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Charles and Ray Eames are among the finest American designers of the 20th Century. They are best known for their groundbreaking contributions to architecture, furniture design (the Eames® Chair), industrial design and manufacturing, and the photographic arts. In the early 1950s, the Eameses extended their interest and skill in photography into filmmaking. They created over eighty-five short films ranging in subjects from tops to the world of Franklin and Jefferson , from simple sea creatures to the explanation of advanced mathematical and scientific concepts, such as the workings of the computer. Toccata for Toy Trains and Powers of Ten are two brilliant examples of the Eameses' skill, creativity and far-reaching interests. The scores for both those films and some thirty others were written by their friend and collaborator, Elmer Bernstein. This Box Set contains The Films of Charles & Ray Eames volumes 1 to 6
Transcript
00:00On behalf of the Eames family and the Eames office, I would like to welcome you to this special selection
00:06of films by Charles and Ray Eames.
00:09But before the main attractions, a brief introduction to the filmmakers and the films.
00:16Charles and Ray Eames are ranked among the most important designers of the 20th century.
00:21In the early 40s, the Eameses were the first to be able to design and mass-produce molded plywood furniture
00:28with compound curves.
00:30In fact, their work came to the attention of the military early in World War II, and the Eameses were
00:37brought into the war effort to design molded plywood splints, stretchers, and airplane parts, the splints seen here in production.
00:47After the war, they continued their work in furniture design.
00:50To choose just four out of more than a hundred Eames designs spread across four decades,
00:56the LCM Molded Plywood Chair, 1946,
01:01the Molded Plywood Screen, 1946,
01:05the Eames lounge chair and ottoman, 1956,
01:09and the chaise, 1968.
01:12In 1949, they built their own home as part of the Arts and Architecture magazine case study program.
01:19They lived there for the rest of their lives.
01:23The Eames House, as it is known today, is considered a classic of modern residential architecture and is the site
01:30of the Eames Foundation.
01:32From 1943 to 1988, the home of the office of Charles and Ray Eames was this warehouse at 901 Washington
01:39Boulevard in Venice, California.
01:42Here, in addition to their furniture design, they wrote books, designed museum exhibitions, made films, created toys, and more.
01:53The achievements of Charles and Ray Eames are too numerous to offer a complete list here.
01:59And some, like Charles' incredible eye for photography, completely permeate the work.
02:05So a very few examples must suffice.
02:12Charles' Norton Lectures in Poetry, 1970-71.
02:12The India Report, 1958.
02:15The exhibition, Mathematica, A World of Numbers and Beyond, 1961.
02:21Think, at the IBM Pavilion, New York World's Fair, 1964.
02:27Development of a Design for National Aquarium, 1966.
02:32Charles' Norton Lectures in Poetry, 1970-71.
02:38The Computer Perspective exhibition, 1971.
02:42The Copernicus exhibition, 1972.
02:45The Franklin and Jefferson exhibition, 1975.
02:51In 1950, the Eameses made their first film, Traveling Boy.
02:56From that point on, throughout their work, the films are a constant thread, a valued tool for communicating,
03:04teaching, recording, and celebrating.
03:10Charles died in 1978.
03:13Their last film was completed the next year.
03:17Ray died in 1988, as she was completing the process of closing the office and cataloging their films and stills
03:24for the Library of Congress.
03:29During their lives, they made over a hundred short films on subjects from toy trains to the laws of physics.
03:36From sea creatures to the world of Franklin and Jefferson.
03:39Robert-國父-194.
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