Review of Woodstock (1970) by Patrick H — 28 Nov 2008

If you're a music fan of any genre, Woodstock is a must-see. Although the music is obviously the focal point of the film, the title also suggests "3 Days of Peace" as well. Some of the highlight performances in the film are bands such as Ten Years After, Canned Heat and Jimi Hendrix sets up a tremendous 15-minute climax.

In between the performances, director Michael Wadleigh takes time to examine the people surrounding the festival. There is a great scene where it begins to rain on the festivities. Normally, people would be trying to find shelter or sit in their cars.

But those who attended Woodstock were not boring. They decided to slide in the mud and make music with aluminum cans, glass jars and sticks. It shows that race nor religion need not matter in this venue.

Everyone was considered the same and everyone was treated as an equal. Contrary to the general stereotype of hippies, many people that were interviewed didn't seem to mind their presence. In fact, many claimed that they were surprised at how well-behaved they were (in terms of not causing too much of a ruckus).

The direction of the movie seems to capture the essence of the festival itself: the screen constantly splits in half and takes us to something else going on in another part of the festival. For those of us who will never get a chance to go back in time and experience this historic period in time, I strongly recommend you see Woodstock for the ultimate rock concert experience.