Artistas Argentinos Asociados

Background

Artistas Argentinos Asociados (English: Associated Argentine Artists), abbreviated as AAA was a prominent Argentine film production and distribution company founded in 1941, and known to produce highly important and well-received films in Argentina during the time. The company was formed in Buenos Aires, Argentina by a group of unemployed artists in a meeting consisting of Spanish-Argentine theater and director Enrique Muiño, playwright theater entrepreneur, actor and film/theater director Elías Alippi, theater and film actor Francisco Petrone, actor Ángel Magaña, and director, screenwriter, and producer Lucas Demare, where Enrique Faustin, a businessman and film producer who also attended the meetings, brought up the idea of setting up a production company that works cooperatively in the format of the Associated Artists of the US. Eventually, on September 26, 1941, the company was formed.

AAA's initial plan was for their films to be directed by Lucas Demare, but soon realize a single director would be insufficient for the number of films the company had to produce, so Pierre Chenal, a French film director who had escaped from the occupation of France, went to see the group with plausible sources for his film La casa del Maltés, based on Miguel de Unamuno's novel Nada menos que todo un hombre.

In 1944, an important reorganization of the company took place, there AAA is separated from Estudios San Miguel, making the company a public limited company. A change of partners also took place, since certain businessmen such as Joaquín Alberto Lautaret, Pablo Cavallo, and Alberto J. Martín entered the company, as well as other businessmen. On August 5 of the same year, Decree-Law 21,344 was permitted, which established the mandatory exhibition of national films as well as a system of exploitation of the same based on the percentage distribution of the collection, both measures that were a long-standing desire.

The company completely ceased its activity after 1958, but was not until 1968 that it resumed its business as a distribution company. Finally, it ceased all its activities by 2000.

Logo (May 22, 1944-1959)

Visuals: On a grey background with what appears to be a white silk curtain against it, a closeup of a statue of a hand holding a flaming torch with an imprinted "A" is first shown. After a few seconds, the company's name in a stacked format:

ARTISTAS
ARGENTINOS
ASOCIADOS

fade in front of the statue, as well as three transparent "A"'s in the formation of a triangle and a transparent "presenta" on the bottom right. It then fades to the film's opening scene or black after a few seconds.

Variants:

On its earliest appearances, the company name doesn't appear.
A distribution variant has been spotted on El jefe, where the background is much brighter than normal, the logo is hand-drawn, the "AAA" and "presenta" are omitted, and above the company name displays "Una distribucion de" in a cursive format.

Technique: Mostly live-action.

Audio: A strong and triumphant orchestral piece that goes like this: it starts with a crescendo before briefly pausing with two rising brass notes, and then to a harp glissando, a cymbal crash, and a proud finish, sometimes crossfading to the opening theme of the film.

Audio Variants:

Earlier films have a rising brass fanfare.
Some films such as Pampa bárbara and Esposa último modelo use the opening theme.

Availability:

The textless variants can be seen on the company's earliest output, those being Su mejor alumno and El muerto falta a la cita.
The standard variants can be seen on most of its output during the time period. This includes Pampa bárbara, Donde mueren las palabras, Como tú lo soñaste, De padre desconocido, Edición extra, Esposa último modelo, Arrabalera, Pasó en mi barrio, Vivir un instante, Mi mujer está loca, La voz de mi ciudad, Dock Sud, El grito sagrado, Dringue, Castrito y la lámpara de Aladino, Un novio para Laura, Pájaros de cristal, El amor nunca muere, Los tallos amargos, La pícara soñadora, Sangre y acero, Una viuda difícil, La morocha, and lastly El calavera.
The distrubution variant only made its appearance on the aforementioned El jefe.