El Apóstol

El Apóstol (Spanish: The Apostle) is a 1917 lost Argentine animated film utilizing cutout animation, and the world's first feature animation film.[1] It was directed and produced respectively by Italian immigrants Quirino Cristiani and Federico Valle.

El Apóstol
The cut and articulated figure of El Peludo (President Yrigoyen) used in the movie
Directed byQuirino Cristiani
Produced byFederico Valle
Written byQuirino Cristiani
Release date
  • November 9, 1917 (1917-11-09)
Running time
70 minutes (14 fps)
CountryArgentina
LanguageSilent film

Production background

The film was written by Alfonso de Laferrere [2][3] and directed by Quirino Cristiani. The film consisted of a total of 58,000 frames played over the course of 70 minutes (at 14 frames per second).[4]

The film was a satire, with President Hipólito Yrigoyen ascending to the heavens to use Jupiter's thunderbolts to cleanse Buenos Aires of immorality and corruption. The result is a burnt city. The film was well received by critics at the time and a commercial success. A fire that destroyed producer Federico Valle's film studio incinerated the only known copy of El Apóstol, and so it is now considered a lost film.

A 2007 documentary Quirino Cristiani: The mystery of the first animated movies, directed by Italian animator Gabriele Zuchelli researches the history of the studio and recreates the look and technique used in El Apóstol.

See also

References
  1. "El Apóstol". bcdb.com. May 4, 2011.
  2. Bendazzi, Giannalberto (1995). Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation. Translated by Taraboletti-Segre, Anna. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-20937-5.
  3. Finkielman, Jorge (2004). The Film Industry in Argentina: An Illustrated Cultural History. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1628-8.
  4. Bendazzi, Giannalberto (December 1984). "Quirino Cristiani, The Untold Story of Argentina's Pioneer Animator". Graffiti. Translated by Solomon, Charles. ASIFA-Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2019-12-13 – via Animation World Network.
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