Deathbed Vigil and Other Tales of Digital Angst, The
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| The Deathbed Vigil and Other Tales of Digital Angst DVD Cover | |
| Format | Video (VHS) |
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| Genre | Documentary |
| Origin | USA |
| Language | English |
| Release Date | 14 July 1994 |
| Running Time | 124 min |
| Production | |
| Created by | David Haynie |
| Directed by | David Haynie |
| Produced by | David Haynie |
| Written by | NA |
| Screenplay by | NA |
| Distributed by | Frog Pond Media |
| Narrated by | NA |
| Starring | David Haynie |
| Music by | NA |
| Cinematography by | David Haynie |
| Edited by | David Haynie |
| Production Company | Frog Pond Media |
| Location(s) | West Chester, PA, USA |
| Original Channel | NA |
| Additional Information | |
| Based on | NA |
| Topics | Technology, Computers, Hacking |
| Follows | NA |
| Precedes | NA |
| Associated Video | NA |
| Website | frogpondmedia.com/dbv |
The Deathbed Vigil and Other Tales of Digital Angst is a documentary of the days surrounding the bankruptcy of Commodore Computer, some of the people involved in making the Amiga systems, and where it all went wrong.
Synopsis
In the 1980s, the Commodore 64 started the era of ubiquitous personal computing, becoming the best selling personal computer of all time. In the mid 1980s, Commodore launched the Amiga series, the most advanced personal computer system of the era, and the first personal computer that could work with video as well as text or audio.
By mid 1994, Commodore was gone.
This is a story of the days surrounding the bankruptcy of Commodore Computer, some of the people involved in making the Commodore and Amiga systems, and where it all went wrong. Shot over a couple of days prior to Commodore's bankruptcy, and the day immediately afterwards, this is an insider's view into the various events at Commodore's Engineering headquarters in West Chester, PA. This includes a short tour of the facility, a lunch after more than 50% of the employees were fired, and the namesake "Deathbed Vigil" event, the day after the surprise bankruptcy filing.
May contain variations in audio and video quality. This film was shot on 8mm videotape with consumer video gear, before the days of image stabilization, and much of it was shot handheld. Audio is similarly limited. Although it has been digitally remastered for DVD, it is subject to the limitations of the original equipment. This film also preserves the original editing, which was done in the very early days of desktop video, on an Amiga 3000+ computer controlling a tape to tape edit. So this does not represent the quality one would expect from a recent low-budget production. This was a taste of the promise of "desktop video" that the Amiga first made possible, the start of the era of personal video publishing.
Downloads
| Film | User | Format | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Deathbed Vigil (1994) | NA | [ Archive.org] |
