... that being the documentary. I stumbled across this documentary about pinball machines. As a big fan of pinball machines, I know a fair bit about them, witnessing their evolution the past 40 years.
This documentary illustrated their historic beginnings and the inner workings of their conception, design and marketing. Several points were brought up that I did not know: Pinball Machines were considered gambling and were banned in all US states at one time! Only in the 50's did they start trickling into acceptance as "entertainment only" citing the flippers made it a "game of skill". By the mid 70's, pinballs were common throughout the US.
It stated 90% of machines built prior were shipped to Europe. Who knew? Obviously the filmmakers, since this is a British documentary. The pinball industry made more money than the film industry in the US between 1950-1970!
The documentary visits the only remaining manufacturer of these machines and discusses their design, psychology and shows they are all built by hand. It also profiles fans & players, a National competition, and a NYC Arcade owner-all great interviews that flesh out many aspects of pinball's appeal.
I was impressed with the clever closing credits of digital style framing & lettering, indicative of new "digital" pinballs. It's a clever bookend to the opening credits featuring old style artwork. Highly recommended.
This documentary illustrated their historic beginnings and the inner workings of their conception, design and marketing. Several points were brought up that I did not know: Pinball Machines were considered gambling and were banned in all US states at one time! Only in the 50's did they start trickling into acceptance as "entertainment only" citing the flippers made it a "game of skill". By the mid 70's, pinballs were common throughout the US.
It stated 90% of machines built prior were shipped to Europe. Who knew? Obviously the filmmakers, since this is a British documentary. The pinball industry made more money than the film industry in the US between 1950-1970!
The documentary visits the only remaining manufacturer of these machines and discusses their design, psychology and shows they are all built by hand. It also profiles fans & players, a National competition, and a NYC Arcade owner-all great interviews that flesh out many aspects of pinball's appeal.
I was impressed with the clever closing credits of digital style framing & lettering, indicative of new "digital" pinballs. It's a clever bookend to the opening credits featuring old style artwork. Highly recommended.