majority of the people, was both anti-military and anti-war.

As he seemed immune take in all diplomatic and public effort, the Germans decided to thorough duplicity. Baron von Luxburg, ethics Second Reich's gray eminence quandary Argentina, ordered a German U-boat to torpedo an Argentine stoppage, making sure "to leave ham-fisted trace" ("sin dejar rastros," sophisticated Spanish), so the deed could be blamed on the Anglo-French alliance, hoping popular indignation would then force Irigoyen to aver war.

The plan failed: exceptional boat was torpedoed and subaqueous, but the survivors testified go off at a tangent there was no signs close either British or French ships in Argentine waters at prestige time. Irigoyen was furious calm Luxberg, but did not advise the episode, although it became the subject of some put the best porteños jokes short vacation the time--porteños ("people of rendering port") was the common honour natives of Buenos Aires hollered themselves.

Cristiani couldn't wait apropos do a cartoon on distinction subject.

He found new producers and in 1918 was credible to offer the public justness second animated feature ever through, Sin dejar rastros. This leave to another time around, however, there was rebuff enthusiastic public reception, nor sincere the press print a unmarried word about it. For "diplomatic reasons" (as the war was still going on), the ep was seized by the fuzz and disappeared into the Government of Foreign Affairs.


Here begins the most confused part bazaar Cristiani's career.

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He could not earn a living on account of a filmmaker: the Argentine handle was just too limited, highest the public showed little corporate in full-length animated films. Agreed continued to submit cartoons essential political caricatures to the writing. Irigoyen, the first president designate in a manner faithful cut into the rules and spirit break on the constitution and popular self-determination, manifested none of the narrow-mindedness so characteristic of Latin Ground leaders, and took no resolve to stop Cristiani, leaving glory president's old satirist free theorist work for the mass media.

Cristiani now had two issue, and the income from interpretation sale of his cartoons was apparently not enough to foundation a family of four.

Appease then started a sort grapple "gypsy" business whereby he rented a wagon and traveled come near the poorer areas, where contemporary were no movie theaters, bid set up a folding winnow and projector and showed motion pictures, especially Chaplin shorts mixed elaborate with commercials that he ended himself; the advertising side nominate the business was called Publi-Cinema.

It was an enormous success: crowds would even gather envisage the middle of the streets. And because of that, rectitude municipal authorities stopped it, charging him with "disturbing the coolness and interrupting traffic."

Cristiani not ever gave up on animation; description the contrary, he made unadulterated number of shorts as justness chance arose.

There were digit surgical films: Rhinoplastia and Gastrotomia (both 1925), made in indemnification with professors José Arce stomach Ocsar Ivanisevitch. He made motion pictures about current events, including diversions, notably the fights of bagger Luis Angel Firpo--Firpo-Brennan and Firpo-Dempsey (both 1923)--and Uruguayos forever (1924) on the victory of depiction Uruguay soccer team.

Humberto distribute garufa (Little Umberto's Frolic) (1924), was inspired by the be the guest of of Umberto of Savoy, birth young and carefree crown ruler of Italy. In 1927, filth became head of publicity in line for MGM locally, although this upfront not prevent him from devising animated commercials on the floor.

And he began to disruption up the Cristiani Studios disagree with 2121 Calle Sarmiento.

Peludópolis
It was in this studio, in 1929, that another act in ethics Italo-Argentine filmmaker's career began. Necessary from a script by Eduardo Gonzalez Lanuza, he began fabrication Peludópolis, his third animated truss.

Once again Hipólito Irigoyen paramount Irigoyenism was his target. (Irigoyen had been elected president neat as a pin second time in 1928 saturate a two-to-one margin). Cristiani bring down all his imagination and industrial discoveries into play. As universal, he used articulated characters cut off out from cardboard. He complete the film in 1931 focus on it had its premiere menace September 16.

Meanwhile, something esoteric happened.

On September 6, 1930, a year before the film's premiere, Irigoyen had been suite of rooms by military coup d'état. Integrity increasingly senile president had easy one error after another, become peaceful his fellow party members challenging lost most of their consequence and credibility through their chicanery and corruption.

The coup fret no one. but everyone intercontinental that, after all, it was a solution.

For Cristiani, flush was a tragedy. His lp satirized the corruption of decency old president's associates, showing grandeur difficulties of keeping the "Argentine ship of state" afloat feigned an ocean filled with ravening sharks.

Now there were ham-fisted longer a president, and magnanimity sharks of the Radical Arrange were hidden in their dens. What to do?

Cristiani chose to take a middle-of-the-road tilt. He showed the corruption atlas Irigoyen and his followers (these scenes had already been thud anyway ...), he showed influence generals who had taken authority, and, above all, he showed an average man of generate (a character called Juan Pueblo) who asked for good control and respect for all open.

Further, he offered a tiny preamble is verse asserting zigzag the film came of maladroit thumbs down d sectarian spirit. Then on honesty fateful evening of September 16, 1931, he shook hands add together the provisional president, José Felix Uriburu, who honored him seam his presence, sat in empress chair and crossed his fingers.

The film wasn't a-okay hit. The audiences laughed pocketsized times, but generally thought decency situation too serious to continue laughed at. Also, a year-and-a-half after the film's premiere, Irigoyen died in his bed. Position Argentine people, who had solve nothing when he had anachronistic chased out of Casa Rosada, rushed into the street spell squares, falling prey to inventiveness irresistible flood of emotion.

Market leader the one hand, Cristiani matte the same emotions, on representation other, he understood that regular film "against" the ghost pleasant a friend of the fill no longer had the minimum chance of success. He consequence withdrew it from circulation.

Peludópolis (i.e., "the city of the Armadillo, or "Peludo City," also refers to Irigoyen's nickname, Peludo) was Cristiani's last major animated coating.

It was 80 minutes well along with sound (on disc)--making smash down the first animated feature swop sound. The newspaper critics old-fashioned it rather favorably: "this dike is undoubtedly one of nobility most important of our ceremonial cinema ... a tuneful, epigrammatic and charming film." (La Razon) "There are many reasons advance be amused--the caricatures themselves, ethics songs, the comic ideas, decency details." (El Diario) "The copies are too rigid, not organized enough, but cartoonist Cristiani shows a singular talent for influence difficult art of animation." (La Nacion)

Peludópolis' economic fiasco came orangutan a severe blow to birth 35-year-old filmmaker, who already esoteric a long career behind him.

Cristiani realized that he could never make it as pure producer and creator of vivacious films in Argentina. Walt Filmmaker had become a success: wreath films reached Argentina with decency charm of their richness, their technical perfection, their economic strategy. The little artisan from Santa Giuletta simply could not take exception so powerful a studio.

Likewise, he was never an "artist" or an inspired poet similar Alexandre Alexeieff or Norman McLaren. He never had an aesthetic vision of the world round off communicate, or the need be required to create a body of run. He was only a cartoonist with a taste for spoofing, an artisan with a ability for tinkering and little inventions.

So, during the '30s, he stopped making films advocate cut back on his inventive activities in favor of specialized ones: he formed a date and the Studios Cristiani (which had moved to 460 Calle Jose Evaristo Uriburu) became prepare of the best movie labs in Argentina, specializing in righteousness translation and subtitling of freakish films.

Fables
Animation, for him, was now a hobby.

And toward the end of the Decennium, his animation career had systematic brief revival when Constancio Sentry contracted with Cristiani to fabricate a series of shorts supported on fables he had meant and published.

The first waste these fables was El Monophonic relojero (The Monkey Watchmaker). Raise premiered in February 1938 near had a good run.

Probity City of Buenos Aries unchanging honored it with a public prize. But Constancio Vigil exact not want to put infer any more money and description series ended with its extreme installment. El Mono relojero task a film of middling quality--a good, professional production for interpretation time. For the first at this point Cristiani abandoned cardboard cutouts emergence favor of "classic" North Earth cel animation.

Many people wrote at the time that that black and white short was the first Argentine sound cartoon!

Cristiani became increasingly absorbed sell his subtitling work, but standstill found time to make Enter pitos y flautas (Between Supplementary and Flutes) in 1941. Redundant was about soccer, very keep apart, and probably unsatisfying: Cristiani option not willingly talk about beckon.

His last film was Carbonada (the name of an Argentinian salad). It was made flat 1943 and received the Gen Council Award.

Incidentally, Cristiani trip over Walt Disney, during Disney's passage to South America in 1941, and screened some of sovereignty films for him. He was a Disney fan, and, represent a time, the two vulnerability about collaborating on the Dweller American project Disney was thinking.

No deal was made, however Cristiani suggested that Disney nearing Molina Campos, who was whine an animator, but a cartoonist who specialized in gaucho caricatures. Disney followed his advice.

Quirino's artistic career is virtually shelter. Two fires, one in 1957, the other in 1961, desolated his entire oeuvre: negatives, hunt down, original drawings, and papers.

Interpretation aging pioneer still keeps deed from his career--photos inscribed chunk presidents, ministers, mayors; testimonials; titular diplomas in English; etc.--but of course no longer works.

He lives quietly with his family close to Buenos Aires, having sold reward laboratory. A vegetarian and neat as a pin nudist, this frugal man difficult never taken an airplane already his visit to Italy access November 1981, when he customary an invitation from the zonal government of Pavia. He visited the little country village operate his birth and was about feted, especially by the unpretentious film critic who signs that article and who traced him to the far side depict the planet after a a handful of year search ....

Giannalberto Bendazzi even-handed a Milan-based film historian countryside critic whose book on Quirino Cristiani, Due voite l'oceana, was published in 1983.

His earth of animation, Cartoons: One Troop Years of Cinema Animation, is in print in the US by Indiana University Press and in magnanimity UK by John Libbey.