Customer Reviews

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey [VHS]

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Theremin, An Electronic Odyssey, 1995 film

Leon Theremin invented the electronic sound machine. This story begins with the voice of an old man speaking with a slight accent. Clara Rockmore was a Theremin virtuoso. This machine creates sounds or tones via an electronic machine that is played by positioning hands near its antennae. One hand controls pitch, the other for volume. People talk about events from the 1920s and 1930s; a concert in Carnegie Hall used many Theremin machines at the same time. The use of sensing devices had other applications. The sound of a Theremin can be compared to a single string cello or violin. Soviet operatives abducted Theremin from New York city in the late 1930s. Tourists from America found him in Moscow in the early 1980s; they met in a subway station.

Theremin worked on a `buran' or bug to listen to conversations. Stalin awarded him a prize. Robert Moog began producing theremins commercially. Theremin discovered his sound effect while working on a radio (like feedback). Moog used this machine to create his synthesizer, which had an effect on popular music. The `Beach Boys' were early adaptors and used it in their hit song "Good Vibrations". [The appeal of a novel sound.] Theremin received an award from Stanford University in 1991. We see Clara Rockmore greeting Leon in the 1980s and playing an RCA Theremin in her apartment. Later they walk the sidewalks of New York. Lev Termen died in Moscow on November 3, 1993.
The credits list the many who contributed to this production.

You will love this film. If you are not interested in electronic music or it's birth, you will probably like this anyway--it's a fascinating story of a brilliant man and his very unusual instrument. A highlight for me was the woman playing the extra large Theremin with her entire body ( instead of just one hand!).

Being that this video is where it all started for me as a thereminist I *am* raither fond of it! What a great introduction to the many players in the story of this enchanting instrument!

This little documentary about an extremely intellent inventor/musician is wonderful and often surprising. There are many levels of interest- unique human relationships, individual inventiveness and the consequences thereof, political strife, aging, and the beauty of music. I found the Brian Wilson interview difficult to watch, but fascinating. I highly recommend this film.

A fascinating story of a little-known instrument and a lesser-known man,Theramin will draw you deep inside with it's compelling story of invention, romance and intrigue. The research and archival footage is astounding (as is the interview with Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys). This true story will stay with you long after you've rewound the film.