Charles Eames

The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames were America's most influential and important industrial designers. Admired for their creations and fascinating as individuals, they have risen to iconic status in American culture. Eames: The Architect and the Painter draws from a treasure trove of archival material, as well as new interviews with friends, colleague, and experts to capture the personal story of Charles and Ray while placing them firmly in the context of their fascinating times.

In 1957, Charles and Ray designed the Solar Do-Nothing Machine for Alcoa, the Aluminum Company of America. True to the Eameses’ belief that toys are not as innocent as they appear, the machine was one of the first uses of solar power to produce electricity. In the 1990s, Eames Demetrios discovered unedited footage of the wonderful machine. He cut it together to produce a new film that shares a bit of its flavor for future generations to enjoy.

Lucia Eames chases a little boy after he steals her diary. It is one of 6 shorts made to display the use of Polavision.

A film record of an exhibition of the late work of Paul Cezanne, organized by The Museum of Modern Art and the Reunion des Musees Nationaux in Paris. The camera moves across details of paintings, as well as details of Cezanne’s studio, providing an intimage, close-up view of the artist’s work. The narration is provided by Cezanne’s own words, taken directly from records of correspondence. 22nd Annual San Francisco International Film Festival Participation- Communication Competition, 1978.

A scientific film essay, narrated by Phil Morrison. A set of pictures of two picnickers in a park, with the area of each frame one-tenth the size of the one before. Starting from a view of the entire known universe, the camera gradually zooms in until we are viewing the subatomic particles on a man's hand.

A short film of the opening of the last museum exhibition prepared by the Eames. The exhibition was called "The World of Franklin and Jefferson" and was to celebrate the bicentennial of the American Revolution.

Atlas gives the viewer an overview of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Beginning in 500 BC, a time clock at the bottom of the screen marks off the years – eight to a second – as the boundaries on the animated map change, showing both the growth including the conquests of Alexander the Great, as well as the decrease as the power of the Romans declined. The film concludes with the invasion of the Huns and the sack of Rome in 476 AD. Music by David Spears.

Animated graphic symbols presented in a constant time frame are used to diagram and explain the laws of planetary motion devised by the Sixteenth-century astronomer Johannes Kepler. “Little Suite”, guitar and lute music composed by Galileo Galilei’s father Vincenzo, is performed by Laurindo Almeida

This film was produced to present the Eames proposal to make an American Revolution Bicentennial celebration. The exhibition would compare and contrast the lives of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, providing a cinematic trip for the viewer through the exhibit, using animation, live-action, and still photography. It was later used by the USIA to provide information to the embassies and museums which would be hosting the exhibition.

The lives of Franklin and Jefferson are used as prisms through which to evoke colonial America. With a dynamic timeline and a wealth of images drawn from architecture, science, and politics, the film brings alive the way American history shaped, and was shaped by, these two men. Benjamin Franklin, standing for the best in colonial wisdom, and Thomas Jefferson, representing the opportunities and ambitions of a new nation, together offer a compelling approach to this richly textured area.

Created as a demonstration of multi-disciplinary thinking, this film was produced in association with UCLA Mathematics professor, Ray Redheffer. With the exclusive use of storytelling through animation this lively and exuberant presentation of the “architecture of algebra,” the film explains the behavior of specific exponents and concludes with the general laws that all exponential expressions obey – all achieved without the use of narration. Council on International Non-Theatrical Events (C.I.N.E.) Gold Eagle Award, 1975. Columbus International Film Festival Bronze Chris Plaque Award-C, 1975. New York International Animation Festival Bronze Praexinoscope Award, 1975. Melbourne Film Festival Selected for Participation, 1976.

The life and work of the astronomer Nicolas Copernicus are shown by means of images of his writings and drawings and places he was associated with.

The Eames design philosophy presented in the form of a series of questions posed by a curator at the Louvre and answered by Charles Eames.

The Eames design philosophy presented in the form of a series of questions posed by a curator at the Louvre and answered by Charles Eames.

A promotional film for the Eames designed Polaroid Sx-70 camera.

A parable, photographed in live-action, about the use of eating utensils in India. Doubling as a social commentary, this film also examines the significance and status that people attach to their artifacts.

A parable, photographed in live-action, about the use of eating utensils in India. Doubling as a social commentary, this film also examines the significance and status that people attach to their artifacts.

A parable, photographed in live-action, about the use of eating utensils in India. Doubling as a social commentary, this film also examines the significance and status that people attach to their artifacts.

One of a series of three films on mathematics conceived and produced by the Eames Office with Ray Redheffer, professor of Mathematics at UCLA. A stop-motion animation film, it begins with an algebraic expression, elaborates on it, and then reduces it to its original form. Told without narration, the film was designed to be supplemented with the explanation of the classroom teacher. Columbus International Film Festival Bronze Chris Plaque Award-C, 1975.

Based on an existing slide show the Eames Office had made about the exhibition, A Computer Perspective (produced for IBM in 1971). The film is a visual survey of the collection of artifacts, ideas, events and memorabilia displayed in the exhibition to represent important milestones in the development of the electronic computer.

Based on an existing slide show the Eames Office had made about the exhibition, A Computer Perspective (produced for IBM in 1971). The film is a visual survey of the collection of artifacts, ideas, events and memorabilia displayed in the exhibition to represent important milestones in the development of the electronic computer.

Based on an existing slide show the Eames Office had made about the exhibition, A Computer Perspective (produced for IBM in 1971). The film is a visual survey of the collection of artifacts, ideas, events and memorabilia displayed in the exhibition to represent important milestones in the development of the electronic computer.

The movie "Clown Face" offers a very rare glimpse into the backstage private world of Circus Clowns. Here, you can look behind the curtain. You will see the clowns in their backstage habitat, Clown Alley, preparing for a circus performance

An excerpt from the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures, which Charles delivered at Harvard University in 1970-71. Includes an evocative discussion of what Charles called “The New Covetables” (knowledge not things), illustrated with a rich array of photographs.

A live-action film of a rare sea creature. The tiny transparent life form (only 5/8″ high) has only rarely been observed in its natural habitat. The remarkable Eames macro-photography provides an intimate view of the animal and demonstrates the creature’s symmetrical shape and its movement in the water.

Created with imagery taken from the 19th-Century Japanese woodcuts on display in the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibition “The Japanese Expedition 1852-1866 of Commodore Matthew Perry,” the film records the opening of the country to Western trade from a Japanese perspective. In Charles’ words, the film “shows something of the special and rare situations that existed when these two cultures came together…one very sophisticated, one with a highly developed technology.” The soundtrack juxtaposes the visuals, with music from the album “Banjo Kings,” an early-American fife-and-drum recording from the Smithsonian Institution archives, and traditional Japanese music from tapes provided by the Japanese embassy.

The process of manufacturing fiberglass chairs is shown through visuals only, with no narration.

"Based on the exhibition "Photography and the city", designed by the Eames Office for the Smithsonian Institute". A primer on the modern problems of and future solutions to growing cities.

Various kinds of tops are shown spinning.

From hardware to software, the basics of then-current computing technology is explained.

A rare, live-action, and close-up study of the only existing Babbage Difference Engine, a machine designed in the first quarter of the 19th-Century by English inventor and mathematician, Charles Babbage. The engine, designed to calculate and print-out tables of numbers for use in navigation, insurance, and astronomy, is considered an important artifact in the history of computing. Babbage is considered to be the father of the modern computer, and the Difference Engine and Analytical Machine are forerunners of the computer. The music is ”Alamaine” and “The Scot’s March” performed by Carl Dolmetsch and the Dolmetsch Quartet.

A Rough Sketch features a linear view of our universe from the human scale to the sea of galaxies, then directly down to the nucleus of a carbon atom. With images, narration, and a dashboard, it gives a clue to the relative size of things and what it means to add another zero to any number. The 1977 film, Powers of Ten, was an expanded and updated version of this 1968 study film. Charles and Ray often gave projects long titles to indicate that they were still exploring their ideas—that the presentation was a model or a type of “sketch.”

The film sets forth the objectives of the planned Center, describes its architectural program, and gives a guided tour through a model of the galleries and exhibits. From the narration: “…the principal goal [of the Center] is much the same as science: to give the visitor some understanding of the natural world.”

Featuring narration by Walter Cronkite.

This film reveals design proposals for the IBM pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair. It incorporates photography and animation to present the concepts, architecture, and overall look of the pavilion and to convey an impression of the exhibition's spirit and content.

A morality film where Sherlock Holmes solves a case using Boolean logic.

The Greek mathematician Eratosthenes estimates the circumference of the earth.

Short animated film commissioned by IBM - to illustrate Camille Jordan's concept of topology - the fact that a simple closed curve divides a plane into an inside and an outside.

2ⁿ is a story about the exponential growth of numbers raised to powers. Part of the Mathematica Peep Shows, one of five films made to accompany the Mathematica: A World of Numbers and Beyond exhibition at the California Museum of Science and Industry and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

2ⁿ is a story about the exponential growth of numbers raised to powers. Part of the Mathematica Peep Shows, one of five films made to accompany the Mathematica: A World of Numbers and Beyond exhibition at the California Museum of Science and Industry and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Symmetry is one of five shorts featured in the film "Mathematical Peep Shows." The collection was made by Charles and Ray Eames for the IBM Mathematica Exhibit which opened in 1961. The degree to which an object is symmetrical is illustrated by the number of different positions in which it can fit into a box of its shape.

Symmetry is one of five shorts featured in the film "Mathematical Peep Shows." The collection was made by Charles and Ray Eames for the IBM Mathematica Exhibit which opened in 1961. The degree to which an object is symmetrical is illustrated by the number of different positions in which it can fit into a box of its shape.

The concept of a mathematical function is illustrated as used in science.

Documentary short

The Fabulous Fifties, CBS, combines style, humor, and imagination. It was rich in touches of quality showmanship and equally rich in the memories of a decade which it revived. In recognition, the Peabody Television Award for entertainment is presented to The Fabulous Fifties, with a special word of praise for producer Leland Hayward and the top talent which appeared in this memorable entertainment special*. *The two-hour special featured comic takes and commentary about the previous decade by, among others, Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Dick Van Dyke, Shelley Berman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Jackie Gleason, Eric Severeid and Henry Fonda.

The Fabulous Fifties, CBS, combines style, humor, and imagination. It was rich in touches of quality showmanship and equally rich in the memories of a decade which it revived. In recognition, the Peabody Television Award for entertainment is presented to The Fabulous Fifties, with a special word of praise for producer Leland Hayward and the top talent which appeared in this memorable entertainment special*. *The two-hour special featured comic takes and commentary about the previous decade by, among others, Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Dick Van Dyke, Shelley Berman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Jackie Gleason, Eric Severeid and Henry Fonda.

A seven-screen presentation for the American pavilion at the Moscow World's Fair.

To avoid making travelers walk excessive distances through a large airport, Washington, D.C.'s new airport is to use mobile departure lounges to transport passengers from the terminal directly to the plane.

To avoid making travelers walk excessive distances through a large airport, Washington, D.C.'s new airport is to use mobile departure lounges to transport passengers from the terminal directly to the plane.

This film was made by the Eamses on a weeks notice for a local Los Angeles TV show where jazz musicians improvised to the images live. The music that overlays the released edition is specifically recorded for that edition.

An interesting look at the world of toy trains, shot from the perspective of the little world itself. Originally created for model train enthusiasts, this short film transcends it's intended audience to delight viewers of all ages and interests!

An interesting look at the world of toy trains, shot from the perspective of the little world itself. Originally created for model train enthusiasts, this short film transcends it's intended audience to delight viewers of all ages and interests!

Charles and Ray produced this film for IBM’s pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. The Information Machine was the first completely animated project produced by the Eames Office. Intended as an introduction to the electronic computer, the film depicts the computer as the culmination of the tools and systems we have created over the centuries to process information. It also explores how humans solved problems both before and after this technology was invented. The Information Machine is ultimately the story of our continual need to process and communicate larger and more complex amounts of data, and how we learn to manipulate abstractions with increasing sophistication and skill.

An interesting look at the world of toy trains, shot from the perspective of the little world itself. Originally created for model train enthusiasts, this short film transcends it's intended audience to delight viewers of all ages and interests!

A portrayal of the Mexican Day of the Dead consisting of still shots and narration. Deals with the special objects and events surrounding the annual Mexican celebration of “All Souls Day”. It is not only a rich flood of folk art, but a view of the way that the Mexicans have come to terms with death. Searched out with the help of Alexander Girard and a moving guitar score by Laurindo Almeida.

Stop-motion animation depicts a man assembling an Eames lounge chair, sitting down to relax in it, and then disassembling it for shipment.

Stop-motion animation depicts a man assembling an Eames lounge chair, sitting down to relax in it, and then disassembling it for shipment.

A film by Charles and Ray Eames

The Eames House and Studio is explored via a series of slides.

The Eames House and Studio is explored via a series of slides.

This film traces the design development of the Eames Sofa Compact, which folds for easy flat-pack shipping. The film, one of the first Charles and Ray made for Herman Miller, starts in a rail yard, where we discover that volume is more expensive than weight. This fact led to the Eames’s firm resolve to flat pack their sofa. The film highlights the ease of unpacking and setting up the sofa, as well as the sofa’s comfort and practicality with regard to the life of service.

Presented without voiceover, various kinds of breads are displayed and broken in a joyous celebration of starch, seed and salt.

Presented without voiceover, various kinds of breads are displayed and broken in a joyous celebration of starch, seed and salt.

Presented without voiceover, various kinds of breads are displayed and broken in a joyous celebration of starch, seed and salt.

A visually elegant study of water on a schoolyard playground.

Using children's toys and drawings, a parade is created.

An early attempt to present communications theory, made to encourage the breaking down of barriers of thinking between disciplines and to discourage thinking of communications in a limited way. Music composed by Elmer Bernstein.

hese two churches, Viersehnheiligen and Ottobeuren are rich examples of mid-18th-Century German Baroque, a time when music, literature, architecture and philosophy were unified. The film, rather than explaining the structure, attempts to express the feeling of what German Baroque was, and what gave it such great style. The music is 18th-Century, played on 18th-Century organs.