"When a Parent Dies, It's the End"

Those are the words of Robert De Niro in an interview with Esquire magazine. Here's more:

When a parent dies, it's the end. I always wanted to chronicle the family history with my mother. She was always interested in that. I wanted some researchers I'd worked with to talk to my mother, but my mother was a little antsy about it. I know she would've gotten into it. It would have been okay with my father, too. But I wasn't forceful, and I didn't make it happen. That's one regret I have. I didn't get as much of the family history as I could have for the kids.

My own father was reluctant to sit for an interview when I wanted to do a video biography about my parents several years ago. "This is not for you," I told him. "This is for your grandchildren. When they're old enough to appreciate who they came from, this is how you will be there to tell them."



I should note that in the five years since I did that interview, we have added a high-definition camera and better lighting equipment. The important thing is that I won't ever share Robert De Niro's regret about failing to record his parents' life story on video.

Nothing keeps someone's memory alive like being able to see and hear them tell their stories in their own words. Watch more examples of family history stories and other video biographies at personal-documentary.com.