Philips-Radio (1931)

Title: Philips-Radio

Original Title: Philips-Radio

Release Date: 1931-08-27

Status: Released

Rating: 6.5/10 (from 14 votes)

Language: NL

Genres: Documentary

Production Companies: Capi-Holland, Nederlandse Philips, Eindhoven

An industrial film which shows the operations inside the Philips Radio plant: In a mêlée of activity, glassblowers make delicate glass bulbs. Machinery assists the bulb manufacture. A virtuoso glassblower begins a more complex tube used in radio broadcasting; it is then turned, fired, and sculpted. Conveyors carry partially completed units. Workers perform their various specific assembly-line tasks. Cases are manufactured and machined, wire harnesses are assembled, loudspeakers are produced. As radios near completion, they are run through a series of tests. Engineers and draughtsmen define future developments. In a closing stop-motion sequence, in a style reminiscent of Norman McLaren, a group of loudspeakers performs a playful dance. The film overall is a poetic depiction of an industrial process.