Woodstock
While I have seen clips of the performances in this film over the years, this is the first time I have ever sat down and watched the whole film. Also, the version I watched was the 40th Anniversary edition on Blu Ray, and it is LONG. The main version of the film on this edition clocks in at around three hours and 45 minutes. Plus, there is a second disc with another hour and a half plus of additional footage, most of which are additional performances (some that have never been seen seen in any previous version of the film). However, despite its long running time, I didn't even really seem to notice or mind. This was the perfect film to put on while I was doing other things. I was able to focus on the film when I wanted to (such as when a band I like was playing or a particularly interesting interview was being given), or I could multi-task and listen to the music in the background (or when some hippie was babbling on about something only their burnt out mind could understand, I could tune out completely).
As many people know, The Woodstock Music & Art Fair took place in the summer of 1969 at Max Yasgur's farm in White Lake, NY (not actually in Woodstock, NY) and it featured many of the top music acts of the time. This film focuses not just on those performances, but also on the people attending the show, the people supporting the show (such one scene dealing with the sanitation worker whose job it was to clean out the port o johns, probably one of the worst weekends to have that job in the history of port o johns) and the different townspeople affected by the show. The film doesn't hide anything from the viewer. It shows all the nudity, drug use (more on that in a sec), dirtiness and the effects of effects on some people of putting themselves through the ordeal for 3 days with little food or sleep. There are interviews from residents of the town who were vehemently against the festival, but also from those who were very supportive and even donated food and supplies.
The film does a fantastic job of capturing the crowd and the community at the festival. However, even better are the music performances. The music acts, especially on Blu Ray, look and sound fantastic, especially anyone playing at night. Considering they were out in the middle of nowhere, the lighting effects at night and the close up camera views make for a spectacular sight. This is particularly true of Sly and The Family Stone's performance, which, visually and due to the high energy of the music and the band, was my favorite of the whole film. Another technique that was really effective was the use of split screens. This was well used both during performances by groups that have multiple vocalists, like The Who (another band that looked fantastic at night and had some really cool slow motion effects added to their performance), where both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend could both be shown singing different parts at the same time, and also to show both the band and the crowd reactions to their performance.
My favorite musical performances were The Who, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Sly and the Family Stone, Creedence Clearwater Revival (from the bonus features) and Jimi Hendrix (whose performance was so phenomenal, it has been released on its own DVD). My favorite non-musical scene was the drug/alcohol montage, where scenes are strung together of various concertgoers indulging in their vice of choice (including one guy very impressively making a pipe out of nothing but tin foil) and capped off with a shot of 2 cops eating popsicles.
This film is a must see for anyone who has even the slightest bit of interest in either the history of the time period or any of the bands who performed.
That wraps up 1970. Coming soon, I jump ahead 2 years to 1972.
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