The Einstein Theory of Relativity
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The Einstein Theory of Relativity is a silent film released in 1923 by Fleischer Studios. In August 1922 Scientific American published an article explaining their position that a silent film would be unsuccessful in presenting relativity to the general public. They argued that only as part of a broader educational package including lecture and text would such a film be successful. Scientific American then went on to review frames from an unnamed German film reported to be financially successful.[1]
Six months later, in February 1923, the Fleischers released their relativity film, produced in collaboration with Garrett Serviss to accompany his book2 on the same topic. Two versions of the Fleischer film are reported to exist - a shorter two-reel (20 minute) edit intended for general theater audiences, and a longer five-reel version intended for educational use.
There has been some speculation4 among scholars that the Fleischers lifted footage from the German predecessor for inclusion into their film. Presented here are images from the Fleischer film and German film. If actual footage was not recycled into The Einstein Theory of Relativity, these images and text from the Scientific American article suggest that original visual elements from the German film were.[2]
This film, like much of the Fleischer's work, has fallen into the public domain. Unlike Fleischer Studio's Superman or Betty Boop cartoons, The Einstein Theory of Relativity has very few existing prints and is available in 16mm from only a few specialized film preservation organizations.
[edit] External links
- Vintage ToonCast: The Fleischer Educational Collection, free download of the film.
- The Em Gee Film Library, one of the only preservation resources offering a 16mm print of the film.
