Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey
Directed by	Steven M. Martin
Produced by	Steven M. Martin
Written by	Steven M. Martin
Starring	Léon Theremin Clara Rockmore Robert Moog Lydia Kavina Nicolas Slonimsky Brian Wilson Todd Rundgren
Music by	Hal Willner
Cinematography	Robert Stone Cris Lombardi Ed Lachman
Production company	Kaga Bay Channel Four Films
Distributed by	Orion Classics (1993, original) MGM/Fox Video (2003, DVD)
Release date	United Kingdom August 29, 1993 (Channel 4)
Running time	Varies (79–84 minutes)

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey is a 1993 documentary film directed by Steven M. Martin about the life of Leon Theremin and his invention, the theremin, a pioneering electronic musical instrument. It follows his life, including being imprisoned in a Soviet Gulag, and the influence of his instrument, which came to define the sound of eerie in 20th-century movies, and influenced popular music as it searched for and celebrated electronic music in the 1960s.

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey won the Documentary Filmmakers Trophy at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. It was also nominated for an International Emmy as well as a BAFTA, the Huw Wheldon Award for the Best Arts Programme, one of the British Academy Television Awards. Theremin was named to the Top Ten Films of the Year lists in Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington DC, and was invited to almost every important film festival in the world, including The New York Film Festival, set a record for the longest question and answer period at the National Gallery in Washington, and was shown by invitation of the Russian Ministry of Culture to top scientists in St. Petersburg.

Janet Maslin of The New York Times called the film a "fascinating, offbeat documentary that stands as a fine job of detective work".

In a December 1995 review, Roger Ebert wrote:

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey was released on DVD by MGM Home Video on April 1, 2003.