FLOR DE DURAZNO (Patria Film, 1917)

[Jorge Finkielman <finki_1@xxxxxxxxx>]

  Que tal:

  For years I have been able to read about lots and
lots of films, some of them in restorations attempts.
Films which are a mistery for me since they are never
going to reach Argentina because they end in archival
shelf simply because nobady has imagination to market
them around the world.

  While less and less people care for silent films,
this movies are getting hard to locate, even in pirate
video versions.

  I always believe that with inteligence, rather with
money (although it IS important to have funds!), a
comercial strategy could be developed in order to have
audiences demanding for old films again in movie
theaters.

  Because no matter what kind digital television
standard we will have to face in some future, the
experience of watching a film in a movie theater will
never be replaced.

  Those digital things are developed with one goal in
mind, to reduce costs... read to cause unemployment.
And with no jobs I think that we will be able to watch
and listen analogical TV and radio broadcastings.

  Yet, many films (some of them very good) despite the
technological changeovers will continue to be
unavailable for viewing, if they are not lost, simply
because the industry believes that they wont make any
money with them.

  If James Cameron's TITANIC was a big box office
success it was simply because they obviously put more
money in advertising and pseudo journalistic research
rather than in the film itself.

  What could happen if they follow the same politics
for a reissue of, for instance, THE WHITE SISTER?

  All this just came to my mind because I was able to
watch, in a five dollar VHS, a silent film that nobady
of you will ever find in your nearer video store: FLOR
DE DURAZNO, an Argentinean 1917 production.

  It is considered by some ignorants as an
unremarkable film except for the fact that it marked
the film debut of Carlos Gardel, even for his best
historian (Miguel Angel Morena).

  The version I was able to watch is not the original
print but rather a later reissue. The visual quality
is frankly horrible but the biggest flaw is that it
does has no titles which makes almost
uncomprehensible.

  While the quality of the images is virtually
impossible to restore, the titles problem should be
something easier to solve.

  But this is not going to happen. And you end forced
to insult people for actually act with incompetence
(the video also features two logos in both sides of
the upper part of the screen). Their first crime,
however, was they decided not to spend U$S 500 for an
hour of a good telecine in order to give it a better
look. This is the major mistake of the Argentinean
Film Industry.

  Yet FLOR DE DURAZNO is not a bad film. It's a heavy
melodramatic version of the novel of the same title
written by Gustavo Martínez Zuviría (as Hugo Wast).
The acting is quite good for 1917, it was very well
produced and, while most of it is hard to follow
without the titles, it features lots of interesting
flashbacks and a handful of interesting optical
tricks.
Most of it was filmed on location exactly on the same
places of the novel.

  Thanks to Gardel the film exists and is available.
On its time it was a major box office success, well
received by the few critics who were here at the time
(film journalism as we know it today began around
1924). When the movie reached its 500 exhibition, the
filmakers made a festival with important artist of the
time.

  Too bad that no film festival will ever screen it.
If I prove wrong, at least demand titles!

  In order to end this post in an appropiate manner
here are the credits for this film, which you will not
find them in the Internet Movie Database or anywhere
else:



FLOR DE DURAZNO

Producing company: Patria Film
Director: Francisco Defilipis Novoa
Producer: Federico Valle
Cinematographer: Francisco Mayrhoffer
Based on the novel of the same title written by
Gustavo Martínez Zuviría (Hugo Wast)

Cast:
Carlos Gardel          Fabián
Ilde Pirovano          Rina
Germán Castillo        Diego Figueroa
Filemón Rochero        Celestino Petray
Miguel Benavídez       Argentino Gómez
Antonio                Pascual Costa
Candela                Rosa Bozán

Partially filmed on location in Villa Dolores
(Córdoba) and in Buenos Aires between June and July,
1917.

Released on Thursday, September 28, 1917, in the
Coliseo movie theater in a beneficent exhibition.
Released to general audiences the following day at the
Select movie theater.



  And, yes, reinstate Carlos Gardel scenes and song in
THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936 (Paramount, 1936). Without
him, since the scenes exits, the film is worthless.


  Saludos desde Peludópolis



  JORGE FINKIELMAN

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail.
http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/?.refer=text