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Woodstock
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 5014780135499
Format: PAL
Languages: English (Original Language), Analog
Number Of Discs: 1
Theatrical Release Date: March 26, 1970
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Editorial Review:
The three-day Woodstock music festival in 1969 was the pivotal event of the 1960s peace movement, and this landmark concert film is the definitive record of that milestone of rock & roll history. It's more than a chronicle of the hippie movement, however; this is a film of genuine historical and social importance, capturing the spirit of America in transition, when the Vietnam War was at its peak and antiwar protest was fully expressed through the liberating music of the time. With a brilliant crew at his disposal (including a young editor named Martin Scorsese), director Michael Wadleigh worked with over 300 hours of footage to create his original 225-minute director's cut, which was cut by 40 minutes for the film's release in 1970. Eight previously edited segments were restored in 1994, and the original director's cut of Woodstock is now the version most commonly available on videotape and DVD.
The film deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and it's still a stunning achievement. Abundant footage taken among the massive crowd ("half a million strong") expresses the human heart of the event, from skinny-dipping hippies to accidental overdoses, to unpredictable weather, midconcert childbirth, and the thoughtful (or just plain rambling) reflections of the festive participants. Then, of course, there is the music--a nonstop parade of rock & roll from the greatest performers of the period, including Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Canned Heat, The Who, Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Ten Years After, Sly & The Family Stone, Santana, and many more. Watching this ambitious film, as the saying goes, is the next best thing to being there--it's a time-travel journey to that once-in-a-lifetime event. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Greatest Concert Film Ever So Why No Reissue?
A great film, and would be a five star review based on content, but this is the same exact DVD released at the start of the DVD era, and there's no excuse for that. This would be one of the few films I'd actually watch the entire special features dvd, and with 296 hours of unused footage, there's bound to be some great deleted material in there, not to mention the chance to do "where are they now" interviews with not only the performers and event planners, but they might also be able to track down ... Read More
Rating:  - At heart,It's not really about the music
Well,
this film is something of a 'curate's egg'.... As a reminder of the hippy scene of the late 60's it delivers. [Although looking back now, the 'scene' seems hilariously self-absorbed and frankly cringe inducing in places].As a social documentary,I'd give it 4 stars at least
But as a concert film it is dull, too 'chopped up' and not really worth buying for repeat viewing. For example,the butchered set of Hendrix was played over footage of all the rubbish being ... Read More
Rating: - A Director's Cut Gone Wrong: Buy The CD Instead
As a non-drug user who remembers the concert, saw the theatrical version of the film in 1970, and has worn out records and tapes of the music, I was hoping to relive the visual experiences of the concert when I purchased this dvd. Unfortunately, the Director's Cut has butchered the original film. Scenes and performances have been altered, all for the worse. This dvd will sit on the shelf, and I will continue to listen to the cd. The Director's cut is revisionist at best.
Update--1 July ... Read More
Rating:  - Excellent Film and have a question(?)
I had the privalege to attend the original release in 1970. At the time, as a promotion, Warner Bros. handed out a Woodstock booklet. The movie is a really great look into what the sixties were all about.
I have in my possession a booklet "hand-out" that was given
out to (I guess) the first so many people to see the movie
Woodstock by WB, released in 1970. The book contains pictures,
poems, artwork, and by now...history.
The book is approx. 8 1/2" x 11", in full ... Read More
Rating: - Great Video/history but........
when I received this product it was scrathed on side 2.
This was NOT supposed to be a used item...returning it would mean a huge headache, so I kept it.
Other than that the music/artist and concert goers brought me back to 1969.
I only wish my parents were hippies and I could have gone. I was 10 and would've loved and did love rock music in 1969.
If only some of those musicians what have made it through without losing their life. What a different world music would've been.
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