Cinema audiences were first introduced to the eerie vibrations of a theremin in the Soviet film Odna (Alone) (1931). During a snowstorm, composer Dimitri Shostakovish amps up the dread with the theremin’s high-pitched wail. Invented in 1920 by Russian physicist Léon Theremin, the instrument works by harnessing electricity and has been used in movies ever since, from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) to First Man (2018). In 1932, Australian composer Percy Grainger discovered the instrument (this one is signed by him) and used it to develop compositions that weren’t dictated by scales, rhythms or harmonies.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
Previously on display
9 December 2025
ACMI: Gallery 1
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
193239
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-05. Sound and Colour → MI-05-C02
Object Types
Audio equipment/Film and television equipment
Photographic print/Pictorial
Poster/Pictorial
Sound recordings - Album covers/Sound recording and reproducing