Cromer Film Festival – Tango Crazy

In 1930, in the Federico Valle Studios, Eduardo Morera, an actor turned director, filmed several short films, each corresponding to a song. Argentine cinema with sound was born with acclaimed Tango star Carlos Gardel. The shorts premiered in select theatres and were shown to complement Hollywood films. After Gardel’s death, ten of these shorts were compiled into the Argentine film Así Cantaba Carlos Gardel (This is How Carlos Gardel Sang).

When Gardel died unexpectedly in June 1935, his last two films, shot in the United States, El Día Que me Quieras and Tango Bar, had not premiered in Buenos Aires. Given the shock of his death, these final premieres became highly emotional events, coinciding with the return of his entire filmography to Argentine screens.

These films were screened in Argentine and Latin American cinemas for decades, but over time, the copies deteriorated. Guillermo Fernández Jurado, president and driving force behind…