Film showing development of chicken embryo with Beethoven's Egmont
Overture as sound track.

The film, made in 1965, is called "Overture." It is also known as
"Ouverture: Ou Comme On Commence," which means "Overture: Or How One
Begins" in French, and as "Nyitány," which means "Overture" in
Hungarian.

"Title        Overture/Nyitany (100418)  
 Physical     9 min  
 Produced     1965  
 Producer     Mafilm Studios (0354)  
 Language     Hungarian  
 Synopsis     Colour x-ray photography shows the development
              of a chick embryo from its early conception 
              until its escape from the egg, with Beethoven's 
              EGMONT OVERTURE as background music.  
 Credits      Production: Janos Vadasz"  

University of Waterloo
http://media.uwaterloo.ca/htbin/wwform/www/?TEXT=R42915992-42918197-/www/documents/082/cat/wwi770.htm

"Title        Ouverture-Nyitany (03487)  
 Physical     Color; Sound; 9 minutes  
 Copyrighted  1965  
 Distributor  FILMS INCORPORATED/PMI (FI)  
 Producer     CONTEMPORARY FILMS (CONTEM)  
 Audience     Intermediate, Jr High, High School, College (IJSCA)  
 Prog type    Educational  
 Subj rating  General  
 Synopsis     Using color x-ray cameras and other cinematographic
              tools, Dr. Janos Vadasz, Hungarian biologist, has 
              recorded the development of a chicken embryo and 
              the hatching of a baby chick. Accompanied by music 
              from Beethoven's Egmont Overture, the film emerges 
              as a kind of hymn to life itself." 

"That reminds me (since this is my favorite hobby horse), does anyone
remember a French short called OVERTURE OU COMME ON COMMENCE?  It used
the EGMONT overture as background for a display of photographs and
films of embryonic development.  For example, the 'knocking' motif was
used against shots of the heart beginning to beat, while the first
allegro subject traced the flowing of the blood.  The finale involved
a chick breaking out of its egg.  Since the film was French, I suspect
no pun was intended (not that English-speaking viewers could avoid
it)."

Post from rec.music.classical newsgroup
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=10706%40venera.isi.edu&oe=UTF-8&output=gplain

The 9-minute film was made by the Hungarian scientist János Vadász. It
won the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film - Court métrage
and the Prix de la Commission Supérieure Technique at the Cannes Film
Festival in 1965:

Cannes Film Festival
http://www.festival-cannes.com/films/fiche_film.php?langue=6001&edition=1965&id_film=2891

I hope I've identified your film correctly. If anything is unclear,
please request clarification; I'll gladly offer further assistance
before you rate my answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud

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Request for Answer Clarification by nip30-ga on 02 Apr 2004 11:34 PST

Is there anywhere I can get a copy either DVD or video of this
marvelous piece? Thanks for the great help

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Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 02 Apr 2004 12:53 PST

As far as I can determine, "Overture" has never been released on video
or DVD. The only copies in distribution are on 16mm film, and these
are rather rare and difficult to locate. If you have access to a 16mm
movie projector, and would like to obtain a 16mm print of "Overture,"
I can put out some feelers to see what I can find. Would this be of
interest to you?

Answered my question completely.

I too would be interested in referral where I might buy a copy of
Janos Vadasz' "Ouverture" (any format OK).