Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey (1993)

A documentary about the inventor of the first electronic synthesiser instrument and his subsequent life after he was abducted by the KGB as well as a history of his instrument.

Director:

Steven M. Martin

Writer:

Steven M. Martin

Stars:

Leon Theremin, Robert Moog, Clara Rockmore

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Leon Theremin	...	Himself - Inventor of the Theremin
Clara Rockmore	...	Herself - Theremin Virtuoso
Robert Moog	...	Himself - Inventor of the Moog Synthesizer
Nicolas Slonimsky	...	Himself - Composer and Historian
Paul Shure	...	Himself - Musician
Henry Solomonoff	...	Himself - Theremin Studio Member
Suki Bader	...	Herself - Theremin Dancer
Beryl Campbell	...	Herself - Theremin Dancer
Lydia Kavina	...	Herself - Theremin's Great Niece
Brian Wilson	...	Himself - Founder of The Beach Boys
Todd Rundgren	...	Himself - Musician and Producer
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
V.I. Lenin	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Lenin)

Storyline

A documentary about the amazing life of Leon Theremin, inventor of the theremin, the electronic musical instrument so beloved of 50s sci-fi movie music. Theremin amazed America with his instrument until his kidnapping by Soviet agents in the mid-30s. Upon his release from a labor camp, he worked on surveillance devices for the KGB. Almost 60 years later , he is brought back to America for a touching reunion with his friends and colleagues.

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Plot Keywords:

theremin | kgb | inventor | soviet | leon theremin | 

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Taglines:

The Music He Created Was Strange. His Life Was Even Stranger.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

24 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Лев Термен: Электронная одиссея

Filming Locations:

Moscow, Russia

Box Office

Gross USA:

$187,923

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kaga Bay, Channel Four Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min 81 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In addition to being the inventor of the musical instrument that bears his name, Léon Theremin was also the inventor of the eavesdropping electronic-bugging device.

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Goofs

In the documentary, Bob Moog makes a statement to the effect that Stradivarius designed the first violin. "Stradivarius" is not a person but refers to a musical instrument, usually a violin, made by Antonio Stradivari and his family. The violin existed as an instrument for more than a century before the birth of Antonio Stradivari in 1644.

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Quotes

Brian Wilson - Founder of The Beach Boys: It sounded like one of those scary movies where - OOOH - a weird trip, you know. Weird facial expressions. Weird, you know. It's almost sexual.

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Connections

Features The Delicate Delinquent (1957)

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Soundtracks

This Room is My Castle of Quiet
Written by Harry Revel (uncredited)
Arranged and Conducted by Billy May (uncredited)
[Wrongly attributed to The Great Les Baxter as performer]
from the Capitol album "Music for Peace of Mind" (uncredited)
Courtesy Capitol Records
Bax Music

User Reviews

why is everyone obsessing about Brian Wilson?

this is a very interesting & well done documentary about a very interesting man to say the least. his thoughts & inventions & his life were far-flung. sometimes it was the KGB that was flinging him around! this one can be filed under the "truth is stranger than fiction" section. there is a really interesting recent biography about Leon Theremin called, i think, "ether music & espionage". i read it about a year ago when it had been recently published & if you liked this documentary, you might be interested in all of the pain-staking detail in the book. the Martin doc. itself is almost perfect. the only thing i thought was really gratuitous here was Todd Rundgren (sp?) who was obviously just tacked-on for his name. the rest is all really fascinating. no filler. maybe it could have been cut very slightly tighter for those whose attention spans need a constant barrage. if you can find it, get the second edition of the VHS of this that includes the scene with Dr. Samuel Hoffman demonstrating the theremin on the mickey mouse club as a wide-eyed Bobby Burgess looks on. Clara Rockmore was obviously a force to be reckoned with! Robert Moog is astute & fascinating & humble, as usual. some of the "characters" here are REAL CHARACTERS, to say the least. but their inclusion in this film is, i think, appropriate to the subject matter. even Jerry Lewis. how come everyone's hung-up on this Brian Wilson thing? i watched this with a friend who is a college professor & is well versed in music & metaphysics and we both understood everything Mr. Wilson was trying to get across!

-bobby cormier (of the not famous HeatLamp electronic band)