10 min; United Kingdom
produced by Philips and Pearl & Dean; directed by Digby Turpin
Won the 1958 BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film
This is an animated marketing short produced by the electronics conglomerate Philips, which tells the story (in a distinctive modern design style) of the development of the telecommunications industry. It begins back in ancient times when only Zeus could communicate over long distances, and both Zeus and Hermes make regular appearances throughout the film, watching approvingly as humans invent different mechanisms and technologies for transmitting messages: the telegraph, the telephone, the radio, the television, RADAR, and finally, satellites. The short concludes by noting that we have now “caught up with the gods” and ends with a nod to the company that has made much of this possible, Philips.
Animated Antiquity 
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