Hemo the Magnificent
I found Hemo the Magnificent
I remember watching these in elementary school, in the days before VHS videos, DVD players, or the internet. The classroom window shades would come down, a projector cart would be rolled into the back of the room, and we all got to watch film strips or slides, or occasionally, movies, which would be shown on an ancient 16mm projector with a built-in amplifier and detachable speaker built into the cover. Aside from the entertainment value of the film, it also meant a change from the usual class schedule, plus nap time for one or two in the back of the room.
I think I saw Hemo the Magnificent, Our Mister Sun, and Powers of Ten a couple of times in 4th and 5th grade or so, and hadn’t seen them since.
I just watched Hemo the Magnificent with my 4th grade daughter and her two friends. It wasn’t a big hit with them (”Too Educational!”), although the animated sections helped. I still like the explaination of the circulatory system, with the little musclemen and the brain on the telephone. The girls did make it all the way through the movie, but bailed out on the second half of the DVD, Unchained Goddess, which is about weather. They were probably wondering about the “magic screen”, the ancient telephone, and the reel-change prompts in the movie, too. I was thinking it needed the movie projector sprocket rattling and the random flutter, distortion, and midrange boominess to recreate the experience.
For me, it was fun and interesting to watch. The movie was made in the late 50’s, and has the titling, musical soundtrack, set decor, and character mannerisms that capture the sense of confidence, optimism, and vaguely happy goofiness that I remember. Elements of the visual style are recognizable to today’s kids from watching the Powerpuff Girls, and the friendly scientist-narrators could easily be swapped with The Professor.
In general, they just seem so pleased with things. You can practically see them thinking “We are Scientists! Isn’t that Great! We are Thinking Big Thoughts!”
At this point, these movies may be more fun for adults than kids, but I may give these another try when things are a little quieter around here. The Palo Alto school district is having a 5-day weekend, so the neighborhood kids are running around and I think their attention span may be too short for this sort of movie today.
In the meantime, I’ll be busy Thinking Big Thoughts.
