A still from "When the Organ Played 'Oh Promise Me'," a rare Auroratone film by Cecil Stokes, ca. early 1940s.

We are pleased to announce a very special addition to the Sixties Synaesthetics program on Wed. April 14 at the Northwest Film Forum.

An extremely rare example of Auroratone films will precede the rest of the program.  We will be presenting When the Organ Played ‘Oh Promise Me’, provided courtesy of film collector Robert W. Martens.

Unseen for 50 years, at this time it is the only known surviving Auroratone film in existence.  Due to the extreme rarity of the print, we will be showing the film from a high-resolution Digibeta video transfer, prepared by DuArt Film and Video in NYC especially for this screening.

All but forgotten today, Auroratone films typically consisted of abstract visuals — often time-lapse photography of crystalline growth filmed in polarized light — accompanied by slow, mildly sad and melancholic music.  They were created in the early 1940s by Cecil Stokes (1910-1956), who intended for them to be used as a therapeutic aid in the treatment of post traumatic stress, manic depression, anxiety disorders, and similar conditions.

Another still from "When the Organ Played 'Oh Promise Me'," by Cecil Stokes, ca. early 1940s.

Stokes formed the Auroratone Foundation of America to distribute the films.  One partner in the effort was none other than Bing Crosby, who also recorded songs for a number of the films including this one. Organist Eddie Dunstedter, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Air Force, also contributed.

In 1945, six Auroratone films were donated to Crile General Hospital, a military and VA hospital in Parma, Ohio, near Cleveland.  Two doctors there, Capt. Herbert E. Rubin and 2nd Lt. Elias Katz, used the films as part of their treatment regime.  In studies later published in several medical journals ca. 1946, they reported the films did indeed have a positive effect.  “Most patients became more accessible…[and] spoke more freely,” making it “possible for the psychiatrist to establish rapport.”

In 2007 or so, Robert Martens found this particular print in a collection of 16mm films his brother Daniel inherited from their grandfather, Gustave, who was an avid home movie maker and occasional collector.  During the 1940s, the elder Mr. Martens worked for a time as a film projectionist for various mental health institutions in the New York City area, and it is believed he acquired the Auroratone film during that period.

Robert posted a low-resolution capture of the Auroratone to YouTube, where it soon caught the eye of amazed and mystified viewers.  This is where we found it, and we very grateful for his generous response to our inquiries, and the effort he has taken to make the film available for this program.

Included below is the YouTube clip.  A much higher-resolution transfer will be shown on April 14.  Don’t miss it!