The Idea is a 1932 French animated film by Austro-Hungarian filmmaker Berthold Bartosch (1893–1968), based on the 1920 wordless novel of the same name by Flemish artist Frans Masereel (1889–1972). The protagonist is a naked woman who represents a thinker's idea; as she goes out into the world, the frightened authorities unsuccessfully try to cover up her nudity. A man who stands up for her is executed, and violent suppression by big business greets a workers' revolution she inspires.
A woman, representing an idea, confronts a crowd of workers.
Bartosch adapted Masereel's wordless novel The Idea (1920).
An ondes Martenot, an electronic instrument used in the score; likely the first instance of electronic music used in film
Arthur Honegger went on to have a prolific career scoring films.
The Idea (wordless novel)
The Idea is a 1920 wordless novel by Flemish artist Frans Masereel (1889–1972). In eighty-three woodcut prints, the book tells an allegory of a man's idea, which takes the form of a naked woman who goes out into the world; the authorities try to suppress her nakedness, and execute a man who stands up for her. Her image is spread through the mass media, inciting a disruption of the social order. Filmmaker Berthold Bartosch made an animated adaptation in 1932.
The idea, represented as a woman, propagates itself on a printing press.