Edition Filmmuseum 43
All Region DVD
Web: http://www.edition-filmmuseum.com
The
history on science on film is a fascinating one, it reflects not only on the
development of science as an educational tool but on the evolution of special
effects and graphic representation. In today’s market the sheer breadth of the “edutainment”
genre is astounding from history to art, music to literature, but it is science
which always attracts the most. When we look at the work of David Attenborough,
whose first nature documentary is usually considered to be Wildlife On One (1977), we can see how the representation of nature
has evolved. His present documentaries in high definition with with astounding
sound bring nature right into our lounge rooms and show how far we have come.
An
interesting venture is to look back in time and consider how the world was
envisioned in earlier periods, especially through the lens of science. This is
where the absolutely fascinating DVD Wunder
der Schöpfung from Edition Filmmuseum is a superb guide.
Wunder der Schöpfung
is still considered one of the most significant cinematic achievements of the
1920’s. It took over two and a half years of set construction, production and filming
to create. It was supervised by Hanns Walter Kornblum with the express idea of
explaining the nature of the universe and man’s role within it. The work was to
be scientifically and academically credible and four university professors
overviewed the work.
Many
hundreds of skilled craftsmen participated in the project, building props and
constructing scale models drawn by fifteen special effects draughtsman, while nine
cameramen in separate units worked on the historical, documentary, fiction,
animation, and science-fiction sequences. It is superbly filmed and beautifully
colored, using tinting and toning in a very elaborate way. Many film historians
believe that visual ideas in the space shuttle sequence were to later be the
inspiration for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
While
the film begins on rock solid scientific ground using a spacecraft as a tool to
travel through the social system bringing an understanding of the planets to the
viewer, soon it veers into truly bizarre territory. Expressing some of the
fears of the age, it begins to explore possible “end of mankind” scenarios in a
way which becomes more and more amusing and strange. It is hence a documentary
which is both amusing and quaint, informative and intrigueing.
The
film itself is not only a fascinating window into the scientific worldview of
the age but offers us a superb look at the way in which special effects were
used in the 1920’s, this really is a fascinating and unusual journey.
As
a bonus there is a copy of the rare documentary The Einstein Theory of Relativity which dates from 1923 and was
made in the USA and directed by Dave Fleischer. This was another fascinating
film from the Twenties which used various illustrations in an attempt to make
the theory of relativity more easily understand.
As
per normal Filmmuseum practice, this is a superbly presented product which lots
on extras on the DVD such as press books, documents and texts and a high
quality 20 page presentation booklet with essays by Stefan Drössler, Ronny
Loewy and Stewart Tryster.
Reviews
appear on the Synergy website with a single cover image. In the digital and
print edition, reviews appear with multiple images and with expanded content.
We recommend you download the free digital edition (or
buy the print edition) to get the most from Synergy
Magazine.
This
review will appear in Volume 2 No.5
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
If
you came to this page directly (and missed our menu), click here
to go to the front page of Synergy Magazine Website or click the following
link: http://www.synergy-magazine.com