Woodstock

UPC: 883929075782

Studio: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Nudity, Not For Children, Adult Language, Substance Abuse]

Summary: This iconic musical documentary covers the three-day 1969 music festival on the property of Max Yasger's farm that symbolized the late 1960s in terms of musical, social and political ideology of the era. American audiences are introduced to Ten Years After, featuring guitar great Alvin Lee. Jimi Hendix, The Who and Joe Cocker give riveting performances. As naked flower children romp, the New York freeway is closed because of traffic congestion. Music lovers leave their cars and travel on foot only survive torrential downpours of rain, food shortages and non-stop music. Jefferson Airplane gives the wake up call with their song "Volunteers Of America." Crosby, Stills and Nash deliver a memorable performance. John Sebastian gives an impromptu set with a borrowed guitar from Tim Hardin. Santana, Sly and The Family Stone, Sha-Na-Na, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens and Joan Baez also appear. The movie did big box office business and a successful three record set sold millions of copies. The Grateful Dead, Credence Clearwater Revival and Janis Joplin performed but were not shown in the film. The Dead's Jerry Garcia recalled that it was the worst live show the band ever did, ironic for a band known for their spirited live performances. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Category: Music [nf]

Awards: U.S. National Film Registry – Library of Congress Best Documentary Feature – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Woodstock

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 08/03/2010

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen, 2.40:1 2.40:1

Audio: DTHD null, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo, DD1 Dolby Digital Mono

Runtime: 224 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English

Subtitles: French,Spanish,German,Italian

Hal Erickson

Woodstock set the standard for all rockumentaries to come. Sensing that the 1969 Woodstock concert would be something more than a mere "happening", director Michael Wadleigh brought along a battalion of cinematographers and assistants. As a result, what could have been an aloof, detached record of the landmark concert is as "up close and personal" as it was possible to get without actually being there. Utilizing widescreen, splitscreen, and stereo-sound technology to the utmost, Wadleigh puts us right in the middle of the 400,000 screaming, mud-caked spectators, then zooms in to loving closeups of the stars. Edited by Martin Scorsese (among many others), the finished product won the 1970 Oscar for Best Documentary -- and was also stamped with an "R" rating due to some innocuous (by modern standards) nudity and profanity. The talent lineup includes Canned Heat, Richie Havens, Country Joe and the Fish, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, David Crosby and Stephen Stills, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, Arlo Guthrie, John Sebastian, Sly and the Family Stone, Ten Years After and Sha Na Na. The original 184 minute running time was expanded to 224 minutes for the 1994 video version, featuring previously excised footage of Janis Joplin. One of the best shots in Woodstock has no music at all: the final image, as a group of dour policemen survey the garbage and debris left behind by the Woodstock Naton. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Roger Daltrey  Actor 
Johnny Winter  Actor 
Stephen Stills  Actor 
Sly & the Family Stone  Actor 
Country Joe & the Fish  Actor 
Canned Heat  Actor 
Pete Townshend  Actor 
Keith Moon  Actor 
Janis Joplin  Actor 
Bill Graham  Actor 
Hugh Romney  Actor 
John Sebastian  Actor 
Country Joe McDonald  Actor 
Joe Cocker and The Grease Band  Actor 
Joni Mitchell  Composer (Music Score) 
Michael Wadleigh  Director 
Larry Johnson  Composer (Music Score) 
Bob Maurice  Producer 
Joan Baez  Actor 
The Who  Actor 
Joe Cocker  Actor 
Crosby, Stills & Nash  Actor 
Jefferson Airplane  Actor 
Arlo Guthrie  Actor 
Richie Havens  Actor 
Jimi Hendrix  Actor 
Santana  Actor 
Sha Na Na  Actor 
Ten Years After  Actor 

Country: USA