{"id":379,"date":"2010-11-12T16:28:34","date_gmt":"2010-11-12T21:28:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/?p=379"},"modified":"2010-11-12T16:37:24","modified_gmt":"2010-11-12T21:37:24","slug":"379","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/2010\/11\/12\/379\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Movie Day 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year, the Harvard Film Archive participates in the international event Home Movie Day.\u00a0 Members of the public are invited to bring their family films to be inspected & screened.\u00a0 This year the HFA again partnered with Boston Street Lab<\/a> (the good folks who bring films to the Chinatown gate every summer) to bring HMD to the Boston Waterfront.<\/p>\n

Local filmmaker and friend of the archive Brittany Gravely has provided this report.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

HOME MOVIE DAY BOSTON 2010
\n::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::<\/p>\n

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::<\/p>\n

Oct. 16. \u00a0I approached the corporate tower cautiously, watching the
\neerily bright autumn sun fall on the gritty starkness of Boston\u2019s
\nseaport before my sluggish gaze led me to an understated sign
\nannouncing this much anticipated event. \u00a0After a few words with the
\nsecurity guard, I headed toward a grey room with one glass wall and a
\n\u201cbusiness casual\u201d kind of air to it. \u00a0Sure, the usual cinematic flurry
\nand caffeinated flourish filled this sterile \u201cPublic Room\u201d of the
\nbuilding (auspiciously titled \u201cIndependence Wharf\u201d), and certainly,
\nthe doting eyes and saccharin smiles of Amy Sloper, Liz Coffey, Tara
\nNelson, Melissa Dollman, Albert Steg, Zach Long, and Sam Davol guided
\nme through the rewinds, past the cookies and into the neat lines of
\nnew chairs in front of flat panel TV screens.<\/p>\n

Yet, somehow, I felt a cold chill inside. \u00a0Gone were the days between
\nlibrary bookshelves or cramped screening rooms or the familiar
\ncreepiness of the back room at the Harvard Film Archive. \u00a0This thing
\nhad exploded, I realized. \u00a0Soon, I supposed, there would be all the
\nhype, the usual cast of celebrities (Oprah, Bono, Obama) and the
\ninevitable product placement. We would be seeing Home Movie Day Barbie
\nwith a plastic Super 8 projector and screen.<\/p>\n

As it turned out, I was way off mark. \u00a0Aside from a hip radio reporter
\ninterrogating me about the blasphemous rituals and sacred light dances
\nof this annual affair, a modest coterie of the standard weirdoes and
\nnew, hipper, more curious kids milled around \u2013 each probably wondering
\nhow even this many people cared about amateur small gauge in this
\ndigital day and age.<\/p>\n

And of course, Albert and Liz opened with their usual melodrama: \u00a0you
\ncould have cut the tension in the room with a Rivas splicer.
\nVictoriously retrieving a missing projector cord at the last minute,
\nSteg burst into the room as if delivering an Olympic medal \u2013 stealing
\nthe spotlight from the platinum-haired film mistress. \u00a0Liz might have
\ncommitted some type of unspeakable crime had she not gotten so worked
\nup over the sorry task of delivering Kodachrome\u2019s last call; December
\nis the last month EVER for processing. \u00a0And with that slit of the
\ncelluloid wrist, we were off!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026 to a sunny black-and-white day in 1927 on 16mm. \u00a0Liz culled this gem
\nfrom the prestigious shelves of the Harvard Film Archive itself.
\nApparently, a Scranton, Pennsylvania man donated his collection of
\nhome movies. \u00a0His family had been in the lucrative textile business,
\nenabling him to purchase film stock \u2013 unusual and expensive at that
\ntime.<\/p>\n

The first title read \u201cHere\u2019s How We Looked in 1927,\u201d and in this
\nreporter\u2019s humble opinion, they looked just fine! \u00a0In the first scene,
\nwell-dressed children try to hold a cat that doesn\u2019t want to be held
\nand when their mother rescues it, they get angry and resort to picking
\nup a less-ornery leaf so they have something to show the camera.
\nEveryone in this film really liked posing and looking swanky for the
\nfuture. \u00a0The stylish people in stylish cars also appeared to truly
\nlove their animals and each other very much. \u00a0Young and old posed and
\nplayed with the cat and dog, and the older folk smooched each other
\nwhenever they had a chance. \u00a0In one of the many highlights on this
\nreel, two little girls and their dolls jump and somersault around a
\nlittle bedroom \u2013 looking so cute and crazy.<\/p>\n

But the real clincher is the next chapter, \u201cThe Four-Legged Members of
\nthe Family.\u201d \u00a0It starts out innocently enough with a man prodding a
\ncat in a tree with a stick, yet soon turns into Outrageous Animal
\nCuteness Extravaganza! \u00a0Liz should have warned those prone to seizures
\nof the extended dog-and-cat-at-play-on-front-porch scenes featuring
\nsuch ecstatic shots as Cat Cleaning Dog\u2019s Face immediately followed by
\nCat Hugging and Attacking Dog\u2019s Face. \u00a0The dog obviously liked both,
\nand I swear he turned to us with a knowing smile! \u00a0These 20\u2019s animals
\nwere really independent and spunky, and we got to see more during the
\nsection facetiously titled \u201cSome More of the Two-Legged Ones.\u201d \u00a0It
\nfeatured two-legged chickens \u2013 pretty ones running amok around short,
\nstrange trees.<\/p>\n

In the next part, \u201cThe Boss and His Boss,\u201d we see what appears to be
\nthe son and his parents with more kissing and animals and hamming it
\nup in a sunny room. \u00a0The final \u201cWhere the Boss and his Boss Live\u201d
\nfeatured wide-angle exterior shots of this now-famous house of
\nhuman\/animal harmony.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The fascinating and witty Brittany Gravely presented her parents\u2019
\ncolor roll of Super 8 from Memorial Day in 1970. \u00a0Also set in
\nPennsylvania, this one was a leisurely suburban paradise of
\npicnicking, soccer and poodles. \u00a0Her casually-mod parents both made
\nappearances \u2013 one sitting with the poodles; the other playing soccer,
\nyet distracted with the perfect placement of his hair. \u00a0The smaller
\npoodle really stole the show in repeated shots of her on hyper-alert
\nduring the intense backyard ball game.<\/p>\n

Amy Sloper found a few reels of Kodachrome from the 60s at a yard
\nsale. \u00a0The first one she showed had a titillating warning on the can:
\n\u201cDon\u2019t Show Guests!\u201d \u00a0Initially I wondered if it was because of the
\nthrongs of youth crowding around cars, or the strange journeys of the
\nbusinessmen who were shaking hands, following geese, and walking with
\nfancy ladies on the boardwalk. \u00a0Perhaps it was that shot of the
\nlighthouse or the woman in red posing with the dog who may have
\nunfortunately torn her stocking. \u00a0Surely it would not have been due to
\nthe hooded kid out in the woods with a dog or those darling girls in
\nnice dresses playing Ring Around the Roses in the yard. \u00a0It could have
\nbeen the older couple on a rocky shore, for at one point, the man is
\ndoing exhibitionistic leg bends for all to see. \u00a0Maybe it was the
\nabruptness of the sudden shift to a football game in a stadium and the
\nobscenity of the wide-shot of the marching band. (At this point, Liz
\nhad to chime in about football being one of the most common film
\nsubjects and to this day, much of it is still shot on film.) \u00a0No, no,
\nit must have been because of the sickeningly idyllic town parade
\n(another common film event according to Coffey). Such a
\nmiddle-American slice of life with boy and girl scouts in all of their
\nglory would have been hard for most friends and relatives to take.
\nThe repulsive closing shots of a man caring for his yard would have
\nsealed the deal, and this poor family would have been aliens in their
\nown neighborhood. \u00a0Liz tucked that controversial reel back into its
\nmetallic sheathe and moved onto more benign subject matter\u2026<\/p>\n

It was the World Premiere of Mike\u2019s document of the 1984 Mother\u2019s Day
\nPeace March in Chicago! \u00a0Not only that, but it was on mag-striped 8mm,
\nand featured both sync audio and atmospheric music that he recorded
\nonto the stripe in post. \u00a0Mike was there to give us background on this
\nfateful day: \u00a0it was the year of the presidential election featuring
\nRonald Reagan as well as Jesse Jackson as the 3rd party candidate. \u00a0He
\nwas following his landlady and her young daughter as they traveled to
\nthe march via train through the gritty, industrial city of wind. \u00a0It
\nwould have even been a more somber affair had the projector not been
\nplaying the film at such a high speed. \u00a0Once the tiny chipmunk voice
\nspewed through a megaphone held by a normal-sized man, we realized the
\nerror. \u00a0Liz performed some of her voodoo on the temperamental belt so
\nthat we could hear about the US\u2019s involvement in Honduras and Costa
\nRica at a proper pitch. \u00a0Clowns, giant puppets, people on bikes &
\nskates, hippy-types and even authentic 80s punks swirled before our
\neyes during one of the musical interludes. \u00a0(I also noticed a field of
\ndandelions in a large median area: \u00a0a mundane observation, perhaps,
\nbut due to the obsession with grassy monocultures in parks these days,
\nyou just don\u2019t see those freewheeling yellow scallywags out & about
\nlike that in the city anymore.) \u00a0These montages were broken up by
\npassionate speakers in pursuit of ending the arms race and other lofty
\ngoals. \u00a0Finally, a young comedian steals the show with his Jesse
\nJackson impersonation \u2013 I couldn\u2019t keep up with the onslaught of comic
\njewels, i.e.: \u00a0\u201cOur thirst to be strong causes us to drink from the
\ncup of wrong!\u201d \u00a0Then he launched into this whole \u201cI have a scheme\u2026\u201d
\nspeech that really got both live and recorded audiences all riled up.
\nAfter a funny song about Reagan and this amazing giant-headed Reagan
\npuppet guy, the day winds down into a game of Frisbee and the sweet
\nsound of the mandolin.<\/p>\n

Tara and Gordon were rooting around in the garbage one day and came up
\nwith \u201cCarmen & Claire\u2019s Wedding 1952\u201d on color 8mm. \u00a0It begins
\ndeceptively enough with women walking the city streets flanked by
\ntheir respective children, and then we are thrown into the chaos of a
\nwedding party erupting out of the church. \u00a0Again, everyone is so cute
\nand stylish. \u00a0In fact, the maid of honor is so stunning she distracts
\nme from the not-unlovely bride. \u00a0(I am starting to think that this is
\na day of beautiful people and I am really wondering if ugliness is
\njust one of the nasty byproducts of the digital age.) This one
\ncharacter tries to break up the marital monotony by waving at us with
\nhis thumbs in his ears. \u00a0But antics like that on top of Gordon\u2019s
\nmusical choice of his \u201cSymphony of the Birds\u201d record \u2013 classical music
\naccompanied by birds from the insane asylum \u2013 will get you nowhere
\nreel fast, buddy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Liz tossed on another one from the Scranton collection; this one a
\ncolor 16mm number from 1946. \u00a0She supposed that it was the
\nconstruction of a textile factory we were witnessing with the casual
\nworkers smoking up on the girders and what not. \u00a0An unusual subject
\nfor the home movie crowd, I dare say.<\/p>\n

Kelly\u2019s color Super 8 reel from 1961 was transferred to the digital
\nmedium so we watched on one of those fancy tee-vees they had set up
\nthere. \u00a0It was Wisconsin and her Great Aunt\u2019s wedding. \u00a0Immediately we
\nare inundated with a flock of lovely ladies in the receiving line and
\nhandsome young men milling about. \u00a0Due to this abundance of attractive
\ncompetition no doubt, the groom had to wipe some sweat from his brow
\nbefore taking the solemn vows with his bride and then it was total
\nsmooch time! \u00a0Man, this is really an X-rated show this year \u2013 you
\ndon\u2019t even know the half of it. \u00a0Maybe the mayor hasn\u2019t caught on yet,
\nbut the dramatic musical accompaniment had, and by the time a cute
\nlittle girl in an extra fluffy dress a\/k\/a a living piece of candy
\nparades in front of us, they cut to the reception and the film runs
\nout.<\/p>\n

After all those superfluous trifles, we need to get back to some
\nsubstance with Jane\u2019s flick from 1969 \u2013 originally on 16mm, now on VHS
\n\u2013 featuring students protesting Vietnam at Fordham University. \u00a0As the
\nTerry Riley-esque avant garde soundtrack plays, we see the
\nestablishing shots of the campus and then a sign on a door that states
\ninformatively: \u201cNov. 12.\u201d \u00a0We get to watch part of a performance art
\npiece which Jane explains is illustrating Jesuits brainwashing the
\nyouth. \u00a0Handwritten inter-titles explain in further detail the student
\noccupation of the university, and we learn that the young man on the
\nmicrophone is speaking about their goal to rid the campus of ROTC.
\nAnother intertitle: \u00a0\u201cLet\u2019s Go!\u201d \u00a0and then the confrontation with
\nPresident Walsh: \u00a0\u201cWalsh, will you abolish ROTC?\u201d \/ \u201cNO!\u201d \/ \u201cWe\u2019ll be
\nback!\u201d \u00a0And they march on.<\/p>\n

Every year Peter wows us with his picture-perfect 50s childhood
\npropaganda, so this year, I came prepared with a fabricated
\ndocumentation of my upbringing in a fairy castle by dancing
\nrainbow-colored unicorns. \u00a0However, the Photoshopped prints crunched
\nin my incredulous fists as I sat through Peter\u2019s amazing hand-drawn
\nanimations that he created at age 11 \u2013 the same age I think I learned
\nthat you\u2019re not supposed to swallow the toothpaste when you brush. \u00a0Me
\nand My Monster starred Terry the Pterodactyl in one of his few
\nonscreen appearances. \u00a0In the town of Monstersville, an alien and a
\nrobot chase the wiley dinosaur. \u00a0\u201cSorry, regrets, and all that
\npterodactyl stuff\u201d he says at one point. \u00a0The robot curses, the alien
\nturns into a crazy flying mobile, and there is this incomprehensible
\n\u201ceye scene\u201d \u2013 I\u2019ll leave it at that. \u00a0The so-called \u201cDr. Perry Cure
\nAll\u201d sends the alien around the moon, the robot\u2019s head smashes into
\nbits and comes back together, and somehow Saturn is left punctured and
\nsagging. \u00a0I couldn\u2019t write fast enough to keep up with the elaborate
\nmind-bending plots of these films, so let\u2019s just say that Terry\u2019s
\nsecond feature, The Saucer Scare surprisingly involves some
\npost-modern touches, like a hand drawing a tree that then itself turns
\ninto a tree, and less-surprisingly details the adventures of a flying
\nsaucer going here, there and everywhere \u2026 finally smashing into the
\nmoon.<\/p>\n

Drawn in a similar simple black line style, The Legend of Sleepy
\nHollow was a 6th grade class collaboration, but no less precocious, my
\nfriends. \u00a0As it turns out, the town of TappanZee is haunted by the
\nso-called Headless Hessia Trooper, ie. The Headless Horseman. \u00a0What
\nshocked me most about this drama was the sarcasm in the inter-titles;
\nfor instance, Brom Bones\u2019 obnoxious performance at the big dance is
\ndryly noted: \u201cThe Life of the Party\u201d. \u00a0I really thought kids in the
\n60s were less jaded. \u00a0Anyway, some of the highlights emerge when
\nIchabad Crane and Brom fall in love with the same woman. \u00a0There is a
\nsplit screen scene, a mirror shot, and a great part when the mailman
\ndelivering Kathryn\u2019s invitations is walking this jazzy walk \u2013
\npersonifying the potential excitement contained in his mail.
\nHeadless\u2019s head on the back of the horse is tossed dramatically at
\nCrane and the rest is history.<\/p>\n

Another infamous HMD staple here this year, Reed, was a cinematic
\nchild prodigy as well. \u00a0Unfortunately, child stardom comes at a price.
\nHe now spends his kodachrome on illegal drug promotion during these
\nsupposedly family-friendly events. \u00a0It was a hedonistic reunion of
\nsorts in the woods of Canton, Mass. \u00a0Reed and his comrades passed the
\nall-too-familiar pipe around and then, no doubt believing they are
\nsuperhuman, start doing headstands and other preposterous feats. \u00a0One
\nman appears to die of an overdose and the stoned filmmaker ascends a
\nrelatively modest stairway to heaven that looks a lot like a nature
\ntrail.<\/p>\n

Reed then takes a breather from the fast-lane by joining his parents,
\nsister and wife in Woods Hole where they wave and smile at the camera
\noutside a comfortable-looking house appropriately located in the
\nmiddle of the woods. \u00a0Just as I was thinking some family values were
\nfinally re-emerging here, Liz \u2013 subject to all of these second-hand
\ncinematic intoxicants \u2013 started having problems focusing the
\nprojector.<\/p>\n

Now that everyone was feeling vulnerable and light-headed, the
\nprojectionists suggested that a good old-fashioned game of gambling
\nwas in order. \u00a0So they threaded up The Broadway Handicap \u2013 a 16mm game
\nof fun and fortune which basically features a short horse race, but
\nyou can bet on your number and then see who wins at the end. \u00a0I
\nintuited that number six was the horse to watch, and it paid off with
\na gift certificate for a film-to-video transfer! \u00a0Maybe a life of
\ncrime isn\u2019t so bad after all\u2026.<\/p>\n

Another Super 8 from the enigmatic Brittany then appeared on the
\nsilver screen. \u00a0Again, the setting was 1970-esque Pennsylvania and her
\nmom stood outside in the snow before her grandparents\u2019 house. \u00a0My \u2013
\noh, I mean \u2013 her father was taking photos of whoever had the movie
\ncamera in a little reflexive flourish and then he snapped some pics of
\nthe Christmas tree in their front window. \u00a0Brittany admitted to being
\ntaken a little aback by her dad\u2019s former mod style and fancy free
\nbehavior on an icy lake. \u00a0Everyone whistled and hooted when her
\nyouthful high-hemmed grandmother appeared on the scene next to a suave
\ngrandfather, rockabilly uncle and cool aunt. \u00a0Obviously, coolness and
\nstyle run in this fabulous family.<\/p>\n

When Jorge presented his YouTube find from 1948 (I didn\u2019t even know
\nthey had computers then) of a musical performance by or of or about
\n\u201cFelix Cardozo\u201d or something like that, I took my bathroom break.
\nThey only let you have one and it seemed like the right time. \u00a0No
\noffense, Jorge.<\/p>\n

I got back just in time for Tara to update us on Carmen and Claire.
\nWhat had become of them, you ask? \u00a0Well on their anniversary,
\ndocumented in Kodachromatic color Super 8, they appeared dark and
\nunderexposed \u2013 I feared the ravages of time had taken quite a toll.
\nYet when the lights came up we saw that they were much older but still
\nreally cute and still knew how to kiss at the right moment.<\/p>\n

Albert called his flea market 16mm find, \u201cThe Miracle of Christmas,\u201d
\nand for good reason! \u00a0A chubby businessman-to-be gets everything he
\nwants on this joyous holiday. \u00a0His 1950\u2019s booty is either displayed
\nlike a store window or proudly modeled: \u00a0a globe, a toy train with
\nbridge, lots of pretty books, bow & arrow, a fancy watch, and most
\nimportantly, these crazy marionettes \u2013 which become a guaranteed gift
\nover the course of the successive Christmases we get to witness. \u00a0I
\nkept wanting to ridicule this boy for his spoiled upbringing, but it
\nwas pretty hard. \u00a0Mostly because of his relationship with this great
\ndog who he kissed and made sure received plenty of attention even when
\nhe was supposed to be showing off the product array. \u00a0And over the
\nyears, the products keep coming: \u00a0games, giant candy canes, a
\ntaxidermied squirrel, a tool bench \u2026<\/p>\n

Again, just as I was about to scoff at his wealth and privilege, he
\ntypes on his new typewriter and presents the results to the camera.
\n\u201cI love you,\u201d it says. \u00a0I weep myself through the brief segue to a
\ncolor roll and now these goodies appear even more decadent and
\nlascivious: \u00a0a \u201cMystoplane\u201d?, boots, \u201cErector\u201d set, skates, still more
\nmarionettes (Snow White & the Seven Dwarves), and another giant candy
\ncane. \u00a0He models with his fancy red bike which is much too big and
\nproudly writes at his new desk like a banker in his little tie and
\nknickers. \u00a0Meanwhile, his dog is his constant companion. The closing
\nshot is him sitting on his bed with the dog, while a crazy monkey toy
\nlurks ominously in the background.<\/p>\n

Taking us back to a more innocent, less gilded time, Liz threw on her
\nSuper 8 kodachrome of the Topsfield Fair two weeks ago. \u00a0Despite the
\nfun-sounding topic, it was really a scientific study of the
\nTilt-a-Whirl from both the observer and participant point-of-view.
\nSuch dry academia is to be expected from this Harvard-employed
\narchivist.<\/p>\n

Amy presented the companion found reel to her \u201cdon\u2019t show to guests\u201d
\nfilm, and some in the audience rightly supposed that the cans were
\nswitched and the warning was really meant for this one. \u00a0It was a 1962
\ncolor document of an unnamed African town that the American tourists
\nvisited. \u00a0The urban zone looked Cape Town-ish to me, but then they
\ntake us to a stranger plain with palm trees and folks hanging out. \u00a0We
\nsee many sights: \u00a0bananas and baskets paraded around, bare-chested
\nAfrican ladies, boats along the shore, a cemetery\u2026 On their car ride,
\nwe get to ogle some wider shots of softly rolling mountains of green
\nand bulbous, low-hanging clouds. \u00a0There is much time spent at a mine
\nor refinery of some kind (and at this point, the accompanying record
\nis loungey cocktail music so it\u2019s a little weird. \u00a0But it matches up
\nwhen twinkling sounds are heard as rocks and water tumble and
\nglisten.) \u00a0The men walk across a crazy swinging bridge into a
\npornographic fantasy zone: \u00a0just as the music switches to a more
\n\u201cexotic\u201d sound, they shed their clothes and skinny dip before our eyes
\n\u2013 their naked selves rolling about in the gentle rapids. \u00a0This was
\ndefinitely a private reel! \u00a0One guy pretends to be a monkey hanging
\noff a branch and we get this mysterious jungle POV shot just as the
\ngong signals the music changing again. \u00a0A glorious sky and sparkling
\nwater rinses away these sins of the flesh\u2026.<\/p>\n

Next stop: \u00a0some kind of special event for tourists features a chain
\nof grass huts around a sandy field where an African marching band
\nperforms. \u00a0We are taken to the covered area where a bunch of 16mm
\ncameras \u2013 including Bolexes \u2013 are documenting the day\u2019s events. \u00a0I
\nhave to say this reel was pretty incredible. There were a lot of white
\nWesterners spectating traditionally-dressed tribal-looking folk who
\nwere putting on amazing shows all around them: dancing, drumming and
\nan onslaught of beautiful outfits, feathered headdresses, painted and
\nadorned women, fancy arrows and other lovely, handcrafted
\nparaphernalia. It ends with the breast-feeding of a child, and despite
\nthe cross-cultural problematics, I think we all feel somewhat
\nnourished by such rare, if fleeting, scenes of indigenous Africa.<\/p>\n

Back in the States, Matt showed a b\/w 16mm roll from 1938 when his
\nGreat Aunt graduated from Vassar. \u00a0(He revealed that she just died
\nfour weeks ago.) \u00a0The graduates receive their diplomas and participate
\nin other formalities. Women relax in chairs with paperwork and snacks
\noutside \u2013 I\u2019m not sure what kind of graduation tradition that is, but
\nthey look happy and comfortable, so that\u2019s really the important thing.
\nThree older ladies go swimming in a lake and I think they are holding
\nhands at some point, but I have to be frank with you that my
\nhandwriting becomes so totally obscure at this point and my memory is
\nso pathetic, that I can only make out something about a charming
\npicnic and a man waving from a car before the ink of my psyche totally
\ndisappears altogether\u2026.<\/p>\n

I guess it was not senility but just good old-fashioned female
\nintuition because guess who but drug-addled Reed was on the scene next
\nwith one of his 13-year-old creations which won 2nd Place in the 1971
\nWashington Society of Cinematographers. \u00a0For those of you new to
\nReed\u2019s childhood, he and his friends would make movies and then sell
\ntickets to the neighborhood youth. \u00a0For this one, they had a separate
\nsoundtrack, but it wasn\u2019t working for us today. \u00a0Yeah, these kids had
\nclass: \u00a0their production company was called \u201cReepeete Prod.\u201d and this
\nfilm even featured a hand-drawn focus frame. \u00a0Big surprise it was
\ncalled How to Break the Habit in Four Easy Steps. \u00a0This title and the
\nopening credits were revealed in a really clever technique using text
\non triangular-shaped rods that rotate. \u00a0A cat burglar breaks into a
\nhouse and is stealing all the silver when he drops a tray, waking the
\nold man who gets his gun and shoots him. \u00a0This allows the real fabric
\nof the story to unfold, for the burglar\u2019s life flashes before his eyes
\nand we see a montage of meaningful moments: \u00a0Christmastime, a baseball
\ngame, at church, smoking pot, shooting up heroin \u2013 you know those
\nunforgettable moments in all of our lives \u2026 \u00a0But its all over for this
\nderelict. \u00a0The door opens to \u201cThe End\u201d and the typed credits roll.<\/p>\n

Brittany\u2019s third and final roll of the day was her own Super 8
\nhandiwork from back in aught five or six, I believe. \u00a0Although she
\nclaimed they were jellyfish at the New England Aquarium, they looked
\nmore like out-of-focus moving blobs of color to me. \u00a0These are very
\ndifficult to catch on film, so it proved to be a real treat for both
\nthe biologists and laypersons in the room.<\/p>\n

Matt had to show us more lurid behind-the-scenes Vassar rituals in a
\nprint faded blood red. \u00a0They were putting on some kind of elaborate
\noutdoor theatre piece and there was singing and occultist
\nflower-wearing involved. \u00a0Some more mundane cap-and-gown action is
\nalso included on this roll as well as a line of amazing 30s outerwear.
\nA cigarette is lit, and that\u2019s all the Vassar grad wrote.<\/p>\n

Just when you thought, things couldn\u2019t get any dicier during our
\nincreasingly sketchy afternoon \u2026. Tara and Gordon strive to win the
\nprize for Most Controversial Roll of the Day, and perhaps they succeed
\nhere. \u00a0It is a thrift-store-found film from 1950s Western Pennsylvania
\nstarring little white girls in blackface! \u00a0It appears to be some kind
\nof highly-questionable school or church play and the kids on stage all
\nlook like miniature Aunt Jemimas. \u00a0There are also banjoes and other
\naccoutrements of the stereotypical black south, in addition to a
\nrecorder section. \u00a0A jarring jump cut to a strange man in a paneled
\nroom with a boy in a cap and gown probably took on darker tones due to
\nthe previous scenes.<\/p>\n

The third act is a slightly heavy-handed on the symbolic front: \u00a0an
\nangelic little girl constantly blinded by the movie light (created by
\nthe Father, presumably). \u00a0It is the Mother who then encourages by her
\nto play dress-up in women\u2019s clothing, to assume traditional, expected
\nroles. \u00a0But the carefree creature has more avant-garde ideas in mind,
\nlike delicately balancing the fur stole on her head. \u00a0An in the
\nbravura d\u00e9noument, an older, dark-haired girl dances the flamenco
\naround the innocent youth.<\/p>\n

Even after this awkward, offensive, and pretentious parade of light
\nshapes, the Home Movie Day powers-that-be let another Tara & Gordon
\nfound color, super 8 roll slip by the censors. \u00a0This apparently
\ninnocuous piece of fluff (baby in a swing, crazy backyard diorama,
\npicnic, patio lounging, etc.) of generic suburban stock footage
\napparently took a turn down Mulholland Drive. \u00a0About the time the
\npoodles arrived, we all realized it was an entry-way into some kind of
\nm\u00f6bius-looped parallel dimension; we were looking into a skewed mirror
\nof that Pennsylvanian Memorial Day reel of only moments ago\u2026<\/p>\n

We all signed non-disclosure forms and ate more of Amy Sloper\u2019s
\ncompletely normal cookies\u2026.<\/p>\n

Ah, the next delightful film was an 8mm Kodachrome from that brilliant
\nyear 1938! \u00a0Do you remember? \u00a0It was Christmastime and our giant
\nfamily waited for the equally giant turkey is to be carved. \u00a0We
\ngathered around the table and in the living room. \u00a0(Scandinavian tunes
\non the record player added to the festivities.) \u00a0Laughter, merriment
\nfills the room. \u00a0A child plays with the family dog. \u00a0Even as we clean
\nit all up and put the decorations away, we have an unimaginably
\nwonderful time! \u00a0Before you knew it, it was summertime and we enjoyed
\na sun-drenched picnic on the lake. \u00a0Girls in cute skirted suits (that
\nwas the style!) played in the water and pulled a canoe to shore. \u00a0I
\nrecall that one woman alone in the boat\u2026. Whatever became of her?<\/p>\n

Another young lady is dropped off at the train station (the locomotive
\nsays \u201cBoston\u201d on the side), for she is leaving town and we see her
\noff. \u00a0This is when things get fuzzy: \u00a0the lake, a tree-lined shore, a
\nboatyard\u2026 older people in the yard with flowers, a street lined with
\ncars\u2026 is there something floating in the lake? \u2026 a memorial site \u2026
\nlush fauna\u2026<\/p>\n

At this point, I\u2019m in and out of consciousness. \u00a0The effects of the
\ncookies are wearing off and they know it. \u00a0Only a few more films \u2026<\/p>\n

Just like that I am transported through \u201cThe Gates\u201d of Christo as
\nfilmed by Reed in NYC in 2005 on dazzling Super 8. \u00a0His wife and son
\naccompany us through the artful shots of orange fabric slowly blowing
\nin the wind and the sun. \u00a0Each fold is given quiet attention. \u00a0Reed
\nwears a matching orange scarf in solidarity with the poetic.<\/p>\n

Matt\u2019s b\/w 16mm reel from 1903 was the kindest, bravest, warmest, most
\nwonderful piece of cinema I have ever seen in my life. \u00a0Ladies in
\nwhite hats and dresses smoke at a garden party and pick fruit in the
\nyard. \u00a0A dream come true.<\/p>\n

Finally, we had to bet on another horse race, so the HMD team could
\nattempt to make up for their losses. \u00a0Sam encourages those still
\nrelatively cognizant not to lose faith and to come back to the next
\nHome Movie Day, which will also probably be supported and promoted by
\nhe and his wife Leslie\u2019s innovative non-profit, Boston Street Lab.<\/p>\n

As for me, I ponder this bizarre hallucination through the Twilight
\nZone (apparently located in Pennsylvania or thereabouts) we have just
\nexperienced. \u00a0Home Movie Day always strikes a delicate balance between
\ntranscendence and banality, the obsolete and state-of-the-art, art and
\nartlessness, voyeurism and \u2026 the opposite of that. \u00a0In the end, it
\nseems we are coming to terms with our past and embracing the future by
\ncommunally participating in the ritual of witnessing other peoples\u2019
\nshared rituals. \u00a0Thus, we have to go through the good times and the
\nseamier ones, not to mention all of those leaks into parallel
\nuniverses, etc. \u2026 just comes with the territory, I guess.<\/p>\n

– Brittany Gravely<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every year, the Harvard Film Archive participates in the international event Home Movie Day.\u00a0 Members of the public are invited to bring their family films to be inspected & screened.\u00a0 This year the HFA again partnered with Boston Street Lab (the good folks who bring films to the Chinatown gate every summer) to bring HMD […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2038,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[16833,16834,16832,6258,6342,142],"class_list":["post-379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-amateur-film","tag-boston-street-lab","tag-home-movie-day","tag-home-movies","tag-super-8","tag-technology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2038"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":395,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379\/revisions\/395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hfacollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}