A neglected genre: James Sibley Watson's avant-garde industrial films

Much industrial film production, whether involving amateur avant-gardists or professionals, remains terra incognita, despite the fact that audiences for industrials at certain times in the twentieth century rivalled and even surpassed those of Hollywood films, whether shown theatrically or non-theatrically. While not all industrials can be read as avant-garde, certain industrials at the very least mimic the kind of formal play that has defined the avant-garde, including James Sibley Watson's The Eyes of Science (1931) and Highlights and Shadows (1937). This article details the production and reception of these films by drawing on previously unavailable corporate and archival material.