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Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey
Program
Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

Steven M. Martin
United States, United Kingdom
1993
83 min
Top 10
Tickets & Times
Synopsis

In the 1920s and 30s, Russian inventor Léon Theremin (1896-1993) was a phenomenal success on concert stages in New York. Audiences went crazy for the sound of his theremin, a musical instrument that is played without being touched, which was for many people the first electronic instrument they had ever heard. But in the late 1930s, he vanished from the scene and returned to Russia under mysterious circumstances.

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssee, winner of the Documentary Filmmakers Trophy at Sundance in 1994, paints a picture of an exceptional life using archive footage and extensive interviews with friends and colleagues from his glory years. His personal story is intercut with that of his brainchild, the theremin, which shot to popularity in America.

The spooky sounds it generated were heard in creepy Hollywood science fiction movies in the 1940s and 50s. Musicians and composers working in that era tell us all about the development of the theremin, how it works, and how it laid the foundations for new electronic musical instruments, making its mark on modern pop music.

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Tickets & Times
Tue, november 19
90-minute introduction by the Guest of Honor
12:30 – 15:27
Eye: Cinema 2

Fri, november 22
Free with Cineville. More info at idfa.nl/cineville
18:30 – 19:59
Eye: Cinema 2
Credits
83 min
color / black and white
35mm
Spoken languages: English, Russian
Director
    Steven M. Martin
    Steven M. Martin
Production
    Kaga Bay Productions,
    Channel Four
    Kaga Bay Productions,
    Channel Four
Cinematography
    Frank G. DeMarco,
    Ed Lachman,
    Chris Lombardi,
    Robert Stone
    Frank G. DeMarco,
    Ed Lachman,
    Chris Lombardi,
    Robert Stone
Editing
    David Greenwald
    David Greenwald
Sound
    Kim Aubrey for Zoetrope Studios
    Kim Aubrey for Zoetrope Studios
Music
    Hal Willner
    Hal Willner
Screenplay
    Steven M. Martin
    Steven M. Martin

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