Educational Media Reviews Online

Karen Shopsowitz’s dad took home movies. Lots of them. Now filmmaker Karen Shopsowitz takes up her father’s same camera to explore the history and value of amateur filmmaking. This engaging and charming documentary blends footage of Shopsowitz growing up with a fascinating mix of amateur film spanning back to the 1800’s. Through interviews with film archivists, scholars, and collectors we see how amateur film “grew up”; the early cameras marketed to the general public but only affordable by the wealthy, the explosion of middle class filmmakers in the 20’s and 30’s, the emergence of film clubs and the cheaper 8mm format after the depression, and the cross-country drives of a prosperous America after World War II. We see how amateur film fills gaps in the historical record with “mundane” footage of ordinary people at home and at work that you do not find in newsreels. A larger historical and cultural context is illustrated with footage of the invasion of Normandy and a Klu Klux Klan parade. Finally, we see the playful, creative, affectionate impulses of people who picked up cameras to record a moment, and gave us a telling picture of our pasts as individuals, families, and North Americans. Recommended.