MartinHafer I owe my watching this documentary to my strange daughter. Now I do not mean this in a bad way--I come from a family of strange people and the fact that she KNEW what a theremin was surprised me, as I sure didn't. Apparently a theremin is a magnificent electronic musical instrument created in the early part of the 20th century by Dr. Theremin--a genius who had immigrated to the US around the time of the Russian Revolution. This film, then, is about the instrument and its inventor--and it makes for a slow but very interesting story worth seeing even if you are not a musician. I am certainly not one, but I found myself marveling at the beautiful and other-worldly sound of this machine. In fact, we have all heard the theremin before--most often in sci-fi movies but even in other places such as the Beach Boys' song "Good Vibrations". And, speaking of this, seeing Brian Wilson interviewed was pretty bizarre, as he looked pretty good but the more he talked the more you realized that he still is quite mentally ill.Anyway, there is MUCH more to the story in regards to Dr. Theremin--much more, but I don't want to say more because it would spoil this wonderful film. His life, put simply, is MUCH stranger than fiction! I give the documentary very high marks for all the effort it took to construct--with trips to Moscow, locating the Doctor, arranging for interviews, etc.. Clearly this was a labor of love and I appreciate this. The only reason i don't rate this even higher is that it is a bit dry in places and although it kept my interest, I have a much larger capacity than normal for this sort of thing...and the average person might just find their mind wandering. Still, it's fascinating and I strongly recommend you try it.

Lorenzo1950 Underfire apparently did see this documentary but does not remember Clara Rockmore's name. Yes, Brian Wilson was annoying and rambled too long. Maybe a psychological study of excessive partying and drug abuse would make for another documentary on rock stars. Seeing Professor Theremin was richly rewarding to me. Clara Rockmore was wonderful to watch. Her mastery of the Theremin is amazing. It took me awhile to make up my mind but I purchased the DVD and I'm glad I did.

funkyfry A film about Professor (Theo?) Theramin, inventor of the Theramin. Includes a very bizarre interview with "Founder of the Beach Boys" Brian Wilson, who rants for six or seven solid minutes about how people liked his song "Good Vibrations" and also about a lot of things that don't make much sense......"Teenagers..... the children of God" (?!?) Also features some pretty good music, but not a great documentary for non-music fans.

tedg Spoilers herein.What lovely women! What strange political machinations, politics of country, music, science, history. What vile conspiracies.What a story about how a new sound gets transformed from its intent as a source of beauty to the very icon of spookiness. Sound is like food, perceived as we learn.The pathos of a branch of evolution choked.How cool that Moog has the pocket full of pens. The early Theremin the white lab coat, and the old one the tape on the glasses. And this has Brian Wilson too! Anything with him is worth spending time with.