Which of the acquired images that surprised you most?
HR: What interests me about these images is to have urban and rural scenes, transport and some traditions that have disappeared. Old cars love it. There is an excerpt from the mid-1950s with the pool at the Lido is fantastic to see before, because since I frequent this space and it is interesting to see the evolution. It's very funny to see the faces and expressions of people at the time, you never know, might be my uncle, grandfather or even great-grandfather, I find it exciting. Likewise it is interesting to review the traditions appear the rubber tappers, nobody carries anymore the wine into a goat skin. I know you can do an act, but this was our daily life many years ago. I'm talking about real things and see our ancestors work is fantastic. The scene of whaling hunt, not that I know off the game itself, but I have sections where one individual appears to cut the whale's head is a little shocking, but it is the stark reality in the mid 80s.
How is the process of preservation of the films?
HR: The movies have to be transported to a suitable machine that at low speeds will gradually do the scanning. Then we can manipulate it in various ways, cuts it and edit it without damage. That worries me more, I have 60% of the collection that has yet to scan, with scenes that should be very interesting, because I can see the beginning of the film, exposing the film to the light. Sometimes I acquire films in boxes that have a label with the word Madeira and then check to see that the inside does not match the title, this also happened to me. As time passes, the film will be degraded further, because the chemicals that were applied will react with each other and rusting, come to disintegrate over time.
Have you ever been contacted by anyone in order to preserve this collection, or sell?
HR: I was never contacted. But it was interesting that no institution is interested in the subject, in the form of financial support in order to scan the rest of the collection to be shown to the general public. I already contacted a few and none was interested. There was an institution that wishes me to make a donation of this material, but nothing more. I am not buying films so that nothing happens and this register is lost again and my effort was in vain. There must be a kind of financial support that allows me to scan the rest of the collection and I volunteer myself to show the movies, free of charge to the public. Something must be done because I do not have enough financial resources to scan the rest of the collection, I have sent these films to England, because in Portugal is much more expensive to repair, it cost two hundred and fifty euros per minute of film. There are other means more affordable home to make that transition, not with quality.
How do you arrive to these values per film, for example the most expensive?
HR: This is a film from 1930, has at most five or six minutes, however, the rest was Morocco. It is a rarity, is unusual even on ebay. The oldest I have is from 1924, is an interesting film because it has urban scenes of the city of Funchal.
Some of these movies have sound?
HR: No, they are all mute. The sound that I know of comes from the 60's. I only have movies with the soundtrack from the '70s, no voice can’t say it's a documentary and was accompanied by background music. I have been careful to insert sound of the same time frame. I had difficulties in inserting the movies sounds kind gramophone, that have no copyright. I managed to pull off some sounds, particularly the brass band of the BBC, before the first world war. I will not pick a rock band for a 1927's we have to choose an appropriate soundtrack. Music was also progressing with the times. From the 60's music is more lively with the highest quality. The sound is part of the set of a return to the past in our history. In the first session with about 100 people, the most curious was the reaction of people stood up and applauded at the same time, because they liked to see this return to the past and review Madeira as it was before, despite being a kind of movie amateur, with jerky movements and certain plans with less quality. And those praise and applause were important. I still collect, but I've lost a few films for a collector who lives in Canada, must be an emigrant.
In the Canaries there is an institution, a video library that daily search the Internet and through other means, like international fairs, video, photography and movies with images of the island in several formats for their collection. They have a huge interest in preserving what is theirs. Madeira is the opposite, there are people who do not care about anything. The Madeira people only gives importance to what is new. I've got films from a local person who would throw them out, and I asked him to offer me. A Swedish gentleman who lives in the Canary Islands, was here from 1972-74, made two trips with the family and shot to stay here. They are very interesting films in super 8, captured in rural areas, Porto Moniz, Calheta and Caniçal locations that rarely appear in images. He contacted me through my website about photography to know if I wanted to get two rolls of films.. I nodded and he came here and offered me cameras and other ancient objects that I also appreciated. It was a nice gesture. I wish that people who have films of Madeira had the same attitude. The problem was that there is no official institution who keeps a collection and preserve such records. The regional archive is interest in such images, but is waiting for the donation, as they ought to do in Canary Islands, searching on all available channels and media images, movies and records of the island.
Then the collection will continue?
HR: I will continue, but depends on price. If you can not reach high values and that is where the authorities should intervene.
How do you preserved the films over time?
HR: At home I have a dehumidifier that removes excess moisture. They are well protected from sources of heat and light because this are three very important factors. I also involved in a special plastic to protect them from insects.
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