Rating: 
Summary: Pronounced "terror-men"
Review: Leon Theremin was the Russian-born inventor of the electronic musical instrument that sounds like a fly buzzing but has a touching, yearning vibrato. It was used memorably on the Beach Boys song "Good Vibrations", in the TV series Lost in Space, and in several films including Spellbound, Lost Weekend and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Mr Theremin's life is as bizarre as his creation. At the height of his fame and wealth in New York in the 1920's, he was kidnapped by the KGB, who used his genius for bugging devices and other "bad things". Meanwhile, his student Clara Rockmore thrived as the theremin virtuoso in symphony orchestras. There is poignance in seeing the old Mr Theremin wandering the streets of New York, while the theremin plays "Lover, Come Back to Me" on the soundtrack, and in seeing him reunited with Clara. Watch out for a dazed and confused Brian Wilson.
Rating: 
Summary: Middling documentary of a fascinating man
Review: Maybe it's because I'm a snob who was weaned on award-winning PBS documentaries and hold programs like "American Masters" as *the* standard in film bios. But for whatever reason, I thought that this documentary on Leon Theremin, the strange Russian inventor of the Theremin, that kooky, creepy wailing instrument you often hear in classic 1950's sci-fi films, was definitely not as good as it could have been, and it hardly did any justice to the man himself or his legacy.The biggest problem with this film was that it seemed to half-heartedly tackle the two most important aspects of the inventor-- one, his fascinating career and two, his very strange and tragic personal life. In the first instance, the story of how the Theremin came to be widely used in Hollywood films of the 1940's 1950's is only cursorily dealt with. All you get in this documentary are a few film clips of classic movies like "The Day the Earth Stood Still," but you don't get what you would normally find in a better documentary, which are Hollywood insiders and historians giving their observations on why the Theremin, which was originally meant to be seen as a classic instrument, suddenly became synonymous with creepiness and was so widely used in the 50's. Unfortunately, the only experts to give us any insight are the small circle of colleagues who used to work with Theremin, and their observations ("They wanted it because they thought it sounded creepy. I didn't like that.") are hardly illuminating. In the second instance of half-heartedness in this film, the events of Theremin's life, which were very dramatic and as strange, if not stranger than his instrument, are barely told with any suspense at all, so that they wind up being anti-climactic. Theremin married a black woman at a time when such a thing was unheard of and definitely frowned upon, but this is only touched upon for a few short moments before the film, as if bored or not understanding the significance of an interracial marriage in the '30s, moves onto new territory. In addition, the details of Theremin's bizarre abduction is so poorly played out that when you learn what happens, they lack the tragedy and punch one would have experienced in a better film. But these are just part of the reasons why this film was middling. In the end, the direction wasn't as good as it could have been. The most frustrating thing I found was that: too much time was spent on the wrong people; sometimes an interview was allowed to go on too long; or there were just some scenes that were not relevant. There are several moments in this documentary that demonstrate this to a tee-- in the first scene, a colleague of Theremin demonstrates on the piano what a certain instrument Theremin invented sounded like. This scene not only goes on too long, it's painful to watch because the guy just winds up making a racket for a good few minutes, like when a 6 year old kid starts pounding randonly on the piano. The second scene involves Brian Wilson, who with great effort tries to explain how he used the Theremin in "Good Vibrations." A majority of his interview is so nonsensical, that it could have been edited down a great deal for clarity. The third moment has Todd Rundgren imitate using the Theremin. (It's almost as if he was thrown in there so the director could gush, "Hey, cool-- look! I got Todd Rundgren to be in my film!") But lastly, the fourth moment of waste is towards the end of the film, where we see shots of the decrepit 94 year old Theremin falling asleep in a NYC cab and a few extended moments with Clara Rockmore, who, though an important figure in his life, gets way too much screen time in this documentary for my taste. So there you have it: my review of three stars. I'd like to emphasize that I think this is a somewhat good film for anyone interested in the inventor of the Theremin. But for those people who are looking for something a bit more in depth and similar to "American Masters," you'll be sorely disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting subject, poor documentary
Review: Theremin is a great story in its a very unique instrument that hardly anyone knows of, and an even more interesting inventor. Despite some great moments, this documentary fails to tell the most interesting parts of the story. For example, we never understand why he or by whom he was abducted from NY, and we never learn what exactly he did in the Soviet Union.
All-in-all, it's worth watching to learn about Theremin, but the fascinating parts they feed you aren't enough to satisfy your hunger for more information that could have been delivered by this documentary.
-- JJ Timmins
Rating:
Summary: Interesting subject, poor documentary
Review: Theremin is a great story in its a very unique instrument that hardly anyone knows of, and an even more interesting inventor. Despite some great moments, this documentary fails to tell the most interesting parts of the story. For example, we never understand why he or by whom he was abducted from NY, and we never learn what exactly he did in the Soviet Union.
All-in-all, it's worth watching to learn about Theremin, but the fascinating parts they feed you aren't enough to satisfy your hunger for more information that could have been delivered by this documentary.
-- JJ Timmins
Rating:
Summary: Read the Book First!
Review: This film is a great documentary with wonderful archival and contemporary footage of Clara Rockmore and Leon Theremin playing the instrument. After reading Albert Glinsky's biography, Theremin: Ethermusic & Espionage, this film brings another dimension to many of the people in that book.
Sadly, "this film has been reformatted to fit your television..." This means that the identifying text of who's speaking on camera is missing, translations of interviews in Russian go unseen, and a good deal of explanatory information is lost. You can resort to the subtitles if you read French or Spanish though! If the production quality were up to par with the original content, this DVD would be a 5. Amazon doesn't give an option of 2.5 stars which what I'd rate it if I could. It's not mediocre, it's just disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Documentaries I've ever seen.
Review: This story works on many levels including music, technology, world history, mystery, romance, science fiction and much more. The editing is outstanding. There isn't a dull scene on the whole dvd. The only item of note that was left out was a reference to Jimmy Page's use of a theremin-like instrument in the movie/concert "The Song Remains the Same."
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Documentaries I've ever seen.
Review: This story works on many levels including music, technology, world history, mystery, romance, science fiction and much more. The editing is outstanding. There isn't a dull scene on the whole dvd. The only item of note that was left out was a reference to Jimmy Page's use of a theremin-like instrument in the movie/concert "The Song Remains the Same."
Rating: 
Summary: Very good information
Review: This video is full of excellent samples of the instrument being played - alone, in concert, with other theremins, modern as well as classical musical styles. It is a bit long for classroom use (1 hr. 23 minutes). It could have been condensed a bit. Word of warning: 2 instances of objectionable language which would not be suitable for younger classrooms. Otherwise, very enjoyable and we learned alot.
Rating:
Summary: Damn good
Review: Well if you like the theremin, this is an absolute must have. This movie is so entertaining and tells you so much, all you wanna know. It's worth every penny. Next step I'm gonna buy me a theremin!
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