Mechanical Principles (1930)

1930 · Short film · 11 min · dir. Ralph Steiner

• Documentary

Watch now On the Internet Archive

Synopsis

Close up we see pistons move up and down or side to side. Pendulums sway, the small parts of machinery move. Gears drive larger wheels. Gears within gears spin. Shafts turn some mechanism that is out of sight. Screws revolve and move other gears; a bit rotates. More subtle mechanisms move other mechanical parts for unknown purposes. Weights rise and fall. The movements, underscored by sound, are rhythmic. Circles, squares, rods, and teeth are in constant and sometimes asymmetrical motion. These human-made mechanical bits seem benign and reassuring.

Synopsis from OMDb

Details

Director

Ralph Steiner

Released

1930-02-05

Running time

11 minutes

Language

English

Collection

Feature Films

Cast & crew

• RRalph Steiner Director

More like this

• H2O (1929)
• The Social Lion (1930)
• Cartoon Factory (1924)
• Impact (1949)
• Manhandled (1924)
• They Had to See Paris (1929)
• Above the Clouds in Rainier National Park
• In Siamese Society (1919)
• The White Hell of Pitz Palu (1929)
• Flowers of Hate (1924)