Product Details

• Actors: Leon Theremin, Robert Moog, Clara Rockmore, Nicolas Slonimsky, Paul Shure
• Directors: Steven M. Martin
• Writers: Steven M. Martin
• Producers: Amy Smith, Brian Kelly, Frank G. DeMarco, Kate Carty, Loretta Farb
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Language: English, Russian
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: July 5, 2000
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0792846028
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298,349 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

From The New Yorker

Steven M. Martin's documentary, about the inventor of the first electronic musical instrument, is a strange and moving piece of work. Professor Theremin's creation (played by hand movements in the air surrounding it) was put to popular use in the soundtracks of science-fiction films of the fifties; it also shows up on "Good Vibrations," the Beach Boys hit. The professor's life was full of mystery and intrigue, and the filmmakers unearth some bizarre turns of events. Much of the movie belongs to his protégée, Clara Rockmore, a theremin virtuoso; her recollections give the film its emotional weight, while theremin music enhances its spooky, somewhat hypnotic feel. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny, July 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If you have ever had any interest in the theremin, you need to get this film.

There is extensive footage of Clara Rockmore playing the instrument, and her technique is amazing. She has developed a way to play scales by moving her fingers. You have to see it to believe it. I play the theremin and this film helped me out tremendously.

If you never heard of a theremin, the film is worth watching anyway, because you don't see too many documentary films with this much intrigue and depth. Plus, you get to see Brian Wilson's whacked out explanation of the 60s. Really funny.

Leon Theremin had every reason in the world to give up and die, and instead, he kept living. He is a true giant among human beings. The last 10 minutes of the film are sublime.

This is not an action movie. It's a documentary.

But it's one of the best documentary films I've ever seen.

Good ending. Buy it.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Loving Homage to the Art of Invention, December 20, 2003

By 

Nicholas Croft (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Theremin - An Electronic Odyssey (DVD)

"Theremin" is a captivating, eighty-two minute portrait, of the late Russian musical inventor Leonard Theremin. The film describes the life of Professor Theremin's social circle, which was located in New York City during the 1920's and 30's. The instrument that bears his name, along with a range of other exotic musical instruments and inventions, were born during this unique period.

A special attribute of the film is that Director Steve Martin has sought out, and then interviewed, a range of talented musicians, dancers and composers. These artists have made direct contributions toward bringing the sound of Professor Theremin's instrument, from the inventor's basement laboratory, into the consciousness of the American public.

Robert Moog, whose modular synthesizers revolutionized musical production, spent his teenage years building Theremin's from the plans of a hobbyist magazine. Moog claims that Leon Theremin's work is the cornerstone of the use of electronics in musical instrument design.

The film shows that concerts performed by Clara Rockmore to the accompaniment of major symphony orchestras, went a long way towards gaining the acceptance of the Theremin as a serious musical instrument. The Theremin was also popularized by Hollywood, with its use in films such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still".

An interesting subplot of the film describes Professor Theremin's abduction from his 57th Street New York apartment, with his subsequent rediscovery, in Russia, some fifty years later. "Theremin, An Electronic Odyssey" is a documentary film that both informs and surprises. It is highly recommended viewing for all fans of electronic music.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pronounced "terror-men", June 12, 2000

By 

Peter Shelley "petershelley" (Sydney, New South Wales Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Leon Theremin was the Russian-born inventor of the electronic musical instrument that sounds like a fly buzzing but has a touching, yearning vibrato. It was used memorably on the Beach Boys song "Good Vibrations", in the TV series Lost in Space, and in several films including Spellbound, Lost Weekend and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Mr Theremin's life is as bizarre as his creation. At the height of his fame and wealth in New York in the 1920's, he was kidnapped by the KGB, who used his genius for bugging devices and other "bad things". Meanwhile, his student Clara Rockmore thrived as the theremin virtuoso in symphony orchestras. There is poignance in seeing the old Mr Theremin wandering the streets of New York, while the theremin plays "Lover, Come Back to Me" on the soundtrack, and in seeing him reunited with Clara. Watch out for a dazed and confused Brian Wilson.