Hemo the Magnificent (1957)

Fresh and Exciting

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I saw this production the night it aired on TV in 1957 as a 3rd grader. The first reason I was thrilled was because it was so different than anything I had ever seen on TV and was in such a smart style and content compared to the dreck that was on everyday. It was my first "special".The second thrilling thing was that they used the fanfare to the first movement of Beethoven's 3rd Symphony which remains a favorite of mine 56 years later. It was the first I had heard it or any Beethoven.Also, the content was so rich, complete and perfectly presented and some information still comes to me today. I had seen Dr. Baxter on the Today show, and Richard Carlson in corny horror movies. But here, they were participating in something made just for me! I'd love to see it again.

*Spoiler/plot- 1957, A 50's and 60's school science class documentary film which covers the hard biology and science with some comedic and animation to keep the subject interesting for all ages provided by Frank Capra's talents. The use of Greek mythology is clever.*Special Stars- Richard Carlson, Dr Frank Baxter, Dir: Frank Capra*Theme- Educational school films don't have to be boring.*Based on- 50's biology and circulatory blood science*Trivia/location/goofs- Dr. Frank Baxter was the co-host of this video subject and the many other videos in the science documentary series. However, it seems strange that Dr. Baxter is an English professor at University of Southern California is presented and speaks in these films as a hard science presenter or researcher, since he's not. His career and reputation is not about science at all. He must have got the job for his on-camera screen great screen 'presence' or authority.*Emotion- A memorable and enjoyable film shown in Los Angeles schools during the 60's. I snapped up buying this found VHS video along with it's less memorable sister video subjects sponsored by the Bell Labs. The production quality and memory pathos was worth the buy and viewing time. This is a charming documentary all around. Let's give a big 'thank you' to Frank Capra and his directing talents.

So many educational films are nothing more than mind-numbing drudgery, saved only by the fact that "MST3K" mocks them ("Why Study Industrial Arts?" comes to mind). "Hemo the Magnificent" is actually quite well done. It's all about blood, the heart, and the circulatory system. I admit that I don't remember everything from it, but it does a good job explaining everything, keeping it serious but entertaining. I guess that you can always count on June Foray (most famously the voice of Rocky the Squirrel, she plays a deer here).Since "Hemo the Magnificent" itself may be hard to find, probably the best place to see it is in "Gremlins": a class is watching it while a gremlin is forming.

I watched this video in my Anatomy class and I was completely blown away!I thought the animation was funny and I learned so much more than I would have if I just read from the textbook! Being aimed toward kids, it broke everything down (obviously so kids could understand)but even so, it is tremendously helpful when you are trying to learn about the systems of the body, the circulatory system in particular!