Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
An intimate look at the Woodstock Music & Art Festival held in Bethel, NY in 1969, from preparation through cleanup, with historic access to insiders, blistering concert footage, and portraits of the concertgoers; negative and positive aspects are shown, from drug use by performers to naked fans sliding in the mud, from the collapse of the fences by the unexpected hordes to the surreal arrival of National Guard helicopters with food and medical assistance for the impromptu city of 500,000.
It's been said that every generation has a defining moment: a cultural singularity that alters
the course of everything that has come before, and influences everything that comes after. For
nearly half a million young men and women struggling to find their place and purpose in Vietnam-
era America, that moment came during a three-day music festival in a little New York farm town
called Bethel. The festival's name? Woodstock. Its financiers were unprepared for the
overwhelming response, its grounds incapable of sustaining so many attendees... food was scarce,
the water was contaminated, and the weather was unforgiving. But in spite of it all, the prevailing
hippie mantra of the day seeped into every gathering and performance. Peace and love dominated
the proceedings, music drew everyone together, and rock-n-roll, once a disdained source of social
discord and rebellion, began to take on a whole new significance.
Strange, scary, thrilling, unsettling, and exciting... Woodstock was an event unlike any other...
Developed and directed by Michael Wadleigh, edited by assistant directors Thelma
Schoonmaker and Martin Scorsese (then a twenty-six-year old fledgling still four years away from
Mean Streets), and filmed on location from August 15 to August 18, 1969,
Woodstock represents documentary filmmaking at its finest. It may have been
completely misunderstood by studio executives of the era, but it went on to earn a variety of
nominations and awards (most notably an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature), receive official
recognition from the National Film Registry, and build a loyal following of fans young and old.
Over the course of the monumental, now-historically important event, Wadleigh's cameras
bounce and drift across the Sullivan County grounds, focusing on the hundreds of thousands
attending the festival as intently as the legendary performance artists occupying the main stage.
More intriguingly, each passing face in the crowd promises to tell a story we're never given the
opportunity to hear: Wadleigh's film is about the experience, not the individual... his is a
production of spirit and fervor, not of biographies and destinations. He treats Woodstock as if it
were an enormous, ever-evolving beast swarming with parasites intent on taking as much as
they're afforded. His interest lies in dissecting the hippie subculture through candid footage,
voyeuristic establishing shots, and lingering close-ups, not psychological analysis.
But its Wadleigh's editors, having tirelessly sifted through more than 365,000 feet of film,
who bring his vision to startling life. The screen splits into two and three panels at a time,
offering juxtaposed imagery and observational photography, often to the seeming delight of his
subjects. Drug addicts and nudists alike freely flaunt their wares to a cold and nonjudgmental
camera, singers and guitarists are bathed in a deluge of light and sound, and friends and lovers
lose themselves in a throng of strangers. Both a staggering disconnect and an unbreakable bond
develops between each and every person that appears on screen; they're oblivious to the fleeting
and superficial nature of their love, yet they share a commonality beyond description. Therein
lies the power of Wadleigh's Woodstock. As a documentary, it effortlessly captures the
atmosphere of the festival without resorting to sentimentality or forgettable rhetoric. As a piece
of art, it evokes the very emotions and feelings its subjects are experiencing. As a film, it offers
countless characters amidst crisis, each one falling victim to the same delusion: that the rest of
the world has stopped, ever so briefly, to share in their respite from the harsh realities of life.
They seem all-too-ignorant of the very things they renounce, and resoundingly guilty of the
naivety they reject.
And the stage performances? Absolutely electrifying. Each band gives their all, embracing
the swaying Bethel audience as if it were their last. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the copious
amounts of drugs freely circulating the concert, but the singers and musicians seem as genuinely
enraptured by the event as everyone attending. There's a raw, unfettered undercurrent to the
performances that feels as tangible today as I imagine it did forty years ago. Even though I'm a
relative pup myself (born too late for Woodstock, but just in time for Star Wars), digging
through Wadleigh's documentary answered every question I've ever had about why so many
people were drawn to Bethel... why so many considered the festival their generation's defining
moment. While I would never have the stomach for such an event -- watching young people
squander their lives on idealism, heroine, and tree-line trysts is disturbing at times, disquieting at
others -- I can see why so many men and women, frustrated with a war in Vietnam and haunted
by a persistent cultural disconnect, would find three days on a muddy hillside with more than
four-hundred thousand people so fulfilling. Perhaps that's what makes Woodstock such a
special film: it doesn't merely document a three-day music festival, it transports viewers into the
experience and allows them to examine it up close and from afar. Can we really ask for more?
A thick river of rain streaks across the lens as another faceless hippie slides through a trough
of muddy earth. A hazy-hued rock god disappears into the night, only to emerge when white-hot
light erupts from every direction. A pixie-faced singer wanders through an unrelenting grain
storm as the fading sun dips beneath the horizon near the stage. Such are the trials and travails
of watching Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music, a documentary filmed in 1969,
produced with limited means, completed despite dwindling supplies, and shot with Éclair NPR
cameras (chosen not for their aesthetic quality, but primarily for their ease of use and on-the-fly
versatility). Colors bleed and warp, details sharpen and soften without warning, grain spikes and
lulls at its own sick whim... the entire picture seems to succumb to the evolving madness of the
festival with each passing minute.
Regardless, Warner's 1080p/VC-1 video transfer faithfully captures every fuzzy edge, fleck of
grain, errant scratch, and out-of-focus detail that graced the miles of film captured during the
duration of the festival. Remastered from the documentary's original elements, scanned at 2K,
and presented within a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, the multi-paned image is actually quite striking. Not
only does the rough-n-tumble presentation enhance the verve and vitality of the concert and its
denizens, it fully encapsulates the unadulterated free-for-all of their desperate, disillusioned
subculture. It may not be pretty, but it would be nearly impossible to produce a more precise and
polished technical transfer. In fact, aside from the appearance of some unnecessary (albeit
minor) edge enhancement and a bit of faint artifacting (that occasionally invades the foreground
when the stage lights drown an evening performance in vibrant primary colors), I can't imagine
the film looking much better than it does here.
It isn't the sort of presentation that will ever stack up against the latest Blu-ray releases on
the market, but Warner has given Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music a respectful,
high-quality transfer that renders its source with the utmost care. Anyone approaching this disc
with appropriate expectations will be more than pleased with the results.
Likewise, the majority of ills that afflict Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music should
be attributed to the film's original source rather than Warner's strong and steady Dolby TrueHD
5.1 surround track. Storm clouds loom with convincing LFE support, rainfall helps create a
relatively immersive soundfield, and the roar of the crowd naturally expands into the rear
speakers as some of rock's most legendary artists take the stage. Sure, the quality of each
song's presentation is a bit uneven (background noise, air hiss, and other unavoidable anomalies
continually impact clarity and intelligibility), but the various performances sound relatively
fantastic: the rapid twang of Crosby, Stills & Nash's guitars are crisp and convincing, the
spirited abandon of The Who is bolstered by startling dynamics and stable treble pitches, and the
iconic wheen of Hendrix's solos cut through the hum of the summer air and stretch into
every speaker. While a variety of inherent issues will inevitably distract the obsessive-compulsive
among you -- this is, after all, a late '60s documentary whose filmmakers had to overcome
budget constraints and equipment limitations -- true audiophiles will revel in the authenticity of
the experience. I never quite felt as if I were sitting amongst the hippies and flower children
attending the festival, but I came close on more than one occasion. My advice? Arm yourself
with reasonable expectations, sit down, sit back, and enjoy this captivating lossless presentation.
In addition to the mammoth 224-minute cut of the film, the Blu-ray edition of
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music comes packaged in an elaborate 40th Anniversary
Collector's Edition Box, includes a slew of goodies, and boasts a generous collection of regular and
exclusive special features. The bundle itself is both attractive and sturdy (albeit a bit complicated
when you first dig in): after you disregard the plastic retail sleeve, the faux-deerskin shell (with
removable iron-on patch) is a nostalgic sight to behold. From there, you'll find a lightweight box
tucked snuggly inside that houses a standard-sized Blu-ray case, a weighty lenticular lucite
display piece, a small 60-page reprint of an issue of LIFE Magazine, a concert fact sheet,
reproductions of handwritten notes, a three-day ticket, and a handy envelope to hold it all
together. The box will appeal to enthusiasts who have plenty of room on their shelves
and casual fans interested in shedding the set's excess baggage in favor of the standard
Blu-ray case buried inside.
Woodstock: From Festival to Feature (SD, 77 minutes): First up is an extensive series of
featurettes and mini-docs that explore the festival, the crowd, the rain, the documentary, the
cameras and production techniques used, the studio's interaction with the filmmakers, and a
variety of other topics. Watch individual segments or use the "Play All" option to plow through
everything in one big chunk.
Untold Stories (SD, 143 minutes): An excellent collection of eighteen bonus performances
worth the price of admission alone. Treat yourself to Joan Baez singing "One Day at a Time"
(4:17), Country Joe McDonald's "Flying High" (2:21), Santana's "Evil Ways" (3:56), Canned
Heat's "I'm Her Man" (5.33) and "On the Road Again" (10.49), Mountain's "Beside the Sea"
(3:38) and "Southbound Train" (6:17), The Grateful Dead's "Turn on Your Love Life" (37:44),
The Who's "We're Not Going to Take It" (9:07) and "My Generation" (7:36), Jefferson Airplane's
"3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" (5:40), Joe Cocker's "Something's Coming On" (4:14), Johnny
Winter's "Mean Town Blues" (10:52), Paul Butterfield's "Morning Sunrise" (8:26), and Sha Na
Na's "Teen Angel" (3:21), and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born on the Bayou" (5:12), "I've
Put a Spell On You" (4:10), and "Keep on Chooglin" (9:25).
Exclusive! Customizable Playlist: Users can create their own custom playlist for the eighteen
bonus performances included in the set.
Festival Opening and Closing (SD, 5 minutes): A series of scenes and shots that didn't make
it into the Director's Cut of the film.
The Story of the Sixties & Woodstock (SD, 5 minutes): A short promo for the Museum at
Bethel Woods.
Exclusive! My WB Commentary: BD-Live users can record, post, and share their own Picture-
in-Picture video commentary with the online WB community.
Exclusive! Live Community Screening: This interactive BD-Live option allows users to send
invitations, host virtual screenings, and chat with other viewers while watching the
film.
Exclusive! Media Center: Warner's BD-Live hub allows users to download additional content,
photo galleries, trailers, and other special features.
As an added incentive, Amazon.com has packed 20-minutes of exclusive bonus performances
onto the set's second disc. While the online outlet previously reported their exclusive version
would be a 3-disc set, they've since corrected their listing and clarified the manner in which their
exclusive content is being made available. Also note that other stores (Target among them) are
apparently offering their own unique exclusive content as well.
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music is simply a marvelous release. Sure, it comes
bundled with all the requisite materials becoming of a 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition giftset,
but it offers so much more: a glimpse into a defining moment in American culture, a stirring
exploration of a generation-changing event, live footage of some of rock-n-roll's most influential
icons, a four-hour director's cut of the film itself, a faithful high definition video transfer, an
engrossing TrueHD audio mix, more than two hours of additional performances (many of which
have never been released before now), over an hour of behind-the-scenes featurettes... I could go
on and on. Whether you're old enough to have felt the allure of Woodstock or young enough to
wonder what the fuss was all about, the Blu-ray edition of Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace &
Music should either be on your Wish List or in your Shopping Cart.
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music: Other Editions
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