Not to be confused with Michael Wadleigh’s famous 1970 Woodstock, filmmaker Barak Goodman’s PBS-aired American Experience documentary offers a 50th-anniversary perspective on what made the three-day event not just a cultural but a sociological phenomenon, filling enormous gaps in the general knowledge related to the Woodstock festival that transpired over the weekend of August 15-18, 1969. Taking a soup-to-nuts approach, the film begins with a story about how surprising opportunities presented to two sets of business partners—who were willing to break social and class norms to strike a deal together—led to a get-rich-quick plan to produce an outdoor music and arts festival. Months later, the trouble started when the town of Wallkill in upstate New York revoked permits to use a stretch of land after investors had already sunk a ton of money and preparation time into developing the site. Dairy farmer Max Yasgur offered his enormous natural amphitheater field in Bethel as an alternative, which the promoters gratefully accepted. But with limited time, manpower, and box office oversight before opening day, most of the fencing was not built (at zero hour, the choice came down to fences or the stage, and the latter naturally won), so eventually hundreds of thousands of people without tickets streamed in. Much of this is familiar lore, but less widely known are the many pieces of the mosaic that illustrate why Woodstock really was a shining example of how various cultures—young and old, military and civilian, urban and rural, etc.—combined to create a peaceful event that would be remembered as a watershed ‘60s moment (four months later it would all go wrong at Altamont). Woodstock interweaves voiceover interviews (many archival, with no talking heads shown) with performance clips of Richie Havens, Country Joe and the Fish, Joan Baez, Santana, the Who, and others, along with copious archival footage shot in and around the concert that looks like it could have been outtakes from Wadleigh’s classic doc. A generous number of stories detail many kindnesses: Wavy Gravy and the Hog Farm offering aid and food to festival attendees; nearby farmers (including Yasgur) and rural communities organizing food drives to feed the hungry concertgoers; and military medical personnel helicoptering in to provide assistance. A half-century later, Woodstock still inspires. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation
(2019) 95 min. DVD: $24.99 ($54.99 w/PPR). PBS Video. ISBN: 978-1-5317-0977-8. Volume 34, Issue 5
Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: