It Started with Muybridge

It Started with Muybridge was produced by the U.S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory in 1964, on the eve of Operation Rolling Thunder, the U.S. Navy and Air Force’s three-year campaign of aerial bombardment against North Vietnam. The documentary begins with a voiceover stating the center’s mission: “research and development for tomorrow’s weapons”.  The documentary shows how the famous scientific sequential studies of animal movement done by Edward James Muggeridge (aka Eadweard Muybridge) in the late 1800s contributed to the development of modern weaponry. We watch timelapse experiments with floral blooms and growth before the film cuts to instruments of human annihilation.

Read more: Public Domain Review