Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Some preliminary thoughts on the home movies
I converted all of our old 8 mm over to DVD. By “old,” I mean “late 1950s to mid 1970s.” Curiously, it seems that the older movies were better quality. I have no explanation for that.
Some key observations:
1. The home movies with me in them are almost all overexposed. It’s as if my brilliance was too intense for normal film.
2. People have no concept of what will be interesting forty, fifty, sixty years later. Hint: photos of people and pets are interesting. Even photos of the neighborhood and our home — interesting. (My banana bike? Interesting.) Long, luxurious panning shots of trees and mountains? Not interesting.
3. I was struck by a really old film wherein my dad had hair. My dad! With hair! Who is that guy?
4. I miss my grandfather.
5. Hmm. Who is more warped: the six-year-old who exposes himself on camera, or the thirteen-year-old who shoots the film?
6. I was struck by a really old film wherein I had hair. All of them, in fact! All of my hairs. In all of the movies. Me, with hair! Who is that guy?
7. Among the three of us, I am by far the most interested in watching these things. Jake lasted ten or fifteen minutes, and I suspect Karen tuned out sooner than that. And even I began fast-forwarding at about half-way through, and I still have about 20% left to watch. I doubt “future generations” of Hoffmans will have much interest in this thing.
So. Was it worth the nearly $200 it took to convert all this film to digital? You bet, and for one shot if nothing else: my grandfather picking a fig off a tree in his backyard, eating it, then thumping his chest, saying (I imagine), “Good for you!”
(Sis, in case you’re wondering, I’ve made copies for everyone.)
D.
I don’t have anything like that of my family – I kind of wish I did. But the thing I’d like to have most would be a recording of my Dad’s voice. I have some of my mother, and her death is too recent for her voice to have started to slip away from me, but my dad has been gone for nearly 25 years now and while I think I remember his voice, I’m not sure.
I keep meaning to bring the camcorder when I visit them — this is a good reminder.
You and I are a lot alike…we are suckers for nostalgia…Karen and Jake, not so much. And I recall that shot of our grandfather and the fig tree, so I totally get it, though I too will probably fast forward through much of it. Still want a copy, so thanks in advance.