Director Ang Lee's latest film, quite far from both ambient martial arts and gay cowboys, is a rather joyful and loose take on Elliot Tiber's view of the Woodstock festival, described in Tiber's book Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life.
To break out a soon-to-be cliché, Taking Woodstock is not about the music, it's about the event; rockstars are left sidestaged for the geeks who were behind the scenes. Gone are Jimi's dental-defying guitar antics, Janis' champagne glasses and Pete Townshend's fan smacking.
The film instead focuses on Mr. Tiber's struggle to save his parents'motel, to find a life-line for the small community of White Plains, and to get along with his peculiar friends as the much-needed lifeline suddenly comes to be (that would be the world's biggest festival).
Tiber, or Teichberg which is his real name, was 34 at the time of the festival. The movie version of him however, is considerably younger, bringing an aura of innocence, if not stereotypicality, into the frame. Glamorously remembered, nostalgic flower power is seemingly abundant amidst spaced out characters, funky clothes, free love and the requisite acid trip. Also features a cross-dressing ex-marine.
The Woodstock festival, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, is widely regarded as one of the greatest moments in rock history, with 400 000 people attending the three-day festival. Despite being heralded as the pinnacle of the peace&love culture, two people died during the festival: one of a heroin overdose, and one from being run over by a tractor whilst asleep in a hayfield.
Taking Woodstock is released in the US next week, and in the UK November 13.
Related:
Woodstock 40 is cancelled
12:49 PM | 21/08/2009
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