Cesare Watry facts for kids
Cesare Watry (born Giovanni Girardi, 1864–1943) was a famous Italian magician. He was also a pioneer of cinema with his unique early film shows. People, especially in Latin America, called him a "master illusionist." He was known as an "extraordinary popular" entertainer for both his magic and his film shows.
Who Was Cesare Watry?
Giovanni Girardi was born in Ravenna, Italy. In the 1880s, he started a traveling group called the "Eccentric Company." This group performed magic shows all over Italy, especially in a region called Tuscany.
Early Film Shows: Fotoveramovil and Watrygraf
Towards the end of the 1800s, Giovanni changed his group's name. It became "The Eccentric Company of Sino-Japanese Marvels." They started showing something new called "Fotoveramovil." This was an early type of bioscope show, which means it was one of the first ways people watched moving pictures.
The Fotoveramovil showed exciting images. These included scenes from the Diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria and the wedding of the future king Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. They also showed views of faraway places like Jerusalem and France. Later, they added stories like Cinderella and Bluebeard to their shows. They even included special "Spiritualist séances" as part of the entertainment.
The "Fotoveramovil" show later got a new name: "Watrygraf." Cesare Watry's shows were among the first to combine cinema and magic. This happened not only in Italy and Brazil but also in other countries. For example, in Peru in 1899, he showed images of bullfights. His shows were very exciting and sometimes caused a stir because they were so new and different. He also performed in Seville in 1904.
Watry's Legacy
Cesare Watry continued to perform his magic shows for many years. He kept entertaining audiences right up until World War II. Another well-known Italian stage magician, Wetryk, actually started his career working for Watry's "Eccentric Company." In 1914, Wetryk started his own company. He chose his stage name, Wetryk, to honor Cesare Watry, showing how much he respected him.
