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