The origins of electronic music in cinema go back to the first half of the 20th century. This mix is a homage to some of those moments.It begins with a 1930s Pathé archive example of an early version of what would become a synthesizer, before moving into Dmitri Shostakovich’s first use of theremin on screen in the 1931’s Alone, directed by Grigori Kozintsev. Originally a silent film, Alone gained a soundtrack by Shostakovich just before release once film sound was made available in Russia. Bernard Herrmann’s iconic use of the theremin in The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) has a wonderful moment in this mix wherein we hear the studio sketches of this score’s creation. Taken from the 2018 reissue of the score, this recording presents studio outtakes and rehearsal moments during the production. Herrmann can be heard in the background prompting different actions from his orchestra.
- 3/28/2022
- MUBI
Let’s get this out the way early – yes, you are correct, “Sisters with Transistors” is the best title for a documentary you have seen so far this year. Doing exactly what it says on the tin, Lisa Rovner’s debut feature is a secret history of electronic music, told via the women that made it happen. No Kraftwerk, no Robert Moog, and only the most cursory mention of Leon Theremin. Instead we hear – and hear from – ten unsung (or rather un-bzzzzzzzed. There’s little singing going on) geniuses of electronic art, drawn from across continents and musical styles, dating back to classical violinist Clara Rockmore’s adoption of the Theremin in the 1920s, and passing through avant-garde art pieces, movies, TV scores and commercials.
Laurie Anderson provides the narration – herself a pioneer of the form – as Rovner stitches her film together from archive audio and footage, with the odd...
Laurie Anderson provides the narration – herself a pioneer of the form – as Rovner stitches her film together from archive audio and footage, with the odd...
- 4/29/2021
- by Marc Burrows
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Metrograph Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to “Sisters With Transistors,” a documentary about the women who were the pioneers of electronic music. The film will debut virtually on Metrograph’s website on April 23.
Directed by Lisa Rovner, “Sisters With Transistors” had its world premiere at the 2020 South by Southwest Film Festival and later played at AFI Fest.
“‘Sisters With Transistors’ was a true revelation to us,” said Metrograph Pictures’s head of distribution George Schmalz. “The untold story of the groundbreaking women who brought us some of the most revealing music ever created, ‘Sisters With Transistors’ is an impeccably crafted film that we’re thrilled to bring to audiences nationwide.”
The doc spotlights critical but little-known female leaders of electronic music, including Clara Rockmore, Daphne Oram, Bebe Barron, Pauline Oliveros, Delia Derbyshire, Wendy Carlos, Maryanne Amacher, Eliane Radigue, Suzanne Ciani and Laurie Spiegel. “Sisters With Transistors” was narrated by Laurie Anderson.
Directed by Lisa Rovner, “Sisters With Transistors” had its world premiere at the 2020 South by Southwest Film Festival and later played at AFI Fest.
“‘Sisters With Transistors’ was a true revelation to us,” said Metrograph Pictures’s head of distribution George Schmalz. “The untold story of the groundbreaking women who brought us some of the most revealing music ever created, ‘Sisters With Transistors’ is an impeccably crafted film that we’re thrilled to bring to audiences nationwide.”
The doc spotlights critical but little-known female leaders of electronic music, including Clara Rockmore, Daphne Oram, Bebe Barron, Pauline Oliveros, Delia Derbyshire, Wendy Carlos, Maryanne Amacher, Eliane Radigue, Suzanne Ciani and Laurie Spiegel. “Sisters With Transistors” was narrated by Laurie Anderson.
- 2/8/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
When “First Man,” about the events surrounding Neil Armstrong taking his first steps on the lunar surface in 1969, touched down at film festivals in the fall, critics in attendance were over the moon for its visual effects and technical achievements as well as for the performances of Ryan Gosling as Armstrong and Claire Foy as his wife, Janet.
But Damien Chazelle‘s follow-up to “La La Land” didn’t quite blast off box-office-wise when it opened in theaters on Oct. 12. It came in third with a gross of $16 million in its first weekend, but ended up with a disappointing total of $45 million domestic and $55 million overseas. In comparison, 2016’s “La La Land” took in $151 domestic and $446 million worldwide. The festival frenzy never carried over to the public and its hopes for picture, directing screenplay and acting nominations — save for Foy, who was up for supporting actress at the Golden Globes — fizzled
There are,...
But Damien Chazelle‘s follow-up to “La La Land” didn’t quite blast off box-office-wise when it opened in theaters on Oct. 12. It came in third with a gross of $16 million in its first weekend, but ended up with a disappointing total of $45 million domestic and $55 million overseas. In comparison, 2016’s “La La Land” took in $151 domestic and $446 million worldwide. The festival frenzy never carried over to the public and its hopes for picture, directing screenplay and acting nominations — save for Foy, who was up for supporting actress at the Golden Globes — fizzled
There are,...
- 1/15/2019
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Milestone wraps up its ‘Project Shirley,’ an in-depth study of the independent director of The Connection and Portrait of Jason. Practically all of Shirley Clarke’s small and experimental films are here from the early 1950s forward, plus a wealth of biographical film.
The Magic Box: The films of Shirley Clarke, 1929-1987
Blu-ray
The Milestone Cinematheque
1929-1987 / B&W + Color
1:37 flat full frame / 502 min.
Street Date November 15, 2016 / 99.99
featuring Shirley Clarke
Produced by Dennis Doros & Amy Heller
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Some disc boutique companies license ready-made movie classics for home video, and some slap whatever odd-sourced items can be had into the Blu-ray format and call it a restoration. Although the general tide for quality releases is rising, only a few companies will invest time and effort in historically- and artistically- important films lacking an obvious commercial hook. Milestone Films has been consistent in its championing of abandoned ‘marginal’ films,...
The Magic Box: The films of Shirley Clarke, 1929-1987
Blu-ray
The Milestone Cinematheque
1929-1987 / B&W + Color
1:37 flat full frame / 502 min.
Street Date November 15, 2016 / 99.99
featuring Shirley Clarke
Produced by Dennis Doros & Amy Heller
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Some disc boutique companies license ready-made movie classics for home video, and some slap whatever odd-sourced items can be had into the Blu-ray format and call it a restoration. Although the general tide for quality releases is rising, only a few companies will invest time and effort in historically- and artistically- important films lacking an obvious commercial hook. Milestone Films has been consistent in its championing of abandoned ‘marginal’ films,...
- 11/19/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A couple of weeks ago, I spent a few days immersed in Netflix’s new original series, Stranger Things. As someone who grew up in the 1980s and ‘90s, the show proved a wonderful exercise in nostalgia; a delightful amalgam of the wide-eyed Spielbergian ingenuousness and nightmarescapes of Stephen King that so informed my youth. From the moment the opening credits began I was hooked and a large part of this had to do with the show’s opening theme music. Composed by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, members of the Austin-based electronic outfit Survive, the show’s theme immediately brings us into the curious world of Stranger Things. Analog synthesizer motifs creep in and out of the mix, pulsating ominously, intoning dread. A percussive heartbeat simmers underneath, propelling us forward into awaiting disaster and, paradoxically, backward to another time and place. When combined with the show’s titles—its...
- 8/22/2016
- MUBI
Get your beret and warm up the espresso! Some of the most famous deep-dish art film is here -- in HD -- starting with attempts to translate various art 'isms' to the screen, to graphics-oriented abstractions, to 'city symphonies' to the dream visions of Maya Deren and beyond. The careful remasters reproduce proper projection speeds and original music. Masterworks of American Avant-Garde Experimental Film 1920-1970 Blu-ray + DVD Flicker Alley 1920-1970 / B&W and Color / 1:33 full frame / 418 min. / Street Date October 6, 2015 / 59.95 With films by James Agee, Kenneth Anger, Bruce Baillie, Stan Brakhage, James Broughton, Rudolph Burckhardt, Mary Ellen Bute, Joseph Cornell, Jim Davis, Maya Deren, Marcel Duchamp, Emien Etting, Oksar Fischinger, Robert Florey, Amy Greenfield, A. Hackenschmied, Alexander Hammid, Hillary Harris, Hy Hirsh, Ian Hugo, Lawrence Janiac, Lawrence Jordan, Owen Land, Francis Lee, Fernand Léger, Helen Levitt, Jan Leyda, Janice Loeb, Jonas Mekas, Marie Menken, Dudley Murphy, Ted Nemeth, Bernard O'Brien,...
- 10/6/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Beverly Hills, CA . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will explore the technology behind .Forbidden Planet. (1956) with a discussion and screening highlighting the production methods used to create the sci-fi classic on Saturday, July 16, at 7 p.m. at the Academy.s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Presented by the Academy.s Science and Technology Council, the program will be hosted by Oscar®-winning visual effects supervisor Craig Barron and Oscar-winning sound designer Ben Burtt.
Prior to the screening, Barron will examine the film.s breakthrough effects sequences that used miniatures and matte paintings, as well as explore how Joshua Meador created his animated .id monster. effect and combined it with live-action photography. Burtt will explain how the electronic score was created, using newly discovered source tapes from the film.s composers, Louis and Bebe Barron (no relation to Craig).
In the 1950s, when science fiction films were usually cheaply produced B-movies.
Prior to the screening, Barron will examine the film.s breakthrough effects sequences that used miniatures and matte paintings, as well as explore how Joshua Meador created his animated .id monster. effect and combined it with live-action photography. Burtt will explain how the electronic score was created, using newly discovered source tapes from the film.s composers, Louis and Bebe Barron (no relation to Craig).
In the 1950s, when science fiction films were usually cheaply produced B-movies.
- 7/11/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Have you ever wanted to see a young Leslie Nielsen playing a space-age hero? What if the movie also had the debut of one of science fictions most iconic robots? If neither of these are appealing, perhaps Forbidden Planet can tempt you with a virginal beauty, a mad scientist, and a story that borrows heavily from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. For the casual film watcher, Forbidden Planet is a fun little science fiction film, and for film and science fiction enthusiast, Forbidden Planet influenced Star Wars, John Carpenter’s The Thing, and the Star Trek franchise. With extensive special features and beautiful picture and sound transfer, the blu-ray release of Forbidden Planet should not be missed.
In Forbidden Planet, Commander J.J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) has been sent to Planet Altair-4 to relieve the space crew of their duties and send them home. When they arrive, they discover that the...
In Forbidden Planet, Commander J.J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) has been sent to Planet Altair-4 to relieve the space crew of their duties and send them home. When they arrive, they discover that the...
- 9/8/2010
- by Rachel Kolb
- JustPressPlay.net
Jan. 30
7:30 p.m.
UnionDocs
322 Union Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Hosted by: UnionDocs
Shirley Clarke was an early force in the New American Cinema movement back in the 1960s, directing several underground feature films and shorts. For this event, there will be a screening of her short experimental film Bridges-Go-Round, plus the feature-length documentary Shirley Clarke in Our Time, directed by Donna Cameron, an associate of Clarke’s in the late ’80s.
In addition to the films being screened, there will be a live discussion with Cameron, plus filmmaker and friend of Clarke’s Jonas Mekas; and film critic-programmer Cullen Gallagher.
Here’s a little bit more on the films being screened:
In 1958, Clarke was one of several filmmakers commissioned by the State Dept. to produce short films to be screened at the Brussels World’s Fair. Bridges-Go-Round was assembled from leftover footage from that project. Although it’s typically said...
7:30 p.m.
UnionDocs
322 Union Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Hosted by: UnionDocs
Shirley Clarke was an early force in the New American Cinema movement back in the 1960s, directing several underground feature films and shorts. For this event, there will be a screening of her short experimental film Bridges-Go-Round, plus the feature-length documentary Shirley Clarke in Our Time, directed by Donna Cameron, an associate of Clarke’s in the late ’80s.
In addition to the films being screened, there will be a live discussion with Cameron, plus filmmaker and friend of Clarke’s Jonas Mekas; and film critic-programmer Cullen Gallagher.
Here’s a little bit more on the films being screened:
In 1958, Clarke was one of several filmmakers commissioned by the State Dept. to produce short films to be screened at the Brussels World’s Fair. Bridges-Go-Round was assembled from leftover footage from that project. Although it’s typically said...
- 1/27/2010
- by screenings
- Underground Film Journal
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