Woodstock: 3 Days Of Peace And Music (1994)

In August 1969, nearly half a million people converged on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, for three days of peace and music. The roads jammed, the rain poured, the food ran short and the fences came down, yet the gathering became the defining moment of an entire generation. "Woodstock: 3 Days Of Peace And Music" is the definitive record of that milestone, and it remains one of the most important documents of the late-sixties counterculture ever put on film. It's far more than a chronicle of the hippie movement. This is a film of genuine historical and social importance, capturing an America in transition, with the Vietnam War at its peak and the antiwar movement finding its voice through the liberating music of the time. Director Michael Wadleigh had a brilliant crew behind him, including young editors Thelma Schoonmaker and Martin Scorsese, and together they shaped some 300 hours of footage into a landmark. The film was trimmed by about 40 minutes for its 1970 theatrical release, but Wadleigh's full director's cut, with much of that footage restored, has since become the version most fans know. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and it's still a stunning achievement. The footage shot among the massive crowd captures the human heart of the event - skinny-dipping hippies, accidental overdoses, unpredictable weather, babies reportedly born on site and the thoughtful, or just plain rambling, reflections of the festivalgoers themselves. Then there's the music, a nonstop parade of the era's greatest performers, including Crosby, Stills and Nash, Canned Heat, the Who, Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Ten Years After, Sly & The Family Stone and a young Santana, all leading up to Jimi Hendrix's unforgettable rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the festival came to a close. Watching it today is the next best thing to being there, a true journey back in time to a once-in-a-lifetime event. Moments like Woodstock can't be planned or repeated, and we're fortunate that someone had the vision to capture this one so completely.