San Francisco 1958 on Vimeo

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by Jeff Altman

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More surprises. A reel labeled "Alameda 1958" happened to feature quite a few urban scenes set in San Francisco. This footage features only my grandfather; both behind and in front of the camera. Preceding this piece of film was a document of his travel there; aboard a Navy Aircraft. That will be posted soon.

Music by Air "Alone In Kyoto"

Credits

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Tim Garrison
4 days ago
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Tags

Offscreen Productions 8 months ago

Keep'em coming Jeff!
laherrera5 8 months ago

I loved the shot with the silhouette of the cigar smoker (your grandfather?) with the bay bridge in the background. I seriously can't get enough of this stuff. More, Jeff, more!
The Balloon Project 8 months ago

would be great if someone composed some original music for these old films of your grandpas.
Carlos Darlington 6 months ago

the music is Alone in Kyoto, by Air... sountrack Lost in Translation,
MuratCo 8 months ago

nostalgic footage, nice music.
the wagon turned around manually, classic.
cami brunjes 7 months ago

the cable cars are still manual! :)
MuratCo 6 months ago

hahah blame it on my ignorance..
Dennis Chiapello 3 months ago

When I was in my teens, we were still allowed to help push the car!
Jay Palmquist 8 months ago

I don't know how to express the impression you create with that music background, except that you make the old feel new and fresh somehow --- if not altogether dream-like and melancholic at the same time. This is such a fresh approach. Very good work!
christine raye 8 months ago

awesome! thanks for sharing!
christine raye 8 months ago

more more more!
Jarbas Agnelli 8 months ago

Great choice for the music.

Gosh, how I love the light leaks on the right of the footage!
Joel Manuel 7 months ago

I have been entranced by this ever since discovering it a couple of weeks ago. Is the music something which is available on ITunes? I'd love to purchase it.

This reminds me of the San Francisco depicted in "Vertigo."
joe blough 7 months ago

i was just thinking the same thing re: vertigo. isnt that carlotta's house there at around 1:40

the song is called alone in kyoto by AIR.
Dennis Chiapello 3 months ago

I'm sure you mean Madeline, not Carlotta. But you do have a sharp eye: I believe that is her apartment building, the older high-rise, atop Nob Hill. But I'm not absolutely certain.
Lawrence Smith 7 months ago

Great vid! How did you transfer the film to computer? Looks great! Amazing how that was 50 years ago. Chinatown looks the same.
fullblownstone 7 months ago

who is this song by?
Carlos Darlington 6 months ago

music is: Alone in Kioto, by Air soundtrack Lost in Translation
David Zemke 7 months ago

that was beautiful. Nice editing and a great piece of music set to it. The music added a surreal trance like quality to the piece. I recently moved away from SF and seeing that gorgeous bay and the views from the top of Nob Hill were great. It made me miss that great city.
dylan allen 7 months ago

very beautiful. Thank you for posting this !
Mike Frisch 7 months ago

Excellent colorization! Great vid!
Merry Writer 7 months ago

I don't like the music and it's definitly does not match the Frisco of old - 'San Francisco Here I Come' is more like it and was the city song in 58 - not the maudlin I left My Heart now claimed. But Frisco is now weird and I guess that is the impression it gives most people, especially the young who don't know the city's history.
Merry Writer 7 months ago

Edited? This was edited? - wish you would show all the film. This country had become totally ADD in thinking as if no one has an attention span of more than 3 minutes.
Jeff Altman 7 months ago

It was edited by hand some 50 years ago by my grandfather shortly after shooting it. Judging by the 3 minute length, I would say its safe to assume you're seeing all the footage he shot. 100 foot rolls of 16mm are of about 3 minutes in length. The order of the shots were probably changed, as well as removal of flash frames and other junk.

Keep in mind that these are home movies. He would make popcorn and show these to his family as a Friday night activity. Editing was part of the spectacle. I can't imagine there was very much thought put into preserving the raw footage as a historical record. He wasn't a professional; just a hobbyist.

I'm doing no editing on my part with any of these movies. Only adding music.

Unfortunately, with most of these things, my choice in music seems to be polarizing for a lot people. The best I can do is choose something which reinforces the imagery to me. Primarily based on feel rather than any rational thought.

You enjoyed the images, though? Thanks for your input; I appreciate your constructive criticism.
Eric Lampi 7 months ago

Jeff, beautiful stuff. I love the music, and I would agree, you should use what feels right to you.

I am curious how you transferred it, my father has a bunch of old films I would love to save, but there aren't many options I know of that aren't very expensive.
Ed Hunsinger 7 months ago

Absolutely beautiful. perfect song pairing with the video. For those wondering, the song is "Alone in Kyoto" by Air.
John Harris 7 months ago

Hey, did anyone notice the VW parked down hill on the left between 17 & 18 seconds in?
Hughes Hall 7 months ago

Fantastic footage! And in very good shape. Do you have any more of this era film of SF? Love the music too.

Can you talk a little about the transfer process?
Samm Bennett 7 months ago

This was a real pleasure to watch. Love the big signs in Chinatown, proudly proclaiming: "CHOP SUEY" and "CHOW MEIN"! Haha!
chrispc 7 months ago

what is this music? is it available? I do like it a lot.
Greg Battersby 7 months ago

I would love to see the Alameda parts you edited out. I am an Alamedan and judging by your last name, so are you...
John X 7 months ago

This is fantastic, man, like climbing into a time machine. What I wouldn't have given to live in SF in that era!

Your choice of music was well considered.

Great stuff here. Thank you for sharing it.
David Nierse 7 months ago

What an amazing footage.. Lately I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey and I was also stunned by the quality of this film and the effects from 1968! I'm curious what else material you will find.
jennifer sharpe 7 months ago

the music choice was brilliant. don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
Patrick Blackard 7 months ago

btw, the white convertible they are standing in front of at the beginning is a Jaguar XK150 Drop Head Coupe. My dad, an Air Force Captain, bought a Jaguar sedan of the same vintage and I instantly became a Jaguar fan.

Dad also had a 16mm DeVry camera, and I wish I could afford a Spirit transfer of his footage.
Steven Brown 7 months ago

Absolutely gorgeous. Please, please, please share some insight on your transfer process. I have hours of film from the late 60s that I cannot even remotely touch of the quality of this...
Nocturne Records 7 months ago

Great video, you might want to think about giving some credit to the musician in the description. As it is an integral part of the video and improves upon it so much. Again very nice work, I enjoyed it.
Jeff Altman 7 months ago

You bring up a good point. The least I could do is give credit to the artist. Thanks!
Sukhjit Ghag 7 months ago

This is amazing footage. I lived and adventured in all the areas filmed.... up till about 6 weeks ago. This makes me homesick.. and also wish I'd shot more video around town. San Francisco is a world class city. Thanks for sharing this.
Osprey Therian 6 months ago

Thank you, Jeff. Film + music = win.
JD Vargas 6 months ago

Amazing how little SF has changed in 50 years, relative to other large cities. Aside from the Financial District and SOMA, the city today looks pretty much like the footage here, aside from the cars and clothes.

Thanks for posting it! And the music was a nice choice, sort of a wistful feeling that fits nicely with footage from the past.
Greg Del Savio 6 months ago

Thanks for putting this up..
H. N. 6 months ago

Wow... this moved me to tears. With the music, your video has a stark and powerful quality about it. Thank you for this; I imagine your grandfather would be quite proud of your work.
valree h 6 months ago

I second the request for Alameda parts if there are any. And I like the music you chose.
Leslie Herring 6 months ago

Wow. It's amazing how the city looks nearly identical except for the cars and fashion. Beautiful choice of music.
Carlos Darlington 6 months ago

the song is Alone in Kioto, by Air, soundtrack Lost in Translation....
very nice video thank Jeff for shared!!!
Kevin Twohy 6 months ago

Wow -- really amazing. Shocked by how 'clear' the footage looks. Thanks, Jeff.
superde1uxe 6 months ago

not sure if you answered this already but how did you transfer the 16mm film? i have a bunch i need to transfer as well.
Merry Writer 6 months ago

Thanks for answering my comment Jeff. It looks like there's an age disconnect. By pairing your 'new' music with the old footage, your generation will not know authentic history. But that is, of course, your prerogative. All I have to do is turn off the cacophony and enjoy the views. So glad you posted your dear grandfather's home movies.

Yes I do remember these type of home movies, every neighborhood had a neighbor who took us 'traveling.' For those of us in Frisco it was Hawaii. It is just that quality that I enjoyed so much and in part made me mention the music mis-match.
lisa salvo 6 months ago

sigh...i just keep coming back to watch it again and again! i recently moved away from san francisco after living there for a year and this video makes me miss it so bad! every day that i lived there i could not believe that i was so fortunate to live in such a beautiful city.
i LOVE the choice of "alone in kyoto", makes me think of thoughtful bus rides on the 38 geary to work with my headphones on.
thanks for sharing!
Cipion 6 months ago

Loved it! Blogged about it!
Rob Anderson 6 months ago

Great! I am glad you posted this.
Robin Wright 6 months ago

Thanks so much for sharing this, Jeff. I grew up in Frisco (born in '58), and this is like a piece of my childhood brought to life. The music was appropriately wistful, as well - good pick.
jack west 6 months ago

Jeff thankyou so much for posting these videos! I really enjoyed seeing this candid-homevideo view of the 50s in such high quality!
SLT 6 months ago

Nice!!
Hak en Haai 5 months ago

Mmm nothing changed ..REALLY (well, only the cars);-)
It's abosulutely fantastic this.
Hurrah for film!
Jon Bryant 5 months ago

50 year old 16mm....so how did you get it transposed in to such clear, focused and clean footage in "video"?
I've got lots of 30 year old 8mm and none of it looks as clean as this....you have a beautiful timeless piece here, just amazing!
Bruce Pohlmann 5 months ago

Great video, and I loved the music that you picked.

I just finished writing about San Francisco; it's been 20 years since I left, and your video brought back some great memories.
David Paul Morris 5 months ago

Great footage and edited well. I also love the light leaks as well and the look of film. The music works for me. I loved it when I heard it for the first time in the movie, Lost in Translation and also with video by Philip Bloom, "Alone In Tokyo", which if you haven't seen it you should. It's here on Vimeo.
Greg Hughes 5 months ago

Tilt your head to the right and read grandfather's tie at 8 seconds in. Those mirror image joke ties were all the rage back then. What a joker! Great footage and remarkably well preserved.
Bones 5 months ago

that is amazing pice of history! GREAT WORK!
Bob Cronk 5 months ago

Really amazing! I was surprised at how clear the film is and how vivid the colors are. Thanks for posting this!
Andrew Cornett 5 months ago

This is awesome, I live in Alameda and the Navy base is now just a big abandoned area at the far side of town.
Infra Blue 5 months ago

This is absolutely fabulous !
A real masterpiece...
Frederic Grasset 5 months ago

It's amazing to see the quality of 16mm. Make me want to drop my HVX200 for a Bolex. Nice music!
Megan Leigh Sweeney 5 months ago

Love it love it
Carl Stuerke 5 months ago

Super chill video.
Corey Buller 5 months ago

rad!
Leo Mazur 5 months ago

Seeing the clarity and smoothness of 16mm film for the first time, I was struck by the contrast with the jerky 8mm home movies that my parents took in the 60s/70s. It was a bit like having IMAX footage from the 1850s somehow!
James Ball 5 months ago

This was great! I was born in San Francisco in 1960 and it was cool seeing it as it used to be. Thanks!
blaz 5 months ago

Great!
Henri Laupmaa 5 months ago

Thanks for sharing.
SF has not changed that much :)
oskr 5 months ago

amazing to see all those beautiful vintage cars on the Golden Bridge.
CaTaPRoDuCTioNS!!! 5 months ago

Beautiful!!
Steve Weiss 5 months ago

Oh My, I really enjoyed that.
R & D Films 5 months ago

Jeff, I totally LOVE this footage. I especially like the backlit scene o f your grandfather in the high rise smoking the cigar. It also reminds me of something my parents and grandparents said to me: "People used to get dressed-up to go to The City." What a treasure to find this. Thanks for sharing it.
john davis 5 months ago

Jeff,
this is terrific stuff. Would I be right in thinking this was shot on Kodachrome? I transfer a lot of film myself and Kodachrome seems to withstand the ageing effects of time better than any other filmstock.
Your Grandad's film is in beautiful condition and has been shot by someone who was clearly comfortable with the technology of the day.
One of the other contributors above bemoaned the fact that his newer 8mm films didn't transfer over as well and this could be explained by the much larger image size of 16mm. But also by the emulsion, in my opinion, Kodak hit the jackpot with Kodachrome II and none of their other emulsions (before or since) looks as nice as KII.
I would stick my neck on the block and say your film was shot on KII
Thanks for posting your Grandad's films they are a brilliant tribute
Matt McDonald 5 months ago

Awesome! So well preserved! Just curious how this was transferred. Great stuff.
john davis 5 months ago

I apologise - I've just spotted the reference to Kodachrome on your 'Kodachrome Christmas' posting. I should read more before I write.
Steven Moyer 5 months ago

I'm actually in the process of making some videos of what my grandfather left behind. Great job with the footage, hope you don't mind me asking - how did you transfer the 16mm to digital? Are you doing that yourself or are you going through somebody?
Chris Duncan 5 months ago

This is one of the coolest little shorts I've seen in a while.
However, I'm aware that the footage was all real time and not edited down except for the flash frames, so it I guess it wasn't short for your grandpa. SF rules!
Rick Macomber 5 months ago

These movies remind me of my dad's home movies, each of which started with an upside down shot of my dad looking into the lens. Watching my dad's home movies are one of the reasons I fell into the profession. Nice work Jeff!
iMak 5 months ago

Hello Jeff, your video is awesome, so I've decided to put it on my blog justanothercoolblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/san-francisco-1958.html cheers! =)
Trust Your Technolust 5 months ago

Absolutely beautiful.
milagros ramos 5 months ago

Wow! our city has really changed. It is a wonderful video and the music felt so relaxing. Thanks so much for sharing!
carlos arroyo sobrino 5 months ago

it reminds me "vertigo"... a lot!

it seems that james stewart and kim novak are going to appear at any moment!
Tadas 5 months ago

Watching this makes me shiver. Beautiful. Great great footage, and superb soundtrack.
Kurt Rummel 5 months ago

What a time capsule, thanks for sharing!
thierry francois 4 months ago

A tribute to your grandfather..I thank you for sharing !
Oded Haber 4 months ago

I lived in Berkeley and often toured SF at that time. I know most of the scenes pictured. Was looking for myself (unsuccessfully) as an "extra" in the shoot.

Thanks for posting.
Ham Liberation 4 months ago

Love it!
Thanks.
Matt Balzan 4 months ago

great vid....you still have to mention how you transferred from vid to digital.......
MASSES 4 months ago

Such nice footage. Nothing beats that old film look. I've added this clip to the Masses Vimeo channel. There is heaps more to check out there:
vimeo.com/channels/masses
Dan The Editor 4 months ago

Love the music, nice to see something different from a few years back. Spinning of the tram is classic.
Hermione Victoria Angelbeck 4 months ago

So beautiful ! I just got back to europe after two months in SF
Sublime video. I love it.
Kyle Burgess 4 months ago

This is so cool. The music choice really works for me. What struck me most was the near empty streets and lack of people in the shots. If you visit SF now the experience is much different. It is very very crowded now. I was born in 1959, the year after this was filmed, and this document made me instantly aware of the changes that have occurred in the past 50 years. Great post.
Polvorosa Kline 4 months ago

a great video for a place that means a lot to me, good choice of music, thank you for sharing, and if you have more footage, PLEASE post
tom bryan 4 months ago

Great work! This is why the site is worth so great!
An Artist You Are.
KiDazed 4 months ago

I'm on my round-about fifteenth play. I can't quite express just how this makes me feel.
It seems to me (with your excellent music pairing) to represent life and death side by side. The people in the movie, they are all gone now, but we see them so fresh, in a dream or a memory.
Thank you for sharing this, it has been inspiring.
KiDazed 4 months ago

I also hope you don't mind, but I blogged about this video too :)

kidazed.com/archives/44