Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind

Joni Mitchell is "a true poet," says New York Times music critic Stephen Holden, and this lovely documentary serves up a beautifully poetic exploration of her unconventional life and uncommon career. Narrated by friends and fellow musicians, including David Crosby and Graham Nash, former agent David Geffen, and Mitchell herself, this evocative montage of home movies, family photos, archival footage, and contemporary interviews traces her childhood in Saskatchewan, her bursting onto the music scene in Greenwich Village and Southern California in the '60s, her retreat to the Canadian backwoods in the '70s, as well as looking at the mass praise that was suddenly heaped upon her in the '90s. Scored by her own aching, pensive music--"Both Sides Now," "Chelsea Morning," "Circle Game," and more of her beloved songs--this profile is like a melancholy painting in motion. Fans of Mitchell and the folk revolution will appreciate rare performance footage from the 1969 Big Sur Festival (among other venues) and clips from The Dick Cavett Show (all of which transfer well to this DVD that features DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1, and stereo sound options), as well as several British concert appearances from the early '70s never before broadcast in the U.S. Bonuses include an extra song not included on the original documentary, which first aired as part of the PBS series American Masters. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Johanson)[Blu-ray Review—Apr. 8, 2014—Eagle Vision, 204 min., not rated, $24.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1998's Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart & Mind & Painting with Words and Music features a solid transfer with a DTS-HD 5.1/5.0 and LPCM stereo soundtracks. Extras include interview outtakes (15 min.). Bottom line: an excellent two-fer package, this Joni Mitchell set (folk) rocks on Blu-ray.]