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Mechanical Principles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mechanical Principles is a 1930 experimental short film directed by Ralph Steiner.[1][2]

The short explores various mechanical concepts and principles through visual storytelling and cinematography.[3]

Description

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The film shows the inner workings of machines, capturing the precision of mechanical motion in detail. Each frame is crafted to showcase various particularities of in the mechanical world.[4][5]

Production

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The film was shot partly at the Chicago Museum of Science[6]

Reception

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The film is considered to border "pure cinema".[7] Jan-Christopher Horak wrote that "Mechanical Principles reveals that for Steiner any aspect of the visual world can fuel a fascination with sight."[8] The film, part of the director's abstract trilogy, has been found "fascinating and more striking than Surf and Seaweed".[9]

References

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  1. ^ "MOMA".
  2. ^ Pollack, Howard (2012-09-05). Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, His World. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-979167-5.
  3. ^ Ralph Steiner (1930), 1930 Ralph Steiner Mechanical Principles, retrieved 2024-01-29
  4. ^ "Light Cone - MECHANICAL PRINCIPLES". lightcone.org. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  5. ^ "Mechanical Principles | Films |AMDB". www.amateurcinema.org. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
  6. ^ Oja, Carol J. (2004). Colin McPhee: Composer in Two Worlds. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-07180-5.
  7. ^ Pego, Por Jota. "Mechanical Principles (1930). Ralph Steiner" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  8. ^ Horak, Jan-Christopher (1995). Lovers of Cinema: The First American Film Avant-garde, 1919-1945. Univ of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-14684-9.
  9. ^ Tepperman, Charles (2014-12-24). Amateur Cinema: The Rise of North American Moviemaking, 1923-1960. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-27985-8.