4TH OF JULY, 1959
Phil Mork, 1959, 16mm, color, silent with commentary by Peter Mork, 6:59
Location: Ashfield, Massachusetts
THREE FILMS BY PETER MORK
Peter Mork, 1969-1970, 8mm, color, silent with commentary by Peter Mork, 8:35
Locations: Lake Ossipee, New Hampshire; Weston, Massachusetts; 3. Nantucket, Massachusetts
Shown at Home Movie Day Boston
Transfers by Movette Film Transfer
Films Courtesy of Peter Mork
Copyright Peter Mork
Thanks to: Liz Coffey and Peter Mork
About the Films
My dad Phil Mork (1921-1999) was an electrical engineer, and lived in Needham and Weston, MA. He started taking 8mm movies in 1954, then graduated to 16mm two years later. The camera was a Kodak K-100, which he hauled around in a bulky gadget bag with extra lenses, filters and an exposure meter. He took his hobby seriously enough to use a tripod when practical, and owned a Craig tabletop editor/splicer and a Kodak guide to improving your home movies, so his films are full of establishing shots, closeups and all that Hollywood razzmatazz.
As a kid I really got into pestering my dad after dinner when he’d edit his movies, and watching him cut a bunch of random shots into something that told a story was the most magical part of the deal. I finally got my own Bolex regular 8mm camera as a Christmas present when I was 12, which I still have and use now and again. Currently I work as projectionist at West Newton Cinema in Newton, MA, where we hold the line in favor of film over its evil successor, digital video.
–Peter Mork, 2013