Woodstock: Director's Cut

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

A two-sided DVD in an adjustable (1.33:1 to 2.36:1) widescreen anamorphic format, much of this Academy Award-winning film is grainy, blurry, erratic, and dark, as would be expected from a three-day event shot in the '60s. Also, the aspect ratio adjustments often adjust themselves regardless of the side of the DVD being played -- a move apparently intended to preserve the cinematic look of the original film. But the fullness and crispness of the extensive and evocative pieces of remastered music (redone in Dolby Digital Surround 5.1) are surprising. A "Film Flash" section recommends four other movies, and English and French subtitles are available. No other special features come with this director's cut DVD, but it does contain 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage, including eight scenes edited out of the original 1970 version. ~ Craig Chalquist, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English, French, Spanish
• Features:
  • cc Interactive menus
  • Scene access
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles: English, Français, Español

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Documentary Feature - 1970 (Bob Maurice)
•     Nominated Best Editing - 1970 (Thelma Schoonmaker)
•     Nominated Best Sound - 1970 (Dan Wallin, Larry Johnson)

• Library of Congress

•     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1996

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Joan Baez
       Joe Cocker
       The Who
       Crosby, Stills & Nash

• Director:

  Michael Wadleigh

• Producer:

  Bob Maurice

• Cinematographer:

  Don Lenzer, David Myers, Richard Pearce, Michael Wadleigh

• Composer (Music Score):

  Larry Johnson, Joni Mitchell

• Editor:

  Jere Huggins, Thelma Schoonmaker, Martin Scorsese, Michael Wadleigh, Yeu-Bun Yee

REVIEWS:

• {#Woodstock} set the standard for all rockumentaries to come. Sensing that the 1969 Woodstock concert would be something more than a mere "happening", director {$Michael Wadleigh} brought along a battalion of cinematographers and assistants. As a result, what could have been an aloof, detached record of the landmark concert is as "up close and personal" as it was possible to get without actually being there. Utilizing widescreen, splitscreen, and stereo-sound technology to the utmost, {$Wadleigh} puts us right in the middle of the 400,000 screaming, mud-caked spectators, then zooms in to loving closeups of the stars. Edited by {$Martin Scorsese} (among many others), the finished product won the 1970 Oscar for Best Documentary -- and was also stamped with an "R" rating due to some innocuous (by modern standards) nudity and profanity. The talent lineup includes {$Canned Heat}, {$Richie Havens}, {$Country Joe and the Fish}, {$The Who}, {$Jimi Hendrix}, {$Santana}, {$David Crosby} and {$Stephen Stills}, {$Jefferson Airplane}, {$Joe Cocker}, {$Arlo Guthrie}, {$John Sebastian}, {$Sly and the Family Stone}, {$Ten Years After} and {$Sha Na Na}. The original 184 minute running time was expanded to 224 minutes for the 1994 video version, featuring previously excised footage of {$Janis Joplin}. One of the best shots in {#Woodstock} has no music at all: the final image, as a group of dour policemen survey the garbage and debris left behind by the Woodstock Naton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
• Woodstock set the standard for all rockumentaries to come. Sensing that the 1969 Woodstock concert would be something more than a mere "happening", director Michael Wadleigh brought along a battalion of cinematographers and assistants. As a result, what could have been an aloof, detached record of the landmark concert is as "up close and personal" as it was possible to get without actually being there. Utilizing widescreen, splitscreen, and stereo-sound technology to the utmost, Wadleigh puts us right in the middle of the 400,000 screaming, mud-caked spectators, then zooms in to loving closeups of the stars. Edited by Martin Scorsese (among many others), the finished product won the 1970 Oscar for Best Documentary -- and was also stamped with an "R" rating due to some innocuous (by modern standards) nudity and profanity. The talent lineup includes Canned Heat, Richie Havens, Country Joe and the Fish, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, David Crosby and Stephen Stills, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, Arlo Guthrie, John Sebastian, Sly and the Family Stone, Ten Years After and Sha Na Na. The original 184 minute running time was expanded to 224 minutes for the 1994 video version, featuring previously excised footage of Janis Joplin. One of the best shots in Woodstock has no music at all: the final image, as a group of dour policemen survey the garbage and debris left behind by the Woodstock Naton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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