Max Glücksmann Max Glucksmann

South American cinema and phonograph entrepreneur

Max Glücksmann, an Austrian, arrived in Buenos Aires in 1890. Shortly afterwards he found work as a photographic assistant at the 'Casa Lepage'. The owner was a Belgian, Henri (Enrique) Lepage, and the company imported photographic materials. Eugène Py, a Frenchman, also worked there. The three of them attend the opening show of the 'Cinematografo' (the Lumière Cinématographe) at the Odeon Theatre on 18 July 1896, which was presented by the theatre owner Francisco Pastor and Spanish journalist Eustaquio Pellicer. They immediately got in touch with the Lumière firm in order to buy their machines, but on being rejected they imported a Gaumont/Demenÿ Chronophotographe, and a 'Cinematografo Pathe'. Py became the first Argentinian filmmaker with his short film, La bandera Argentina, taken with the first Gaumont camera that arrived in the country. Max Glücksmann then began selling and marketing the cameras, and the short films, small news or miscellaneous titles that came with them from Europe. Casa Lepage was bought by Glücksmann in 1908 and he gave a huge boost to the South American film business, opening more movie theatres, not only in Buenos Aires, but across Argentina, and in Uruguay and Chile. Max had thirteen brothers and several of them took part in the film business. Max's brother Jacobo lived in the USA where he leased the films to be shown in Argentina. His youngest brother, Bernardo, managed a movie theatre chain in Uruguay. Max Glücksmann was equally powerful in the South American recording industry, marketing phonographs then gramophones, and going on to own major recording studios and becoming the dominant figure in the recording of Argentine music.

Juan Pablo Lepra