[GreenKeys] "Hugo"

[John Nagle]

On 12/6/2011 8:46 PM, greenkeys-request at mailman.qth.net wrote:
> I would like to recommend the current movie "Hugo" for anyone who enjoys
> clockwork, heavy mechanical infrastructure, and precision mechanisms.
> It is set in France in the 1920's, beyond that I don't want to be a
> spoiler. The story was deeply moving for me,  and should cause all of us
> on this list to stop and think about a few things.

   It's a delightful movie.

   The clocks, though, have far too much motion.  Only in a striking
clock with the striking train running will you see fast moving gears.

   The automaton in the movie is very nice.  I've been to
Neuchatel, Switzerland to see the original Jaquet-Droz automata
in operation.  They were built between 1768 and 1774.  They're
maintained by Swiss watchmakers and run once a month.  The movie
shows a mechanism derived from the Writer, although the automaton
in the movie works more like the Draughtsman.
See "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaquet-Droz_automata" for detals.

				John Nagle