{"id":23721,"date":"2016-12-31T14:51:17","date_gmt":"2016-12-31T19:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=23721"},"modified":"2017-02-13T05:06:30","modified_gmt":"2017-02-13T10:06:30","slug":"woodstock-3-days-of-peace-and-music-1970","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/31\/woodstock-3-days-of-peace-and-music-1970\/","title":{"rendered":"Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music (1970)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It was the end of an era, the literal end of a movement, and the end of what many would know as \u201cWoodstock.\u201d We never did see the Woodstock here in further decades, did we? We instead saw much more corporate interference, much more MTV generation, and in the last festival, ultimate destruction. At least we have what is one of the most riveting and unique concert movies ever filmed. It\u2019s a chronicle of a generation thought of ancient now, and looked back on mostly with fondness, as a decade where there was hope for peace, and hope for a better tomorrow. It was before America gave in to the seventies, where it became all bout decadence and hedonism.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWoodstock\u201d is packed to the brim with magnificent music of the rock and pop variety, and took one of the more ambitious efforts at a massive concert and turned in to a free for all of peace, love, and music. I\u2019m personally a fan of both cuts of \u201cWoodstock\u201d as both the theatrical and director\u2019s cuts can be appreciated in their own right as deep looks in to this very important cultural touchstone, where nothing it taken away from either. Some of the best performances are still as raw as ever, with the opening performance by Richie Havens easily my favorite of the entire film. While many will argue Hendrix is the show stopper, or that The Who really brings the house down, I\u2019ve always loved Havens\u2019 soulful renditions of \u201cFreedom\u201d and \u201cMotherless Child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the best performances within the movie are The Who singing \u201cWe\u2019re Not Gonna Take It,\u201d Santana\u2019s epic performance of \u201cSoul Sacrifice,\u201d and of course, Joe Cocker belting out \u201cWith a Little Help from My Friends.\u201d You also have to love the stark sing along of Country Joe and the Fish singing their anthem \u201cI Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die\u201d which is both a condemnation of the Vietnam war, and celebration of its inherent lunacy. Unlike \u201cGimme Shelter,\u201d Michael Wadleigh\u2019s documentary doesn\u2019t so much controversy nor does it capture incidents\u2014aside from the army dropping food, blankets, and flowers for the audience. Instead it\u2019s mainly a time capsule of a brief time where everyone gathered to celebrate music and be about as peaceful as they could possibly be.<\/p>\n

Though the concert leaves a massive foot step in the rural New York, those that attend don\u2019t bother the locals much. If you can endure the nonsensical interviews, and endless footage of hippies sliding through mud, you\u2019ll really appreciate the sentiment behind what the festival was trying to convey. Director Wadleigh sets his sights first and foremost on the music, and then touches on the humanity behind it, giving every performance a chance to resonate with the crowds. Even the extended edition that adds forty five minutes conveys the weight of the music on those that flocked to this concert. If you miss that sentiment, take Jimi Hendrix\u2019s iconic rendition of \u201cThe Star Spangled Banner\u201d and try not to be at least a bit moved by the way he adds a new majesty to the song with his guitar, turning it in an anthem for the Woodstock generation.<\/p>\n