higgins-16 Reviews

Die Grundlagen der Einsteinschen Relativitäts-Theorie (1922)

Expanded by the Fleischer Brothers in 1923

[7 November 2006]

This instructional film on Einstein's relativity was expanded by Out of the Inkwell Films, Inc., and released in the United States in 1923. Cartoon giants Max and Dave Fleischer added animated sequences.

The Fleischer version of the film has recently been released on DVD by Apogee Books as "The Einstein Theory of Relativity"(with accompanying book, ISBN 1-894959-51-5). See IMDb entry for that film.

Film scholar Jeanpaul Goergen has written:

"This film is not preserved, as far as I know, but according to the reviews it was a mixture of live action, special effects and different animation techniques. German title: Die Grundlagen der Einsteinschen Relativitäts-Theorie (Teil 1: Das Relativitätsprinzip, Teil 2: Die Lichttheorie, Teil 3: Die spezielle Relativitäts-Theorie). My translation: Elements of the Einstein theory of relativity (Part 1: The principle of relativity, part 2; The theory of light, part 3: The special theory of relativity).

"Produced by Colonna-Film, Berlin, directed by (Professor) Hanns Walter Kornblum, with the collaboration of Dr. Otto Buek, Prof. Dr. Fanta (Prag), Prof. Dr. Rudolf Laemmel (Zürich), Prof. Dr. G. F. Nicolai. Censured: 30. 3. 1922, 2.045 m, released in March 1922.

"I have also some reviews, but I can't find them for the moment. The film was not meant for entertainment, but for instruction and information and was to be accompanied by a lecture."

Gateways to the Mind (1958 TV Movie)

Educational introduction to the senses and the brain; another lighthearted Bell System Science Series film

[7/10 · 11 September 2006]

I saw a number of the Bell science films during the Sixties, and this one was my favorite. In a mix of live-action and animation, it explains how the senses-- touch, sight, hearing, etc.-- function. Cartoon characters gather information from eyes and ears and report it to the little guy who runs a complicated control room in the brain.

Presiding over all is the calming presence of Dr. Frank Baxter, playing himself, sort of-- he wasn't really a scientist but a professor of English. He personified science well, though, to a generation of audiences in darkened classrooms.

I believe this was an episode of *The Bell Telephone Hour* in 1958. Several other films in the series, such as *Hemo the Magnificent* and *The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays*, have appeared on DVD, but not this one, as far as I know. It would be nice to see it again.