"Taking Woodstock"
Directed by: Ang Lee
Starring: Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, Jonathan Groff, Eugene Levy, Liev Schreiber
Rated: R
1969 was a year than had a great amount of that intangible stuff that some call "mojo." The swingin' '60s were coming to a close, and there was something in the air.
The summer of '69 in particular saw events take place that shook the foundations of our culture and are still important today. In a period of less than a month, mankind landed on the moon, the Manson family committed a series of shocking murders, and a little music festival that took place Aug. 15-18 not only defined the era but brought it to a close as well.
What started out as a festival promoters said would be attended by 50,000 (ticket sales were limited to the New York City area and by mail) ended up attracting nearly 500,000 people from all across America.
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: Three Days of Peace & Music," was not merely a pivotal moment in musical history, but an event that touched the very fabric of society. Many thought the peaceful gathering of so many people in such close quarters was ushering in a new era. And indeed it was.
Originally a for-profit venture, Woodstock became a free festival and the promoters lost hundreds of thousands of dollars when it got huge and out of control.
But the subsequent documentary, and the soundtrack from that film, allowed them to recoup their losses and actually make some money. And the event has proven to have "legs." 2009 is the 40th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival and this summer has seen the re-release of Michael Wadleigh's documentary, with additional footage, commentary and special features. Several volumes of music, including an expanded soundtrack from the film, have been released.
Meanwhile, Ang Lee - best known for films such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the Oscar-winning "Brokeback Mountain" - has directed "Taking Woodstock."
The film is based on Elliot Tiber's memoir of the same name. Tiber played a role in bringing the festival to the White Lake area of Bethel, N.Y., after the folks in the town of Waterkill nixed the idea for fear of being overrun by crazed hippies.
In the movie, Tiber's character is named Elliot Teichberg and is played by comedian Demetri Martin.
Elliot has all but given up his design business in New York City to move to Bethel to help his parents keep up their failing motel. He lands a gig as head of the local chamber of commerce and tries his best to give the community a cultural shot in the arm. He has put on his own music and arts festival, which consisted of him playing records to a few people out in a field. This summer he has a permit issued by the town to stage another outdoor "festival," this one to have live chamber music. He eventually uses that permit for the Woodstock festival.
When newspaper headlines proclaim that Waterkill has put the kibosh on the show, he makes a play to get the promoters to move the affair to his parents' land in Bethel. The four promoters are an odd mix: two wealthy young investors with unlimited cash and a couple of idealistic hippies, including the always mellow Michael Lang, played here by Jonathan Groff.
It becomes apparent that the Teichbergs' land is going to be much too small for a concert that is now estimated to draw upwards of 200,000. Elliot and Michael then try to persuade local dairy farmer Max Yasgur (Eugene Levy) to rent them his land that forms a natural amphitheater near the now famous-for-its-its-skinny-dipping Filippini Pond. Max sympathizes with the hippies and agrees to lease his land. But he's also a shrewd businessman and charges the promoters a pretty penny. As the influx of hippies begins, the town folk might be uneasy but they are all making money from the goings on.
The basic storyline follows the trials that Elliot and the promoters go through to get the show up and running while a parallel subplot involves Elliot coming to terms with his odd, Holocaust surviving mother, and his own closeted homosexuality.
There are no shots of any of the bands performing, but when Elliot finally makes his way to Yasgur's farm - where he smokes marijuana and drops LSD - music can be heard in the background and the camera surveys the sea of humans that communed for the three-day weekend.
"Taking Woodstock" is not a great film and somewhat out of character for director Lee. But it is well-made and will strike an emotional chord with those of us who were of the age when the Woodstock Music and Arts fair touched our lives, whether we attended it or not.
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Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.
