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UnknownCommunication: A Film Lesson in General Science / Development of Communication (1927)

Venerable educational film showing technologies of communication, circa 1920s.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Unknown
Sponsor: N/A
Audio/Visual: Si, B&W
Keywords: Communication: General; Communication: Telephone; Communication: Radio

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - July 26, 2004
Subject: A Silent Film About Sound
This early, silent educational film from the 20s shows us various forms of communication technology and how they work. It starts with a simple electric bell and goes on to cover the telegraph, the telephone, and radio. This is actually quite well done and interesting. The visual images have a striking vintage look and the explanations are clear and understandable. I learned some things I didnt know about how these technologies work. This would also make a good film for video artists to mine footage from. And there is a slight irony in watching a silent film try to explain how sound waves are carried.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - April 5, 2003
Subject: Communications Crash Course.. 1920's style!
This VERY unique film, made in 1927, s probably the oldest industrial/educational film you'll ever get to see. Made with the intent of educating people on the wonders of sound, the film is more then a course on phone wiring, it's a great snapshot of how to make an industrial film in 1927. Many cool animations are used. As well, we get to see how the old style telephones were made. A quite unique film.

Shotlist

Much of film is composed of CUs and hand-lettered captions.
CU simple electric bell circuit with hand pushing button.
Animated art card showing operation of electric bell circuit.
Animation of electromagnet within bell circuit.
CU telegrapher sending Morse code with old automatic key
CU hand operating old telegraph key
CU telegraph receiver clicking out Morse code
CU telegraph tape being recorded in ink (looks a little like an EKG, electrocardiogram)
Scene aboard a cable-laying ship, showing cable being hoisted and paid out
VS small boats laying cable
VS cable laying, possibly cable splicing operations
VS ripples (waves) on smooth pond water
CU hand showing mouthpiece of old "candlestick" telephone
Animated art card with captions showing operation of telephone
CU hand showing disc of phone microphone
CU small pile of carbon granules taken from telephone microphone
CU drawing of electric telephone bell with animated concentric circles, representing sound waves, emanating from it
CU animated art card showing telephone mouthpiece receiving animated sound waves
Desk-bound white-collar manager picks up candlestick-type telephone and begins to talk
CU woman telephone operator at large switchboard. She wears headphones.
CU white-collar manager at desk making notes and speaking on candlestick-type phone
Art card animations of how telephone receiver works
Animation of concentric circles -- sound waves -- emanating from phone receiver
Another shot of same white-collar manager speaking on phone, then hanging up receiver
CU hand picking up model of first commercial telephone and rotating it to different angles
CU pan along first switchboard (1877)
VS animated art card diagrams showing man's head and how people hear; various shots of internal organs of hearing superimposed on head. Sequence compares operation of telephone receiver to that of human ear.
Animation of inner ear: hammer and eardrum, anvil, stirrup, fluid agitated by sound vibrations
Various drawings showing nerves and nervous transmission of sounds to the brain
Animation of sound impressions traveling to the brain
CU still of man's head; face obscured, animated brain and nerves only shown; circular sound waves on left side coming into his ear and brain (funny shot)
MS experimenter with "Jacob's Ladder" -- electric spark traveling vertically between two upright conductors
CU animated sound waves (concentric circles) emanating from animated electric bell
Animated art card showing continents of North America and Europe with radio towers on each coast and circular radio waves traveling from North America to Europe
Animated art card (with labels as before) explaining operation of the "wireless telephone (radio)
CU artificial lightning produced by generator; dark background, source of sparks barely visible at base
Animated art card showing sound waves modulating electric waves
Animated diagram with labels showing radio transmitting station
CU Audion tube
Animated diagram of radio receiving apparatus
Pan up very old radio transmitting tower with horizontal arm
Animation of radio waves being transmitted from North America to Europe