Prince Electron

Story

A singing fairy princess marries a fairy prince and moves to his land. Her people can no longer hear her singing, causing much grief. Prince Electron finds the solution with the help of and magician who finds the solution ... in Philips equipment.
Philip's director of advertising, Sies Numan, as with many of the commissioned films, was closely involved in developing the film concept. In an interview, he named this production A puppet operetta in miniature.

‘Prince Electron’ (1954) is a wonderful film from the archives of Joop Geesink, which was very well received. The film has been praised for its good taste, especially in the context of an advertising film.

The film features impressive art direction and drama in puppet animation. With a climax reminiscent of Science Fiction, gorgeous puppets designed by Henk Kabos, and beautiful sets realised under the direction of Eppo Doeve.

Although ‘Prince Electron’ pushed the boundaries of cinematic imagination, it remained modestly in the shadow of its contemporary ‘Kermesse Fantastique’ (1951), possibly partly due to its more emphatic references to its sponsor and the interposed title cards. But don't let that mar the brilliance of this film; it remains an absolute must-see for film buffs and cinephiles alike.

Recognition

The recognition ‘Prince Electron’ later received was in the form of prestigious film awards, including the venerable 1st prize at Venice's Fiera de Milano St.Marco Prize in 1956. This award highlights the lasting impact and artistic value of this masterpiece.

Philips added an extra dimension by using the ‘Wiener Symphoniker’ orchestra for the musical accompaniment, recorded with the Philips Sound System.

Trivia

A remarkable detail is the reference to ‘Philippa Ray’ in the opening credits, a nod to an earlier puppet film for Philips, which featured a singer called Philippa Ray. The name ‘Philippa Ray’ is a free conflation of ‘Philips’ and ‘Ray’. This name was introduced by George Pál.
The end shot of the town square is remarkable, as it shows the world's first big-screen TV projection unit. Very futuristic, because in 1954, even modest-sized TVs were still a novelty. Consider it a video wall/LED screen, avant la lettre.

Multi-language

The film has no spoken or sung text, which makes it easy to distribute in multiple countries. The main titles, however, as well as the texts in the ‘programme book’ were rewritten and re-recorded in several languages.