Michael Holman Family Home Movie #27

Object Details

Created by

Pauline Thompson Wood, American, born 1901

Subject of

Michael Holman, American, born 1955

Linda Holman, American, born 1953

Alice Holman, American, 1927 - 2009

Pauline Thompson Wood, American, born 1901

Josephine Baker, American, 1906 - 1975

Owned by

Michael Holman, American, born 1955

Caption

This film is from a collection of home movies filmed by the family of Michael Holman, an important figure in the history of hip hop. The collection predominately contains family vacation footage shot when Holman's father, Lt. Thomas Holman, was stationed in Europe with the US Army. Most of the footage was captured by Holman's grandmother, Pauline Thompson Wood. In addition to the European vacation films, the footage shot by Pauline Wood documents her involvement with the Baha'i Faith and includes footage of Baha'i events and pilgrimages to holy sites in Israel and Palestine. There is also footage of the family at home in San Francisco and other sites in California.

Description

This film is from a collection of home movies filmed by the family of Michael Holman, an important figure in the history of hip hop. It consists of a single reel of 8mm silent acetate film with color (a), an original plastic film reel (b), and an original plastic cover (c).

The film begins with shots of street life taken on a corner near the Callo metro station in Madrid, Spain. A small group of soldiers can be seen marching through the area. Next, two panning shots from a high vantage point depict the rolling hills of an unidentified rural area. These are followed by a shot of a balcony filled with potted flowers. A long series of shots capture a Holy Week parade through a small town. The parade features many members of Catholic brotherhoods dressed in traditional capirotes. There are also numerous religious floats carried through the streets on people's shoulders, a military marching band, and crowd members waving to the camera. Several high level dignitaries also march along the parade route. The film then cuts to the young Holman children playing on a quiet street and posing for the camera in Chateauroux, France. Linda Holman wears a white dress with white knee-high socks, and a white cap. Michael Holman wears a white shirt with navy overall-shorts. Alice Holman stands behind them wearing a white top and green skirt.

The next sequence begins with close-up shots of people in a crowd. The camera cuts to a wider shot of a car parked on the street surrounded by the crowd. Josephine Baker emerges from a building, waves to the crowd. The camera cuts to a close-up shot of the car's license plate before Baker enters the car. There is then a series of shots of Linda Holman wearing a grey jacket and white cap, holding hands with Pauline Thompson Wood, who is wearing a fur shawl over a grey dress and posing for the camera. This is followed by a series of shots of a group of people standing together in a yard and smiling for the camera. Linda Holman appears in the front row wearing a white dress with a bow in her hair. Next, there is a long series of shots depicting street life in Paris, France. Many of the shots capture images of market areas with vendors and street performers. There is a succession of quick shots of a home and people at a large mansion before the films cuts to a series of shots depicting the Holman family interacting with friends and neighbors on a quiet street. Michael Homan wears a blue snow suit with a red scarf and white hat. Linda Holman wears a grey jacket with white knee socks and a black bonnet. Alice Holman wears a bright pink sweater with a black skirt. A further sequence of shots depicting Parisian street life follows.

The next sequence depicts life in an unidentified quiet town in a warm climate. There are shots of various buildings, people walking down narrow streets, and people going about their business. Pauline Thompson Wood wears a red sweater and a dark shirt while walking on the beach to go speak to fishermen in boats. Many of the visible signs have Italian and Spanish homonyms. The subsequent series of shots depict tourist sites and street life in Rome, Italy and an unidentified beach location. This is followed by footage of Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius, as well as the Amalfi Coast. The next sequence features street life and tourist sites in and around Lisbon, Portugal. The penultimate series of shots most likely depict Tangier, Morocco. The final shots of the film capture Linda Holman wearing a grey jacket and white bonnet, playing near an unidentified river and mugging for the camera.

An original gray plastic film reel (b) with a brief content note and an original blue plastic film container (c) with markings..

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

ca. 1953

Object number

2016.31.3.27.1abc

Restrictions & Rights

© Michael Holman

Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

Type

silent films

home movies

color films (visual works)

8mm (photographic film size)

Medium

acetate film and plastic

Dimensions

Duration: 27 Minutes

Length (Film): 369 Feet

Place depicted

Madrid, Spain, Europe

Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe

Rome, Italy, Europe

Pompeii, Napoli, Italy, Europe

Costiera Amalfitana, Salerno, Italy, Europe

Lisbon, Portugal, Europe

Tanger, Tanger-Tetouan, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Collection title

Michael Holman Family Collection

Classification

Time-based Media - Moving Images

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic

African American

Actors

Catholicism

Families

Film

Marching bands (Music)

Military

Religion

Travel

Record ID

nmaahc_2016.31.3.27.1abc

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd55519d6bb-c749-48d8-b2ab-3f71bf0700ff