The Wonders of Magnetism
About The Wonders of Magnetism
An Edison educational short runs a series of magnetism demonstrations. Intertitles name each point, then the experiment is shown. The subjects are the electromagnet and the steel magnet, and the uses of both in science and industry.
More about The Wonders of Magnetism
Edison released the short on 20 January 1915 as a split reel with the comedy A Weighty Matter for a Detective. Moving Picture World of 6 February 1915 described the magnets and their industrial uses. A listed length is 8 minutes. No director is credited.
Themes
Making
The short is a bench demonstration: a title, then a magnet doing one job, then the next title. Edison used that pattern for classroom reels rather than a story.
Reviews
Moving Picture World, 6 February 1915, called it an educational full of interest, illustrating the electromagnet and the steel magnet and their uses in science and industry.
Music
Silent, with intertitles in place of a spoken lecture.
Preservation
A print survives.
Notes
- It shared a reel with A Weighty Matter for a Detective.
- Each demonstration is announced on a title card before the experiment.
- Moving Picture World called it an educational full of interest.
- It was included in the 2005 compilation Edison: The Invention of the Movies.
- No cast is credited.
Scenes
- A title announces the principle, and the magnet is then shown doing the job the card just named.
Also available
- Internet Archive (silent-the-wonders-of-magnetism)