I learned to type on a typewriter and even remember carbon paper and White-Out - and have no nostalgia for it. Never the less, I was looking forward to learning why some people do have an obsessive fondness for the machine. Unfortunately, I still can't understand after seeing this documentary - nothing resonated - although I do in abstract appreciate the warmth and emotion typewriter aficianados feel towards this anachronistic technology. I think the film would have been far more impactful if it had been shorter, described what was so appealing about more modern era typewriters rather than only the antiques, and more about the social impact through the decades. As it is, it became a documentary primarily for typewriter nerds. I didn't need so very much back story on the artist who makes sculptures out of typewriter parts and the collector. Of course, it was quite moving to see commitment of the typewriter repair store people - another case of master craftsmen becoming obsolete. One wonders if they could have saved their business by going full-on web, i.e. Creating a wonderful niche website for sales, repairs and supplies. Unfortunately, I see as an update that as of Feb. 2020 they were indeed planning on closing the store.
Review of California Typewriter
