Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey is a 1993 documentary film by Steven M. Martin about the life of Léon Theremin and his invention, the theremin, a pioneering electronic musical instrument. It follows his life, including being imprisoned in a Soviet Gulag, and the influence of his instrument, which came to define the sound of eerie in 20th-century films, and influenced popular music as it searched for and celebrated electronic music in the 1960s. It was first broadcast on November 2, 1993 (coincidentally, one day before Theremin's death) as a special edition of Channel 4's Without Walls arts strand.

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey
Directed bySteven M. Martin
Written bySteven M. Martin
Produced bySteven M. Martin
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byDavid Greenwald
Music byHal Willner
Production
companies
Distributed byOrion Classics
Release dates
Running time
84 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Languages
  • English
  • Russian
Box office$253,311

Reception

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey won the Documentary Filmmakers Trophy at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. It was also nominated for an International Emmy as well as a BAFTA, the Huw Wheldon Award for the Best Arts Programme, one of the British Academy Television Awards. Theremin was named to the Top Ten Films of the Year lists in Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington DC, and was invited to almost every important film festival in the world, including The New York Film Festival, set a record for the longest question and answer period at the National Gallery in Washington, and was shown by invitation of the Russian Ministry of Culture to top scientists in St. Petersburg.

Janet Maslin of The New York Times called the film a "fascinating, offbeat documentary that stands as a fine job of detective work".[1]

In a December 1995 review, Roger Ebert wrote:[3]

Watching Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey is a curious experience. You begin with interest, and then you pass through the stages of curiosity, fascination and disbelief, until in the last 20 minutes, you arrive at a state of dumbfounded wonder. It is the kind of movie that requires a musical score only the Theremin possibly could supply.

Home Media

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey was released on DVD by MGM Home Video on April 1, 2003.

See also

References
  1. Film Festival Review: The Strangest Instrument and Its Even Stranger Inventor, an October 1994 review from The New York Times.
  2. TV Transmission of Theremin from the British Film Institute.
  3. December 1995 review of Theremin from Roger Ebert.
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