Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey
by Steven M. Martin
List Price:
Our Price: $7.01
You Save: $7.97 (53%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.98 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Clara Rockmore, Leon Theremin, Nicolas Slonimsky, Paul Shure, Robert MoogDirector: Steven M. Martin
Brand: Sony
Writer: Steven M. Martin
Producer: Amy Smith
Producer: Brian Kelly
Producer: Frank G. DeMarco
Producer: Kate Carty
Producer: Loretta Farb
Producer: Robert Stone
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 83 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-07-24
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey
DVD Review: A surprisingly delightful portrait of someone you should know
Summary: 5 Stars
The is a fire-rate biographical documentary of one of the most interesting individuals of the past figure, someone whose work most people will know even if they have never heard of. Leon Theremin was a Russian who escaped to the United States where he live, worked, and married until he was abducted in the mid-1930s by the KGB and returned to the Soviet Union to work on electronic surveillance equipment. For decades his fate was unknown, but with the downfall of the Iron Curtain and reestablishment of unfettered contact between east and west, the filmmakers were able both to fill out the story of what had happened to Theremin, gather information for this documentary, and enable a reconnection between Theremin and his lost friends in New York.
Theremin's claim to fame rests upon the highly unusual electric instrument, referred usually only by the inventor's last name: the Theremin. The instrument is made of no moving parts, but only some coils and modulators that create an energy field that can be manipulated by objects (usually hands) moving through it, and altering the sound that is thereby produced. Although the instrument has a wide range and can be used with a variety of musical styles, it is most commonly associated with Sci-fi sound tracks from the 1950s and in the Beach Boys' great hit "Good Vibrations." The Theremin is what is used to produce that high-pitched and incredibly eerie drone. If this still doesn't ring any bells, just thing of the instrument that parallels the voices as the Beach Boys sing "I'm feeling good vibrations."
Brian Wilson is one of many individuals interviewed during the course of the film, and his appearance, like much of his recent career is one that generated great respect and a feeling of sadness. I have had friends struggle with mental illness, but none is such a public way as Brian Wilson, and I have just enormous respect for the courage he exhibits in continue with a public career despite some obvious psychological challenges. The rest of the people interviewed run the course of friends from his early days in New York to various musicians who either specialized on the instrument or who used it in movies or elsewhere.
By no conceivable means does THEREMIN - AN ELECTRONIC ODYSSEY deal with one of the great stories of the century, nor does it tie up with the stories of many other people. But it is documents the usual contribution that one man made to 20th century music, and he stands as an example of the tragedy that can take place when a totalitarian state places the needs of the corporate above the needs of the individual. Little is spent on his life in the Soviet Union in the documentary, but he was taken away from his wife, an African-American professional dancer, in the 1930s, and he never saw her again. Although that part is not dwelt upon, the sadness of breaking apart a family so that a man could be forced to design the Soviet bug just seems tragic.
I have to vote this one of the most unexpectedly delightful documentaries that I have ever seen. When I saw it, I had absolutely minimal expectations, but instead I responded to it with complete delight.
Description of Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey
The stranger-than-fiction true story of the father of electronic music is captivatingly told in this highly acclaimed and endlessly surprising documentary (Leonard Maltin) that garnered the prestigious Filmmakers Trophy at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. Set against the backdrop of the instrument's ethereal sound, Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey is nothing short of sensational! In the 1920s and 30s, Russian émigré Leonard Thereminthe inventor of the world's first electronic musical instrumenthad it all. His self-named theremins were in high demand from filmmakers and musicians around the globe; he was married to a beautiful American dancer; he lived among New York's socialelite. And then, in 1938, he mysteriously vanished, not to be seen again for over 50 years!Leon Theremin was the secret link between sci-fi films, the Beach Boys, and Carnegie Hall. His self-named electronic musical instrument--the first of its kind--took the world by storm in the 1920s and '30s. Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey, winner of Sundance's Filmmakers Trophy, explores the inventor's strange life and times, including his mysterious 50-year disappearance beginning in the 1940s. Interviews with theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore, synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog, and Theremin's contemporaries, as well as clips from movies such as The Day the Earth Stood Still, featuring the unworldly sounds of his creation, show an eccentric genius working toward success until his sudden vanishing in the Soviet Union. Footage of Theremin at 94 years old, finally rediscovered and rewarded for his achievements, brings a celebratory ending to what could be a grim or at least uncertain story, but instead is a fascinating documentary. --Rob Lightner
Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizerby Trevor Pinch, Frank Trocco
Harvard University Press; Published: 2004-11-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.00
Price in other shops:
Armen Ra - Plays The ThereminRelease date: 2010-05-26; Music CD
Best price: $8.98
Kraftwerk And The Electronic RevolutionMusic Video Dist; Release date: 2008-09-02; DVD
Best price: $13.76
Price in other shops:
Theremin KitTheremaniacs; Theremaniacs; Theremaniacs; Musical Instruments
Best price: $99.95
MoogMusic Video Dist; Release date: 2005-05-31; DVD
Best price: $10.98
Price in other shops:
Clara Rockmore - The Art Of The ThereminRelease date: 1992-12-14; Music CD
Best price: $7.70
Price in other shops:
Moog Etherwave Standard Theremin - Ash Cabinet - Ash Wood CabinetMoog; Moog; Moog; Musical Instruments
Best price: $389.00
Price in other shops:
Theremin: ETHER MUSIC AND ESPIONAGE (Music in American Life)by Albert Glinsky
University of Illinois Press; Published: 2005-02-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.02
Price in other shops:
Lost Theremin AlbumRelease date: 2006-12-26; Music CD
Best price: $14.11
Price in other shops:
Mellodrama: The Mellotron MovieRelease date: 2010-01-19; DVD
Best price: $24.95