Jun 11, 2009 - 04:30 AM

WOODSTOCK (1970)

On DVD

(*****)

They bailed hay on the fields once where history would happen. Farmers toiled in the fields where soon nearly half a million people would converge in peaceful protest of the Vietnam war and to hear the music of change. Initially, they expected perhaps 50,000 people, but the thing exploded, with pilgrims coming from across the U.S., from Canada to this little-known hamlet and a farm owned by Max Yasgar. For three days of peace and music in August 1969, the world watched as the world changed, and for those who attended, their lives were forever galvanized by the event.

One of the greatest documentaries ever made was released on DVD this week in a fantastic new special edition that contains extraordinary new footage, a brilliant documentary about the making of the film and a host of extras that make it one of the must-owns of the year. An acquired taste, documentaries are for those interested in facts, history and a very different kind of filmmaking. Only in the last 30 years have documentary directors realized their films must also entertain as well as teach. This has allowed many docs to become box-office hits and mainstream successes, the most famous being Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) a scathing indictment of the Bush presidency in the days after 9/11.

The first documentary I remember having a profound impact on me, sweeping me back in time to a place I remembered from childhood, was Woodstock (1970). The concert was never supposed to be a cultural event, but became one of the most important events of the 60s, a rallying cry for the youth against the American government and Richard Nixon and Vietnam. With Woodstock, the young people of America found their voice and with that voice came the music of the time. The 60s was a period when the music meant something, when the songs spoke out about what was happening in the world. There was substance to the music, an anger fuelled by young people betrayed by their government, mistrusting of adults, and finding their own way in the world with a fearlessness that had never existed before. Long hair was merely a statement of the time (justified by Christ having it), and for far too long many people saw in the hippy culture young people out of control. Sadly, they were missing the big picture, which was a quest for peace, for love and for a greater understanding of our fellow man. Their rage at seeing the hope represented by Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy silenced by assassins' bullets was reflected in their music. Just as their rage about Vietnam came out in song. When Creedence Clearwater Revival sings "I see a bad moon a risin'" what else are they singing about but the impact of Vietnam? Where could it go but terribly wrong?

The documentary, cut from over two million feet of film, edited by a young film student named Martin Scorsese (part of a trio) no less, is an extraordinary document about the concert and more importantly the music of that time. Forever caught on film, now preserved on DVD, are performances by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Blood, Sweat and Tears, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Melanie, Ten Years After, The Band, Joe Cocker, Arlo Guthrie, Grateful Dead and Joan Baez. Watching Joan Baez sing Joe Hill remains one of the most haunting and electrifying moments ever captured on film. The music of the 60s exploded with life, with change and with hope. The young people saw their country in trouble and cried for help, cried for change, the first time the youth had ever experienced such a complete counter-culture revolution. The world was never the same after Woodstock, it was perhaps the most important cultural event of the 60s. The cameras prowl the grounds showing the joy on the faces of the kids, the impact of the drugs they were taking in great abundance, the hair, the colourful clothes, the nudity, the lovemaking and the many logistical issues brought about by suddenly having nearly 500,000 present. Incredibly, they made do, they made it work, and that, more than the music, more than anything was the essence of Woodstock. Against insurmountable odds, they made it work by working together and casting aside all differences. Make no mistake, the music takes centre stage in this film, and the fact that this concert has never been equalled by anything since is a remarkable achievement and what makes it iconic.

Oh that the politicians of the time had been listening to these wise young people.

This might be the greatest documentary ever made.

John Foote, director of the Toronto Film School, is a nationally known film historian/critic and a Port Perry resident. Get more reviews at www.footeonfilm.com. Contact him at jhfoote@xplornet.com.