As in “H2O”, “Mechanical Principles” (1933) follows the principles of cinéma pur in its formal structure, based on rhythm, composition and movement and, despite the apparent disparity between the films, both focus firstly on the study of the rhythm. These “Mechanical Principles” constitute an investigation into the repetition and automatism of machinery and mechanics. Every detail elides the whole, removing the useful purposes of these structures and devices. The impact is immediate. The fascinating result of this concentration is the unexpected vitality arising out of a synthetic world, in the hypnotism of a pendular dance of steel, gears, pipes and cogwheels. Despite the artificiality of the mechanisms, they are delicately portrayed and far from any apparent coldness. This eulogy to the machine evokes the general principles of Futurism but without the “sweeping and incendiary violence” of its manifesto. A captivating beauty springs from these metal landscapes in close-up and underlines the rhythmic fluidity which, with optimism, celebrates the future of man through technical progress. (SDM)