(from Google images: Quirino Cristiani)
Welcome to this month’s entry of the Lost Media Files; where I look at lost pieces of media that rangers from video games, films, books, music, art; whatever and this is July as this is the 2nd anniversary of the files and looking back on how I have started this series its impressive, I may had those times of doubt and sudden lack of focus due to writer’s block but I rebounded and I like to thank everyone who took the time to read my past articles, will I continue doing this? We’ll see I do want to try something different down the line YouTube? Twitch streams? Anyway, with that said here is this month’s entry as I profile one of animation’s unsung figures of history that is overshadowed to the greats like Walt Disney, but not forgotten.
Quirino Cristiani was born on July 2nd, 1896 in Santa Giuletta, Italy but him and his family moved to Argentina at the start of the 20th century in 1900 at a young age he was fascinated by drawings so he attended Academy of Fine Arts in Bueno Aires for political caricatures and it was going to be the sole reason of what was going on to set his career. Argentina at the time was about go through a change, for 36 years Argentina’s conservative party ruled the nation until Hipolito Irigoyen a leader under the Radical Party or the Radical Civic Union which is a left-wing party that still exists today and is run by lower middle class politicians aiming for social democracy. Irigoyen was a honest man but just like most people he had his own flaws like for example he was socially awkward that of course the country’s media took aim in making fun of it, not to mention it was the year 1916 when the entire world was caught within the conflicts on the first World War and Argentina was in support of Germany as they wanted to support their allies however the RCU wanted no part of the war which caused a split between the government and their military.
Meanwhile another Italian filmmaker living in the country was Federico Valle (he was also the first man to employ aerial cinematography while airing footage of the Wright brothers) was working as a producer for newsreels and he hired Cristiani after seeing a two-minute Argentinian film called “La intervención en la provincia de Buenos Aires” or translates to “intervention of the province of Buenos Aires” took aim on Irigoyen’s sudden and swift removal of governor Marcelino Ugarte. Cristiani studied Emile Cole’s earlier films into the animation as after he was satisfied on how it turned out as was the audience and even though Valle didn’t want to be in politics but something like this was to easy to pass so he and Cristiani joined forces to make their first animated film together.
(One of the surviving images of El Apostol)
Their first film was “El Apostol” which translates to “The Apostol” the film was about Irigoyen’s plan to bring morality and eliminate corruption and to do that he ascends into heaven and ask Jupiter to lend him thunderbolts to the fire then above Buenos Aires as audiences was amazed on how they witness the fires. The film debut in Novemer 9th, 1917 as a lot praised the film but the key thing of this first film he made it all on his own with some help from a French architect and Diogenes Taborda who was called a “Monkey” for his ugly characteristic drawing but he was considered the best and both had to work together even though he had no interest and would only submit a few drawings and for Cristiani to do whatever and that is where they became friends so much was Taborda was Cristiani’s best man in his wedding thanks to the arrangement of Valle.
Their next film was called “Sin Dejar Rastros” or the ominously foreboding name “Without a Trace” was a animated film where previously stated Irigoyen’s government was not very reluctant to join the First World War even though they were allies of the German Empire the people didn’t want to see them head towards the front lines. So, the Kaiser’s gray eminence of the German Empire Baron Von Luxburg had a plan to force Argentina to war, the plan was to sink a Argentinian ship and make it look like the allied forces sunk the boat to join their cause. However, there was a problem to that very plan, they did sink the boat, but survivors went to testify no French and British forces sunk their ship.
Cristiani very eager to make a new film had little money. Unlike today where crowd funding sites like Patreon or Kickstarter is there for content creators to express whatever, Argentina’s market was stretched to its limit and the public even though they enjoyed his first film had little interested in animated films and he was a married man with four children so he had to look into how to support his family. Cristiani took into renting a wagon and go on a traveling show to release not only his films but others like Charlie Chaplin into the public where there was no movie theatres, sort of like that episode in Pokémon where a man sets up a outdoor movie presentation for the public that gets interrupted by Team Rocket. The film was finished in 1918 and presented with the traveling show, it was a success however local authorities had to stop outdoor gatherings so people wouldn’t spill into the streets to see his films for public safety.
(One of the surviving scenes of “Peludopolis”)
The last of his feature films was “Peludopolis” or “city of Peludo” as this was to be the first animated film made from his new studio, of course he was eager again to make fun of Irigoyen as the plot was his favorite guy Irigoyen in a boat Peludo City that depicted Argentina and hungry sharks took the role of the people within his RCU members, but before he can release his film the political theatre was to change again. After being ousted in office in 1922 he returned to being President by a two-to-one margin and elected President in 1928, however after a series of blunders I would like to see Extra History series to cover this man’s extensive career in the future so here’s a freebee from me to you, he was ousted by a military coup in 1930 and he would later die in his sleep in 1933. The RCU lost all credibility to their own corruption that took down the previous Conservative government when Irigoyen took office.
Now Cristiani was stuck on what to do now with his favorite man to make fun off was out of the picture entirely, he stuck to his guns and added a scene where a character in the film where the new government outed Irigoyen wanted the new people in power to respect their rights so on September 16th 1931 he met the new President Jose Felix Uriburu who honored him and had a public screening to “Peludopolis” however this was not a success, most people laughed but they found it hard to laugh when his man died a year during development. It was a sign that it was over, he knew he couldn’t rival Walt Disney who would make a entertainment empire with the eventual release of the first ever animated film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” but little did he knew he was to meet with Walt Disney, Walt traveled to South America in 1941 this is where at the time “Bambi”, “Peter Pan” and “Fun and Fancy Free” was under development and he planned a future film that would be called “Saludos Amigos” or “Greetings, Friends” that would be released in 1942 and met Cristiani in the middle of production through his trip to South America. Walt was amazed when Cristiani showed his animated films to him, I mean c’mon who would jump at the chance to do this and Quirano was a Disney fan. Walt after seeing his films had a idea to hire him to work on his future film “Saludos Amigos” but respectfully declined due to how that would be a nightmare to travel to America and Argentina, but he did offer instead a cartoonist Molina Campos to work with him.
Quirano Cristiani passed away in August of 1984 peacefully back home in his native Italy, it is amazing a range of this man’s career from an underground cartoonist, then animator and the man who met Walt Disney not to shabby. Now the question remains, and what this subject is named for, does any of his feature films exist today? The answer, sadly no. Two separate fires from 1957 and 1961 destroyed many of his prints, negatives, and original drawings and his films “Peludopolis”, “Sin Dejar Rastros” and “El Epostol” were along with the losses and the odds of finding even a copy of these films in preserved form would be tough to find since they were made by silver nitrate that would easily catch fire. However, it’s not entirely lost, a musical sheet from “Pelodopolis” was found in addition to that was a behind the scene feature of Cristiani working on one of his films was discovered including many surviving cutout animations but it could be possible for these films to be seen if “Poor Papa” could be found or “Clock man” can be found then the odds is low but not possible of something far lost could be found again. That is what Lost Media is about something lost can ultimately be found to today’s history to show how much have technology has advanced from what it was yesterday.
(credit to Alan Pavon from YouTube)
That wraps up this edition of the Lost Media Files for July and I like to thank everyone who has gazed upon my articles covering Lost Media and others for these two years that I started on WordPress, it is truly amazing how these years have changed mostly on what subject to cover and the mounting stress and pressure to get it complete on time sometimes not on the dates I wanted but I get it done. For August’s entry of the Lost Media files is to cover a play of one of literature’s greatest writer’s who wanted to make an adaptation of his hit novel and have it presented into the glorious stage theatre, however something would go so wrong so fast his dream became a nightmare. P.S. originally I wanted to make this as a personal project to make and release on my YouTube channel but thanks to things beyond my control my channel was demonetized and not sure where to go from there so this is where I made the decision to cover for my 2nd anniversary of the Lost Media Files. Plus I originally wanted to work with AniMat or Mat Brunet from Electric Dragon Productions and do a crossover video since he is probably suited to cover the subject of animation in general than I am, plus I am a fan of his videos mostly his Animation Lookback videos. Here is YouTube channel to check them all that cover lookbacks on Disney, Dreamworks and other great pioneers of animation and his reviews of current and classic animated films.
Mat Brunet’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ElectricDragon505
Donate to his Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AniMat
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Subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.Youtube.com/C/MauriceBear for future videos like let’s plays of future games whenever I can get my channel monetized again
Sources: Lost Media Wiki
Wikipedia
Quirino Cristiani: the untold story of Argentina’s Pioneer Animator
The Maurice Bear Times 