Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

Director: Steven M. Martin
Screenwriters: Steven M. Martin

Institute History

Description

What at first glance seems to be an incredibly esoteric subject is instead
a fascinating tribute to a remarkable inventor and artist whose life
is as interesting as his work. Leon Theremin was born in S1. Petersburg
in 1895. After excelling in school at both physics and the cello. he invented
the theremin, an electronic instrument played by moving one's
hands through a field, changing the vibrations, and creating an eerie and
distinctive tone. Certainly anyone who has heard music ranging from the
8each 80ys' "Good Vibrations" to the sound track of The Day the Earth
Stood Still will instantly recognize it.
But for Theremin and some devoted musicians, the instrument wasn't
marginal or formulaic, but intended to be used as part of a classical
repertoire. And indeed for a period it was. Throughout the 1920s and
'30s, a number of recitals were given at Carnegie Hall and across the
nation. As one of the first electronic musical instruments, the theremin
was of course a novelty, but its haunting sound and range captured the
imagination of such well-known modern composers as John Cage and
Edgard Varese.
Then suddenly in 1938, Theremin disappeared from his New York
home, apparently kidnapped by Stalin's agents. His friends assumed the
worst and so do we. Which is what makes his reappearance on screen
all the more surprising.
Director Martin's interviews with his subject serve as an amazing
backdrop to what is already a story that embodies the old adage, "Truth
is stranger than fiction." Complete with marvelous newsreel footage, interviews
and personal anecdotes, this is visual biography at its best.
Robert Moog and others testify to Theremin's importance as a central
influence in the development of electronic music. but even more compelling
is the capacity of this saga of science and art, of the personal
and the political, to chronicle the history of our century.
—Geoffrey Gilmore

Preceded by:
Speed Racer

Friday Jan 21 10:00 pm
Holiday Village Cinema I

Tuesday Jan 25 10:00 am
Holiday Village Cinema I

Thursday Jan 21 4:00 pm
Egyptian Theatre

Saturday Jan 29 10:00 am
Holiday Village Cinema I

$7.00

— Geoffrey Gilmore

Screening Details

Credits

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