Reel American History - Films

Alice's Restaurant (1969): This film is an adaptation of a song by one of the 60's most prolific and well-known songwriters, Arlo Guthrie. We are taken through Guthrie's song "Alice's Restaurant Massacre" and follow Guthrie himself through the trials and tribulations of the events there within. The movie itself is a social commentary on the state of the United States during the late sixties. This relates well to Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music because it can be used as a voice for a generation. This movie expresses how a number of young American's in the 60's were feeling about the government and society in general -- that they were trapped and falsely lead down a path that didn't suit them or their beliefs. Used as a companion to Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music, the audience can gain a better understanding of how this generation felt, and what they truly believed in.
Easy Rider (1969): This film goes well with Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music in that it deals with the lifestyles of several of the countercultures within the 60's. From rednecks to hippies, Easy Rider brings the audience along for the ride as Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper meet and greet some of the most unusual and surprisingly usual people on their road trip. The movie has a very Woodstock feel about it. The carefree nature and the laid-back attitude of the cast contribute to the comparisons made between the two films. One can relate the cast in Easy Rider directly to many of the audience members at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. They were out to have fun and live by their own rules, and that's exactly what they did. Arguably, "the" film about the 60's from the counterculture perspective.
Gimme Shelter (1970): Produced the in the same year as Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music. The Rolling Stonesâ€™ direct cinema film acts as very much an extension of the themes of peace, love, and community that Woodstock introduces. The film demonstrates the progression of the notion of the free concert by showing the devastating reality that can spawn from such a counterculture. While in Woodstock it can be argued that this culture is either benign or malignant, in Gimme Shelter, the direct focus on the murder at the Altamont Speedway typifies the potential for social disruption that this musically founded culture can generate. Gimme Shelter is also produced directly after Woodstock mainly about the Stonesâ€™ free concert at the Altamont Speedway and thus serves as a direct corollary to the progression of the counterculture environment and the ensuing unavoidable catastrophes.
Monterey Pop (1968): Created by D.A. Pennebaker (the same filmmaker famous for the direct cinema film of Bob Dylanâ€™s Donâ€™t Look Back, Monterey Pop is a documentary that focuses on the power of artistry in the festival-like environments of the 1960â€™s. Rather than focusing on the concert-goers, like Woodstock, Monterey Pop ignores making a statement about the fans and, rather, became popular as the first of its kind. It was so well received, that it actually influenced the funding of the Woodstock documentary, but, in tone and content, was much less socially concerned.
Woodstock '94 (1995): This film is in direct correlation with the original Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music since it is the documentary of the twenty-fifth anniversary concert. Though this documentary doesn't give the same amount of audience and townsfolk commentary, the audience is still able to view both the musicians and their fans during the film. With these opportunities we are able to see how the lifestyles and philosophies of America's young have changed over the last twenty-five years. We are able to analyze the crowd and compare it directly to Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music, giving us a greater understanding of the motives behind the two concerts.

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