Firstly I would like to begin from a Media Studies student perspective. This film is incredible Ang Lee has been repeatably cited as a director that fits into the glove of modernity. This film will I suspect be the future of media studies.
One thing about Media theory is that it is drawn from older text, many of the theorists are talking about music made in the swinging 20’s never mind the cosmic era of love 60’s. With this in mind I will begin my review of this amazing film.
Taking Woodstock historically is an epic portrayal of an amazing festival, even though it lacks any contribution by ‘famous acts’. If you are looking to see alive concert your best bet is to rent out a documentary of the Grateful Dead or better still wait till June when the Glastonbury festival begins it’s broadcast on BBC 1 and BBC 2. If however your looking for an outstanding movie which will shake your world and escort you along within the narrative and offer a conscious shift in thinking – and yes expect a few surprises along the way – then definitely this is the film for you.
This is a feel good film. Set in the country we see a transformation from local character analysis in which we are introduced to the type of people who live in the village to then be spoon fed nearly everyone in the film. The main character’s trait in the film is this interest in people. From the beginning this film sets up an event that has a bit of everything within. From Jack Black type characters, to Tootsie typed Queen’s and kaleidoscope visuals that will as the cover shows take you on a trip down memory lane.
The film has a hidden interest in technical matters involved around organization and gives a relatively true representation of this world. There’s a great baseball bat moment in this movie. This film is about a family. But is also about a commune of local hippies who seem to live off creativity and nature. It has characters that you end up caring about. And also those you care about at first cleverly gives you reason to question why you liked them. The clever series of events that lead up to this event are incredible, I really enjoyed this film.
The stars of the film are great. Two guy’s that you’ll recognize are the ex Vietnam Veteran and the sites landowner look out for them. But the main star of the film is so normal it is something that again should in my opinion make you able to really enjoy and share happiness in their achievements. Sometimes only superficial achievements but as the film goes on a new narrative arises. And from every problem almost immediately a solution pops up.
This is a recumbent message about freedom in an age when drugs were used to raise consciousness in-order to rise above the past consciousness of failure like alcohol was before prohibition.
This film is about the middle class baby boomer’s and how freaky they were and how they take over a quiet middle of the road crossroads village. But on arrival already within the base of the site already exist the freakiest team led by the Jack Black look alike. Whose creativity is more about free love and nature rather than money and industrialization.
Within the whole ethos of the festival there is a money theme in this film, wads of cash in-fact, money exchanging hands, corporate industries as they set up shop from one of the most talked about festivals since Glastonbury. In-fact it would be great to see something similar made about Glastonbury. Go out and watch this film in the movies or get it on Blue Ray. The hallucination scene is cosmic and you want good quality screen to get the best aesthetic effect.
If you like films that rock your thinking and make you like the characters this is the film for you. A feel good film with some decent enough reconstructions of a really popular moment of America’s history, not quite Independence day but definitely up there.
