Customer Reviews

Festival! - The Newport Folk Festival

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Disappointed is an understatement. In actuality the film is pretty good or better. The disappointment is not one full song shown and some, Spider John are only 10 seconds. I know that not every second was filmed but here's an idea that would have satisfied Lerner's artistic desires and many peoples natual desire to see moreof the music. Double the price, on disc one show the film and on disc 2 have full versions of 2 hours of Artists. And I mean everyone from the 3 song electric Dylan to some Joan and all the biggies to the more obscure examples of our culture like the cloggers shouters etc. 2 things would then happen, I could watch the film without the constant feeling of coitus interuptus and see some killer acts from my very young life and our culture as a people. As it is the price is right if you want it but I doubt I'll watch it a 2nd time

Of course I am delighted to finally see this film I have only heard about and drooled over wanting to view it for several years, and I have no doubt that Scorcese's Dylan documentary had something to do with this film's much-overdue release, but like many reviewers have already said, this film can be a bit of a tease because most of the performances are painfully short.

I hate to complain, but I am anyway. On one hand, it is beautifully shot, with great audience segments and interviews, and for that it deserves credit, but what angers me is that clips of this movie were shown on the Scorcese documentary that do not appear on this DVD! Very historical clips, not just cutting-room floor stuff. That means there is more material that is available but (for some unknown reason) not included in this, the official DVD release, including the famous moment when Peter Yarrow is in a panic during Bob Dylan's electric set. Such a huge historical moment, beautifully captured on Scorcese's documentary, but excluded on this DVD. Because of the Scorcese documentary, the public knows more footage is out there. To whomever produced this DVD, please find a way to compile the extra footage on a bonus disc and reissue it as a two-disc set.

It's hard to complain, because I enjoy the movie. It just hurts, especially in these days of bonus footage and lost outtakes, that we (the consumer), for whatever reason, are not allowed to see as much as possible, which easily could have been included on an extra disc and sold at a higher price. Everything else about this movie is great. They cover many musiciains and festival-goers, and try to give their perfomances equal time with the small amount of time the producers allowed for themselves. That part is great, it just hurts to see only 10 seconds of Donovan's only appearance in the film, or only a few seconds of Dylan. Maybe I am spoiled by other music documentaries that show entire songs? I don't know, but I would still recommend buying this historical film

Before Woodstock, before Isle of Wight, before Monterey Pop, music fans of the early 60s went to Rhode Island for the Newport Folk Festival, a series of annual summer concerts featuring the best of the folk music scene. Murray Lerner and various other movie crews were on hand from 1963-1966 to film the musicians, the audience, and the interactions of the two groups. FESTIVAL captures this interaction well over the course of the film. However, one significant interaction exists throughout which seems to be the true focus of FESTIVAL: the old folkies versus the young upstarts. Whereas the original festival concept was to showcase the traditional folk acts (such as Pete Seeger, Peter Paul & Mary, square dancers and various gospel singers), a younger audience began to emerge onto the folk scene, cultivating their own tastes and styles, and moving towards a more rebellious attitude. Their heroes were more outspoken personalities such as Johnny Cash, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. Still, this is the pre-hippie era, so even the most rebellious kids tend to keep their hair short and their dress conservative. But things were about to change. FESTIVAL succeeds in capturing this era of transition, and many of the interviews with the performers and the young fans are priceless. There is one group of college age kids who comment on Bob Dylan's performance. I can't believe how much they resemble kids of today, from their pompous attitude, their fondness for longish hair, cigarettes, beer, and having a party. Obviously many of today's attitudes were already taking shape back in the early 60s.

As a concert film, FESTIVAL succeeds as well. Although some acts are indeed edited, this problem isn't annoying as others have stated. The film shows quite many performers, but all the music is real good. Near the end, you see Newport's most famous moment of controversy... Bob Dylan's electric performance of "Maggie's Farm." Bob Dylan is the superstar of Newport. All the musicians played his tunes (mostly in acoustic format) and the fans scrutinized everything he did. But Dylan's biggest function in this movie is this: he had brought the young music fans rock music into the folk scene (and making it a legitimate art form). The traditional folkies booed Dylan, but a new generation embraced him, and they were about to break away and organize festivals of their own, ones which were louder and more controversial. Monterey Pop took place in 1967 and the big one.... Woodstock was lurking at the end of the decade.

FESTIVAL is a great document of American music in transition, and a fun film for music lovers of various tastes. The footage is in black and white but it's a film of many cool colors and styles.

I ordered this impulsively when it became available - for some reason I thought it would be worth owning at the price ($10) but even that cheap it's really not a keeper.

It's somewhat reminiscent of the Evening Concert Anthology LPs that Vanguard produced in the Sixties from the Newport Festivals in that, given the diversity of folk genres represented, very few people are going to be interested in all the music although a few performances might be to one's taste. That was always a problem with "festivals" in the Folk Era: fans of Lativan folk music had to sit through performances of Muddy Waters (and vice versa).

This particular film suffers from the fact that it mixes performances from four years of Newport festivals starting in 1963: a lot changed in popular music and in contemporary events during that time and it's up to the viewer to figure out that the "youth" who is worried about "the bomb" is not yet worried about the draft.

Thus I can only guess that the most provocative moment in this film is probably at a "Topical Song" workshop where Bob Dylan appears at the end of the show and sings only "All I Really Wanna Do (is Baby be friends with you...)" which is anything but a protest song, and was probably exactly his point. Similarly his electric performances are presented in this film as just another genre of folk music.

It's easy to see why Scorcese used outtakes and longer excerpts from the production of this film. As others have mentioned, I found it very frustrating that only 15-20 seconds of Spider John Koerner is included, and only the last verse of Judy Collins singing "Anathea" (a song which is kind of a guilty pleasure for me personally).

How low key the festivals of this past era now seem. Audiences actually shut up and listened to the music and lyrics. The music makers cared about the world and influenced a generation, and changed history. A feast of talent presented in an honest and un flashy reality.

I really enjoyed this DVD but the previous reviewer was right about wanting some full performances. Several times, the clips were spliced from the beginning of the song straight to the final verse. For narative flow, this could have been necessary, but some full performances should have been included in with the "extras." (Also, English subtitles option would have been appreciated.)
Another thing is that this represents 4 critical years and yet there's no way to know what year is being shown. (I tried to gauge that by the length of the boys' hair, but it was difficult.) I think it would have been good to somehow designate the four different festivals so you could clearly see the progression.
Still, the footage is priceless and brings back that whole era vividly. I loved the segment of people sleeping all over the grounds and waking up with Donovan singing "Colours" over the soundrack. And the brief footage of a very young (and beautiful) Joan Baez singing "Mary Hamilton" against a tapestry of blowing leaves was unforgetable.
I was too young to make it to Newport, but this is the next best thing.

When I was a kid I saw Festival at the theater. I was exposed, for the first time in my life, to artists I had never heard of and artists I had never heard. Where else are you going to see Jim Kweskin, Mike Bloomfield, the folk Donovan, Son House, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Cash sing "I Walk the Line", and Bob going electric doing "Maggie's Farm". Even when I was a kid this movie was powerful. Now that I'm a little more conscious of what I'm seeing...this movie is a one of a kind historical document full of a richness of American culture that for the most part is forgotten.

Of course we'd all like full length versions of songs. I'd like a multi-disc set like the Monterey Pop 3 DVD set, but I'll happily take this well crafted film. The flow, the astonding richness of the music, and the piqaunt nostalgia of this film evokes a time of lost optimism that would be a bargain at three times the price. If you know anything about the time, you're in for a treat...if you know nothing about the time, you're in for a treat.

This film brought me back to a very significant time in my life -- earnest adolscence in the '60s. The musicians, the themes, the dawning of a completely different (we thought) era. But listen to the kids in the interviews, and look at the footage. This is pre-San Francisco, wear some flowers in your hair. These are the college students who went to Mississippi on voters' rights marches, these are the people who REALLY thought that music could change the world. And maybe they were right -- folk music, blues, protest songs, Appalachian clogging, it's all in the same big basket, and it all deserved our attention. It's sad that we just get snippets of the music, but the film is about the context in which the snippets appear. I loved it!

I forgot to appreciate this era... I've been stuck in the late sixties and seventies for so long that I forgot about this precurser trend...The folkies! The music is so different- fresh, and of the people, not necessarily ONLY of the rebellious drug addled hairy unkempt youth (mostly white male punks on dope with some color thrown in for good measure)
One reviewer mentioned in their review of Woodstock (the film) that he found Joan Baez and annoyance in the film- It made me think of how radically the times shifted in such a short span. Does anyone besides myself wonder about the almost total exclsuion of the female gender at woodstock ??? Grace Slick and an insert of Joan not withstanding. At this juncture ( the time of the Newport festivals ) Joan was THE epitome of cool youth. There was an integrity and hopefulness in the music- whether it was the Blues or a Woodie Guthrie anthem about "the people" , or a line of folk dancers- the medley displayed an America that was a melting pot without hierachies- at least on the stage -The black and white footage of the concert goers is priceless and unpretentious. Peter Paul and Mary for goodness sake- and goodness still had something to do with it.. how adorable AND powerful were they , in their clean clothes- and they were RADICALS! I couldn't stop looking at Mary Travers shaking her head and hair mass while she sings. These people were for real and their hearts and minds were in a good place , check out this film for something different .This film captures the hopefulness and innocence of the front end of the most exciting decade of the century -

I am one who loves his concert Dvd's and usually I wouldn't buy a music Dvd which didn't include full length songs, however this is a documentary which runs for a very reasonable time at over one and a half hours, and it includes so much rare fottage of great old artists whom it is very hard to get live footage of. It does actually include quite a few full length songs from Peter, Paul and Mary, as well as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.

The SOUND in this Dvd is fantastic considering how and when it was recorded, I was really happy with how clear and strong the audio was. Anyone who expects perect surround sound from a 60's festival is unrealistic. The sound has been done superbly.

The VIDEO is again above par considering the date of the event, there are multiple cameras which give some fantastic close ups of all the artists, black and white.

THe are really no EXTRAS which was a dissapointment.

To CONCLUDE for the price I would not hesitate in buying this dvd if you are a fan of the music and scene in question and want some great clips of dozens and dozens of great artists as well as full length from a few, notibly Peter, Paul and MAry and Bob Dylan. If the released a multi DVD set including every piece of video footage they had for 50 dollars I would buy it but that was not the purpose of this DVD. It is a great documentary showcasing all the talent really well in a limited time.