Grateful Dawg

Theatrical Release Date: 2001 10 12 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 043396071681

Studio: Columbia TriStar

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Questionable for Children, Profanity]

Summary: In the early '60s, David Grisman and Jerry Garcia were two bluegrass enthusiasts in their early twenties who met after they had seen each other perform. Garcia went on to lead the legendary psychedelic band the Grateful Dead, while Grisman became a world-class mandolin player who blended jazz and bluegrass into a unique style he liked to call "Dawg Music." David and Jerry never lost their enthusiasm for roots music, and in 1973 they formed a progressive bluegrass group called Old and in the Way with Peter Rowan and Vassar Clements. The group quickly gained a large following and sparked a new interest in acoustic music among rock fans, but a falling out led to their breakup after less than a year, and Grisman and Garcia didn't talk for nearly 20 years. In 1991, the pair began working together again, and resumed a fruitful collaboration that resulted in a number of new albums until Garcia's death in 1995. Grateful Dawg, directed by David's daughter Gillian Grisman, is a documentary that looks at the friendship and musical partnership between Grisman and Garcia, and includes live footage of the pair in performance, as well as interviews with a number of their friends, associates, and collaborators. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: History [nf]

Awards: Film Presented – Telluride Film Festival

Features: Digitally mastered audio & video
Full-screen presentation
Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital)
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Director and David Grisman commentary
Bonus performances
Filmographies
Outtakes
Bonus weblinks
Music video: "The Thrill Is Gone"
Interactive menus
Director's production notes
Scene selections

Grateful Dawg

Format: DVD

Release Date: 02/05/2002

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 81 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Start [1:22]
2. "Grateful Dawg" (Live) [3:39]
3. Early Pickin' [3:00]
4. "The Sweet Sunny South" [3:32]
5. Old and in the Way [1:35]
6. "Pig in a Pen" [3:20]
7. Sweetwater Reunion [1:28]
8. "Dawg's Waltz" [4:44]
9. "Sittin' Here in Limbo" [6:54]
10. Sea Shanties [1:20]
11. "Off to Sea Once More" [5:03]
12. Not for Kids Only [2:34]
13. "Jenny Jenkins" [4:24]
14. "Arabia" (Intro) [:42]
15. "Arabia" [16:00]
16. "The Thrill Is Gone" (Intro) [:47]
17. "The Thrill Is Gone" [5:15]
18. The Living Room [4:34]
19. "Friend of the Devil" [7:24]
20. End Credits [3:47]

Derek Armstrong

Grateful Dawg is a romanticized remembrance of the collaboration between two musical luminaries, Jerry Garcia and David Grisman -- and its overly fond tone shouldn't be surprising, since it's directed by Grisman's daughter, Gillian, which makes it something less than a complete examination of these men's lives. For example, mention is not even made of Garcia's famously dominating drug life and what effect it had on their work, except for general references to the loose nature of rehearsal sessions, to accommodate the Grateful Dead front man. But given the large percentage of footage devoted to Garcia and Grisman hunched over instruments, plucking sweet music from their strings, it's doubtful that Gillian Grisman intended to contribute to the world of probing documentaries. As a concert film interspersed with interviews, Grateful Dawg is quite a listen. Deadheads won't be interested by the generic platitudes of interview subjects, anyway -- they'll find the most substance hearing Garcia's frail warble accompany bluegrass and other musical forms that were very experimental for him, late in his career. Gillian Grisman made the film after Garcia's death, but by drawing from old radio interviews, she keeps him a clear voice in the film. She has also gathered some priceless photos of the two before they were famous longhairs, suited and clean-cut, playing such "square" instruments as the violin. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Joe Craven  Actor 
Ricky Jay  Actor 
Jim Kerwin  Actor 
David Grisman  Executive Producer 
Alicia Sams  Producer 
Gillian Grisman  Director 
Gillian Grisman  Producer 
Craig Miller  Executive Producer 
Jerry Garcia  Actor 
David Grisman  Actor 

Country: USA