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''El Apóstol'' (
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
: ''The Apostle'') is a 1917
lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
Argentine
animated film Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...
using
cutout animation Cutout animation is a form of stop-motion animation using flat characters, props and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper, card, stiff fabric or photographs. The props would be cut out and used as puppets for stop motion. The world's ea ...
. Italian-Argentine immigrants
Quirino Cristiani Quirino Cristiani (July 2, 1896 – August 2, 1984) was an Italian-born Argentine animation director and cartoonist, responsible for the world's first two animated feature films as well as the first animated feature film with sound, even though th ...
and Federico Valle directed and produced, respectively. Historians consider it the world's first animated feature film. The film began production after the success of Cristiani and Valle's short film, ''La intervención a la provincia de Buenos Aires'', and was produced in less than ten months or in twelve months; accounts differ. Its script was written by Alfonso de Laferrére, the background models of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
were created by , and the initial character designs were drawn by Diógenes Taborda. ''El Apóstol'' is a satire based on Argentina's president at the time,
Hipólito Yrigoyen Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Yrigoyen (; 12 July 1852 – 3 July 1933) was an Argentine politician of the Radical Civic Union and two-time President of Argentina, who served his first term from 1916 to 1922 and his second ...
. In the film, Yrigoyen dreams about going to
Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...
and discussing politics with the gods before using one of
Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D ...
's lightning bolts to cleanse Buenos Aires of corruption. Well-received at the time in Buenos Aires, it was not distributed in other Argentine provinces or other countries. The film was destroyed in a 1926 fire in Valle's studio.


Plot

Argentine president
Hipólito Yrigoyen Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Yrigoyen (; 12 July 1852 – 3 July 1933) was an Argentine politician of the Radical Civic Union and two-time President of Argentina, who served his first term from 1916 to 1922 and his second ...
dreams about ascending to Olympus dressed as an apostle. He speaks with the gods about the deeds and misdeeds of the
porteño In Spanish, the term (feminine: ''Porteña'') means "port city person". It is used to refer to residents of port cities such as Buenos Aires, Argentina; El Puerto de Santa María, Spain; Valparaíso, Chile; Mazatlán, Veracruz, Acapulco and Tamp ...
s, and how they laugh at him and every political program he sets up. A few congressmen appear, and express their positions. Yrigoyen discusses the level of chaos in the capital administration with the gods, and the government's financial situation. After the discussion, Yrigoyen asks
Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D ...
for lightning bolts to cleanse Buenos Aires of immorality and corruption. Zeus grants his request; lightning bolts consume the city's main buildings, and Yrigoyen awakens.


Production


Background

Valle was an industrial-film producer who produced a newsreel, ''Acutalidades Valle''. He hired
Quirino Cristiani Quirino Cristiani (July 2, 1896 – August 2, 1984) was an Italian-born Argentine animation director and cartoonist, responsible for the world's first two animated feature films as well as the first animated feature film with sound, even though th ...
, known at the time for caricatures in daily newspapers, to help animate an experimental political vignette for Valle's newsreel. They made ''La intervención a la provincia de Buenos Aires'' (
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
: ''Intervention in the Province of Bueno Aires''), a one-minute sketch ridiculing governor
Marcelino Ugarte Marcelino Ugarte (1855–1929) was an Argentine jurist and politician, who served for two terms as governor of the Province of Buenos Aires. He also served as deputy and national senator for the Province of Buenos Aires. He was born in Buenos ...
. The film used paper-cut animation which Cristiani learned from a film by
Émile Cohl Émile Eugène Jean Louis Cohl (; né Courtet; 4 January 1857 – 20 January 1938) was a French caricaturist of the largely forgotten Incoherent Movement, cartoonist, and animator, called "The Father of the Animated Cartoon" and "The Oldest ...
. Although many Argentine sources identify the release of ''La intervención a la provincia de Buenos Aires'' as 1916, its actual release date is unknown. The film was a success.


Writing and animation

After the success of ''La intervención a la provincia de Buenos Aires'' in 1916, Valle began working on a full-length political satire film which became ''El Apóstol''. ''El Apóstol'' was a satire based on President Yrigoyen. Valle hired Alfonso de Laferrére to write the script, and Andrés Ducaus to build 3D models of buildings in Buenos Aires. Laferrere asked Cristiani if he would be interested in being the principal animator (equivalent to directing); Cristiani said yes, but he would need help due to the amount of work required. The animation method would be identical to that of ''La intervención a la provincia de Buenos Aires''. To attract publicity, Valle hired the popular
cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
ist Diógenes "El Mono" Taborda. Taborda liked the idea of bringing his caricatures to life, and gave Cristiani sketches of the characters. Cristiani was dismayed, however; although he thought they were good, they were too rigid and detailed for him to animate. Toborda left the production, daunted by the amount of work needed to complete the film, but allowed Cristiani to make his drawings simpler and easier to animate. It is unknown how long ''El Apóstol'' took to produce, but it was quick for an animated film; production was estimated at less than ten months, or twelve months. A total of 58,000 frames were filmed, which clocked in at one hour and ten minutes.


Release and reception

''El Apóstol'' was released on November 9, 1917, at the Cine Select-Suipacha. The film was successful in Buenos Aires, with many newspapers favorably reviewing the film. The destruction of Buenos Aires near the end of the film was considered its most impressive scene. It was so successful that it was shown several times daily for six months before it was banned by the Buenos Aires town council as a caricature of the current political situation. Because it appealed primarily to Buenos Aires residents, it was not distributed elsewhere in Argentina or abroad. As a result, it was not well-known at the time.


Legacy

''El Apóstol'' became known as the first animated feature-length film. Quirino Cristiani reportedly received little credit for the film; he was paid $1,000, and received a small opening credit. Cristiani left Federico Valle due to Valle's interference with his work, and Valle never made another animated feature film. Cristiani worked on many animated short films during his career, and at least two other animated feature films: ''
Sin dejar rastros ''Sin dejar rastros'' (Spanish: "Without a Trace") is a 1918 lost Argentine animated feature film. It was written and directed by Quirino Cristiani. The film used cutout animation. Plot The plot revolved around the recent incident involving the G ...
'' ''(Without Leaving a Trace)'' and '' Peludópolis''. ''Sin dejar rastros'' was based on the sinking of an Argentine merchant ship by a German submarine which was blamed on the
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
in an attempt to get Argentina to enter
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
; however, President Yrigoyen kept the country neutral. The film was shown for one day (May 17, 1918) before it was confiscated by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
to avoid inflaming public opinion and creating more problems between Argentina and Germany, and was never seen again. ''Peludópolis'', produced from 1928 to 1931 and the world's first animated feature-length
sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
, satirized the greed of Yrigoyen and his ministers. The film, about a group of pirates led by El Peludo who hijack a ship and sail it to Republica Quesolandia (the Republic of Cheeseland), had a troubled production history due to its political content (necessitating a new ending). Released on September 16 (or 18), 1931, it was not well-received as the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
struck Argentina. Cristiani withdrew ''Peludópolis'' from circulation in 1933, after Yriyogen's death, and retired from the animation industry in 1941. A 1926 fire destroyed Valle's film studio, including his equipment and the only known copy of ''El Apóstol''. It is now considered a lost film. Cristiani's studio burned down twice (in 1958 and 1961), and most of his work is currently lost. The only surviving animated film on which Cristiani worked is ''El Mono relojero'', which used cels and did not reflect most of his other work. Available information about ''El Apóstol'' comes from Argentine film records, the Cristiani family archives, and Cristiani's memories as recorded by
Giannalberto Bendazzi Giannalberto Bendazzi (17 July 1946 – 13 December 2021) was an Italian animation historian, author, and professor. Life and career Born in Ravenna, Italy, and raised in Milan, Bendazzi started his career as a journalist and at the same time a ...
.


See also

*
Lists of animated feature films These lists of animated feature films compiles animated feature films from around the world and is organized alphabetically under the year of release (the year the completed film was first released to the public). Theatrical releases as well as ...
*
List of lost films For this list of lost films, a lost film is defined as one of which no part of a print is known to have survived. For films in which any portion of the footage remains (including trailers), see List of incomplete or partially lost films. Reas ...


References


Sources

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External links

* *
''El Apostol'' at SilentEra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Apostol, El 1917 films 1917 animated films 1917 lost films 1910s stop-motion animated films 1910s political films Animated feature films Argentine animated films Argentine silent films Argentine black-and-white films Argentine satirical films Political satire films Cutout animation films Films about fires Films about presidents Cultural depictions of politicians Cultural depictions of Argentine men Animation based on real people Animated films based on classical mythology Films directed by Quirino Cristiani Films set in Buenos Aires Films set in heaven Lost animated films 1910s Spanish-language films Lost Argentine films