+

poster of Quicker'n a Wink
Rating: 6.385/10 by 13 users

Quicker'n a Wink (1940)

In this Pete Smith Specialty short, Dr. Harold E. Edgerton demonstrates stroboscopic photography, which he helped develop. This process allows us to see in slow motion what happens during events that occur too fast to be seen by the naked eye. Examples shown here include a bullet in flight as it shatters a light bulb, the moment of impact when a kicker kicks a football, and the motion of a hummingbird's wings as it hovers.

Directing:
  • George Sidney
Writing:
  • Buddy Adler
Stars:
Release Date: Sat, Oct 12, 1940

Rating: 6.385/10 by 13 users

Alternative Title:

Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 00 hour 10 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0

Plot Keyword: photography, slow motion
Subtitle   Wallpaper   Watch Trailer    

CinemaSerf

I do like Pete Smith's narration style, and here it's at its borderline sarcastic best as he tries to explain the scientific theories behind the new slo motion stroboscope or "flicker box" which uses light that flashes up to 2000 times per second to help capture the perfect focus when manipulating the speed of action photography. We see that to good effect as a phone book gets targeted by a golf ball, a cat laps up it's milk and we even see the precision with which a pencil penetrates the wafer thin side of a bubble before the astonishing imagery of a bullet being tracked from a gun barrel to shatter a glass light bulb. Imperceptible to the naked eye, but clear as "a Californian morning" for us here. The gist is maybe laboured a little as once we've got the point as the imagery repeats itself a little too much with milk and humming birds, and the denouement in the dentist's chair takes slow motion (and accompanying audio) just a tad too far for those of us with a sensitive disposition! If science were taught at school with this degree of amiable light-heartedness then maybe we'd remember more about it! Good fun.


My Favorite

Welcome back!

Support Us

Like Movienade?

Please buy us a coffee

scan qr code