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For those who
aren’t what you would call…
musically inclined… (we’re talking
people who listen to The Jonas Brothers,
Britney Spears, Katy Perry, or watch “American
Idol”) Woodstock is not just the name
of Snoopy’s little yellow friend.
Woodstock was a musical event that no one
who wasn’t there could ever truly
understand. I’m also not talking about
the ridiculous Woodstock redux of the 90’s,
but the real thing. Three days in August
of 1969 that will never be matched.
Following the event, director Michael Wadleigh
did an incredible thing. He edited three
days worth of footage into a 184 minute
film that successfully captured the spirit,
the music, the love, and the grunge that
was “Woodstock.” Along with
assistant Martin Scorsese (an unknown at
the time), the film was brilliantly put
together using a framed format that allowed
several viewpoints to be seen at the same
time. Interactions and reactions between
audience and performers were more accurately
portrayed in this manner.
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The film did not only wow audiences, it wowed
the members of the Academy who bestowed upon it
the Oscar for Best Documentary in 1970. Though
the highlights of the film surrounded the performances
by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Canned Heat and
a host of others, there was another side to it.
Beyond these performances were the people in attendance.
And while it was promoted as a weekend of love
and harmony, poor planning made it anything but.
Drugs were prevalent beyond belief and hearing
one medic casually discuss the overdoses he witnessed
showed this darker side. These moments are not
dwelled upon, but they are important to note as
many would lead you to believe it was all candy
and cake.
Warner Home Video is re-releasing “Woodstock”
this month in several editions. The greatest being
the Blu-ray set which features multiple discs
and extras galore. Unfortunately I was unable
to procure one for review (understandably as they
went like hotcakes), but I was able to get my
hands on the 3-disc DVD release. Here we have
a much longer ‘Director’s Cut’
of the film, which now comes in at 228 minutes
and restores several performances left out of
the original feature. But what really stands out
is the new re-mastering of the film which delivers
a vibrant picture and excellent sound. The surround
speakers kicked in at all the right moments to
really give the feeling of being there.
One thing I did find odd about this release,
is that it is packaged rather oddly. Initially
it is a 2-disc set, packaged as you might expect.
The 3rd disc is packaged separately as if adding
it to the set was decided later on in the project.
This aside, the extras aren’t bad. Of course,
there are added performances by Joan Baez, Country
Joe McDonald, Santana, Canned Heat, Mountain,
Grateful Dead, CCR, The Who, Jefferson Airplane,
Joe Cocker, Johnny Winter, Paul Butterfield and
Sha Na Na. Most are pretty good, though a handful
are rather iffy. There is also a lengthy documentary
on the festival and the film; however it is not
put together very well. It feels like a jumble
of shorter features laced together with no rhyme
or reason. There’s some interesting stuff
here, but without as cohesive direction it kind
of lost me after a while. Additionally there is
a featurette on the Hog Farm Commune and another
that features Wadleigh interviewed by Hugh Hefner.
Woodstock is an interesting anecdote in American
history, mostly from the standpoint of conflicting
viewpoints of the event. “Woodstock”
the film delivers a pretty straight forward look
at a portion of what went on during those three
days as well as some terrific performances by
a ton of rock legends. But I urge you to do a
little reading, cause there’s a lot more
that went on behind the scenes that would surprise
you.
Directed by: Michael Wadleigh
Extras: The Museum at Bethel Woods – The
Story of the Sixties and Woodstock
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1
Studio: Warner
Release Date: 6/16/2009
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
http://www.woodstockondvd.com
We'll give Woodstock: Director's Cut a B.
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