Wunder De Schopfung

1925, released on DVD 1992

Film & Kunst GMBH for Filmmuseum Munich

All Regions

German with title cards and English language overdub

This early film by Hanns Walter Kornblum is possibly the earliest attempt to popularise science by using filmmakers’ techniques to explain it to the masses. It was a brave attempt at a time when few schools (the likely biggest market) had any film projection equipment and the big cinemas had not considered documentaries as a serious prospect. Kornblum had experience in making commercials and advertising films so was probably better suited for this work than producers of conventional dramas. He understood the process of modelmaking and graphics to demonstrate a point.

Although it was a documentary the film was dressed up with a certain amount of science fiction such as spaceship shots to give it more appeal. As the Nazi organization moved more into filmmaking, it caused problems for Kornblum. Major Ernst Krieger, head of the Culture Department, appeared not to know what a planet was, but he had definite ideas on what the film should contain…. “we have to get a couple of naked girls in here”.

This film was intended to be part of a longer series explaining science to the German people. As well as the main film on Astronomy, “Our Heavenly Bodies”, the DVD also includes a short film on Albert Einstein. Kornblum actually tries to explain the Theory of Relativity with some quite good examples. This was just before Einstein was denounced as a Jew and his works were banned in Germany.

Our Heavenly Bodies is a comprehensive examination of the solar system, planet by planet, and I was amazed at just how much of the science is the same as today. The early scientists were surprisingly well informed and it makes you wonder what astronomers have been doing for the past 85 years. There is a really good history of the development of astronomy from the beginning of the church-supported Earth-centric concept, through the astronomers who fought for and introduced the Sun-centric design that we accept today. Many of these astronomers published their ideas at some risk to their own life – if it was against the accepted church doctrine they could be burned as heretics no matter how good their evidence or observations were.

The film is a fascinating look at “antique science”, which turns out to have been surprisingly accurate. Kornblum intended that the film should be shown as an illustrated lecture and the modern voiceover handles this very well. Perhaps the only negative is the dreadful whining violin and tuneless piano backing music.

This film deserves its place in the history of science and the history of film.

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