Awesome 1935 Soviet Movie Deploys Saxophone-Controlled Robots to Crush Tophat- and Bowler-Wearing Capitalists

Dennis G. Jerz / 15 Jun 2014

I wish I understood Russian, so that I could make sense of this 1935 Russian film featuring a mechanical man remote-controlled via saxophone. Apparently the capitalists take control of the invention and turn it on the workers, at least temporarily. The climax features the workers gaining control of the machines and using them to fight together against the evil capitalists.

The story is obviously inspired by Rossum’s Universal Robots, the 1921 Czech play that introduced the world to the word “Robot”.

What better way to demonstrate a mechanical man to cigar-smoking bigwigs than to control it by saxophone?

These cigar-smoking bigwigs won't doubt me anymore, now that I've summoned a mechanical man via saxophone

Hello, crowd of unruly rioting workers. I am a 12-foot mechanical man sent by the factory owner who obviously means you no harm.

Yes, friendly worker who has obviously not seen any science fiction movies, please stand cheerfully while I embrace you in my metal claws.

Oops, did my giant capitalist-controlled mechanical claws just crush the life out of this too-trusting worker?

The army of mechanical men no longer obeys my saxophone-issued orders! What will become of the noble workers!?

If one giant mechanical man can crush the life out of one too-trusting worker, think what a greedy cabal of capitalists can do with a whole army!

If, my robotic creations, I cannot control you in the montage showing military officials talking to each other via telephone, I will at least make you dance in this alcohol-influenced hallucination!

When the workers take control of the machines, together they can march on the capitalists!

Cower, you capitalists! Your bowlers and stovepipe tophats are no match for our pitchforks and giant mechanical men!

Our cinematic metaphors of technology under the power of the people will do rhetoric on your top hats and bowlers!

Rhetoric, I tell you. Rhetoric! My robotic claws crush your heads, you hat-wearing capitalists!

This tophat is no longer on the head of a capitalist about to be crushed by an army of workers and robots.

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2 thoughts on “Awesome 1935 Soviet Movie Deploys Saxophone-Controlled Robots to Crush Tophat- and Bowler-Wearing Capitalists”

Krista Kennedy says:
16 Jun 2014 at 8:43 am
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Pawl M. Crossman says:
16 Jun 2014 at 1:15 am
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