John J. Puccio reviews WOODSTOCK 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition on Blu-ray (& DVD, June 9)

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—> See Link to our Blu-ray Review (below)

Celebrating the Greatest Rock Concert in History! On Blu-ray and DVD June 9 from Warner Home Video...

Remastered 4-hour Director's Cut and over 3 hours of extras (includes newly discovered performances), and these collectibles:
• LUCITE display with images from the festival
• 60-Page Commemorative LIFE MAGAZINE Reprint
• Iron-on WOODSTOCK PATCH
• Festival Memorabilia including Reproductions of HANDWRITTEN NOTES and a Three-Day Ticket
Numbered, Limited-Edition Sets for Enhanced Collectibility

"Few documentaries have captured a time and place more completely, poignantly, and … entertainingly."
—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"Not just a great slice-of-time documentary but the ultimate rock concert movie."
—Chris Willman, Los Angeles Times

WOODSTOCK: 3 Days of Peace and Music, the
Director's Cut 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition — Explore further:
—> Blu-ray Review by John J Puccio »
EXCERPT: To celebrate the 1970 film documentary of the occasion, Warner Bros. have produced several lavish box sets, "Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music, the Director's Cut 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition," on DVD (three discs) and the one reviewed here on high-definition Blu-ray (two discs). The boxes include not only the expanded Director's Cut of the film, nearly four hours long, but a ton of additional footage, music, supplements, extras, booklets, garment patches, notes, even a Lucite lenticular display of vintage photos.

Director Michael Wadleigh reminds us that this was the Sixties with his constant use of split screens, varying aspect ratios, and such diversions for the music, the interviews, and the scenic shots. It was a time of hippies, Vietnam, racial tensions, civil-rights movements, women's lib, flower children, free love, increased drug use, and general social upheaval. "Woodstock," the movie, captures all of that and more.

In addition to the discs, the set contains a number of collectible items. These include a Lucite display with photo images from the festival; a sixty-page commemorative "Life" magazine reprint; an iron-on Woodstock patch; and various festival memorabilia, like reproductions of handwritten notes and a Three-Day ticket. The box itself is a sturdy, fiberboard unit covered in leather, further enclosing yet another box for the materials, the whole package encased in a transparent plastic slipcover. Moreover, each set is a numbered, limited edition. Plenty classy.

(Click thru the Link above for the full review)

Burbank, CA — Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music – the four-hour Director's Cut of the 1970 Oscar®-winning documentary about the landmark music event that featured some of the greatest rock 'n' roll performers in history – will be released June 9 in a spectacular new limited, numbered Blu-ray and DVD Ultimate Collector's Edition (UCE). With two extra hours of rare performance footage – some of it newly-discovered, some only seen in part and some never seen at all – the UCE is destined to make its own history. Details of the new releases will be featured at the South by Southwest Music + Film Festival where Warner Home Video will offer festival goers a first look at the new high definition picture and sound on March 21.

Today, four decades later, Woodstock still resonates deeply with those that attended and those that wished they had. Director Michael Wadleigh notes, "Based on the vast e-mails and calls I've received, many from young people, it's very evident that people still relate so much to the film and view the '60s as an age when anything and everything was possible, mostly good. Many hope for a new Woodstock generation since what people loved back then was spontaneity, originality, innocence and honesty - even in superstars; that's why Woodstock, with its open and natural philosophy, has become timeless."

The two extra hours of rare performance footage features 18 new performances as never before seen from 13 groups, including Joan Baez, Country Joe McDonald, Santana, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker and five (Paul Butterfield, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter and Mountain) who played at Woodstock but never appeared in any film version.

A third hour of bonus material also on the UCE includes a featurette gallery showcasing interviews with Martin Scorsese, producer Michael Lang, director Michael Wadleigh, Hugh Hefner, Eddie Kramer (the concert's original chief on-site engineer and producer-engineer for Jimi Hendrix) and others who chronicle the making of the festival and the film. Included are such segments as 3 Days in a Truck, No Rain! No Rain! and Living Up To Idealism. Additionally, exclusive to Blu-ray a Customize Your Own Woodstock Playlist from the 18 bonus performances and other special features like Media Center, My WB Commentary and Live Community Screening.

The WOODSTOCK UCE will be packaged in a unique giftbox, numbered as part of a limited run with an array of collectibles that include a 60+ page reprint of a Life magazine commemorative issue, a lucite lenticular display of vintage festival photos, festival memorabilia and an iron-on patch with the classic dove and guitar Woodstock emblem.

Jeff Baker, WHV's Executive VP and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog, stated, "As I reviewed Woodstock interviews and some of the newly discovered concert footage, it struck me how historically relevant this project has become to all of us who have been privileged to be a part of it. The new 'content' we have created, almost 40 years later, and the live performances we've restored in high definition, some in extended cuts, will live on as studio assets forever, and as a testimony to a time and a set of circumstances which will never again repeat themselves."

Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music was newly remastered from original elements and scanned at 2K with an audio 5.1 mix. Eddie Kramer, Woodstock sound engineer, assisted with the 5.1 audio mix of recently found additional footage. The Ultimate Collector's Edition will be available in Blu-ray™ Hi-Def ($69.99 SRP) as well as DVD ($59.98 SRP). Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music will also be available on DVD as a Two-Disc Special Edition ($24.98 SRP).

WOODSTOCK ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION
BAND ROSTER – 22 Bands Total
(Alphabetical List)
· Arlo Guthrie
· Canned Heat
· Country Joe & the Fish
· Country Joe McDonald
· Creedence Clearwater Revival
· Crosby, Stills, Nash
· Grateful Dead
· Janis Joplin
· Jefferson Airplane
· Jimi Hendrix
· Joan Baez
· Joe Cocker
· John Sebastian
· Johnny Winter
· Mountain
· Paul Butterfield Blues Band
· Richie Havens
· Santana
· Sha-Na-Na
· Sly & The Family Stone
· Ten Years After
· The Who

FULL DESCRIPTION of 18 Bonus Performances:
· Joan Baez: "One Day at a Time"
· Country Joe McDonald: "Flying High"
· Santana: "Evil Ways"
· Canned Heat: "I'm Her Man" and "On the Road Again"
· Mountain: "Beside the Sea" and "Southbound Train"
· Grateful Dead: "Turn On Your Love Light"
· Creedence Clearwater Revival: "Born on the Bayou", "I've Put a Spell on You" and "Keep on Chooglin"
· The Who: "We're Not Going To Take It" and "My Generation"
· Jefferson Airplane: "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds"
· Joe Cocker: "Something's Coming On"
· Johnny Winter: "Mean Town Blues"
· Paul Butterfield: "Morning Sunrise"
· Sha Na Na: "Teen Angel"

WOODSTOCK Ultimate Collector's Edition
DVD Contents – Disc One:
• Film (Director's Cut), Part 1
• The Museum at Bethel Woods: The Story of the Sixties & Woodstock

DVD Contents – Disc Two:
• Film (Director's Cut), Part 2

DVD Contents – Disc Three:
• Woodstock: Untold Stories – 18 Performances as never before seen (see list further above)
• Woodstock: From Festival to Feature – Interviews of the sights and sounds of the 3-day event, from concert goers, promoters, crew and musicians (see below)

Blu-ray Hi-Def Exclusive:
• Customize Your Own Woodstock Playlist (from the 18 bonus performances) – This feature allows you to customize your own personal jukebox playlist from more than a dozen live Woodstock performances as never before seen.
• BD-Live features include Media Center, My WB Commentary, & Live Community Screening

–Media Center is a hub for trailers, features and content
–You can get sneak peeks of upcoming Warner Bros. films, and rate trailers
–You can access to Exclusive Content such as interviews, featurettes, and more only seen through WB BD-Live
–You can access Photo Galleries and other special features
–Live Community Screenings allow you to send invitations to fans and friends across the country for virtual screenings at a specified time and chat online with each other as the movie plays on each person's Blu-ray player. You can host your own Live Community Screening with your buddy list or participate in a WB hosted BD-Live community event.

–My WB Commentary lets you record and post a Picture-in-Picture commentary right over the film, then share it and rate it. Using a web-camera, you can record your own comments and play them back as a Picture-in-Picture feature over the film scene you have chosen and share it with your friends or the entire Warner Brothers BD-Live Community.

For more information visit the OFFICIAL SITE » www.woodstockondvd.com and be sure to check back in April as many new features will be added, including exciting performance clips, an image gallery, wallpapers, screensaver and much more.

Woodstock 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition will be supported with promotional partnerships and a national media and publicity campaign spanning TV, print, online/viral, events and grassroots efforts targeting music fans of all ages.

WOODSTOCK (From Festival to Feature highlights) –
• The Camera: The Éclair NPR was the best camera around in 1969; Michael Wadleigh talks about why the Éclair was the right camera for this film.

• 365,000 Feet of Film: The stories of how Dale Bell and his crew begged, borrowed and stole just enough film to document the festival.

• Shooting Stage: Those up-close shots of performers didn't just happen by magic; see how Wadleigh and his cameramen got those up close and personal shots of the performers.

• The Line Up: The Who, Sha Na Na, Santana, Ten Years After, Jefferson Airplane and many more; how did all these bands get on the roster for the festival of a life time?

• Holding the Negative Hostage: What does a filmmaker do when Technicolor is sending a copy of your negative to the studio without your permission? Well, you lock up the film and hire a lawyer.

• Announcements: "Don't take the brown acid" or maybe it was green. We'll hear about all the strange and informative announcements heard during those three days of peace, love and enlightenment.

• Suits VS. Longhairs: The clash between the hippie filmmakers and the Warner executives who didn't understand what this film meant.

• Documenting History: Find out from Michael Wadleigh and Dale Bell, along with filmmakers, where the idea of capturing this event on film came from.

• Woodstock: The Journey: Some came by car, others by truck, a few came by helicopter but most walked to the most famous festival in history.

• Pre-Production: We'll find out how this production got off the ground and meet the members of the crew that made it happen.

• Production: How many cameras were used? How much film did they go through? Did anyone sleep? All these questions and more will be answered here as we explore how Woodstock was captured on film.

• Synchronization: How do you sync all this material with out any slates? No slate, no problem. With the help of an upright Moviola, Dale Bell, Michael Wadleigh, Eddie Kramer and the editors were able to make magic from miles of tape and film.

• The Crowd: Half a million people of all colors, shapes, sizes, ages and sexes attended this historical event. We'll hear stories about the number of people and how they all coexisted for three days with only minor incidents.

• No Rain! No Rain!: Everyone talks about the rain at this event as if it were a character. It was. It set the tone, provided moments of danger, fun and disgust.

• 3 Days in a Truck: Eddie Kramer heard some of the most amazing performances as he recorded this historic event. But during those three days of peace, love and music, he didn't get to see any performances because he was stuck in a truck.

• Woodstock Effect: The film, the event and the album catapulted many musicians into the limelight, changing their lives forever.

• Living up to Idealism

• World's Longest Optical

• Critical Acclaim

• Courtesy of The Museum at Bethel Woods: The Hog Farm Commune

• Hugh Hefner and Michael Wadleigh: The Woodstock Connection

_____________________________________

Previous DVDTOWN report...

Burbank, CA — On August 15, 2008, it will be thirty-nine years ago to the day that some half-million people gathered in upstate New York for a three-day festival featuring some of the greatest rock 'n' roll performers of all time. Warner Home Video has announced its plans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the music history milestone July 28, 2009 by releasing a spectacular Ultimate Collectors Edition (UCE) of the Oscar®-winning Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music.

The restored and remastered release will include more than an hour of newly discovered Festival performances, some never-before-published in their entirety, from a number of artists, including The Who, Joe Cocker, Canned Heat, Joan Baez, Country Joe McDonald and Country Joe And The Fish (with more to be announced). The release will incorporate reflections and perspectives from musicians, celebrities, influencers and other giants in the entertainment industry on the cultural significance of Woodstock 40 years later.

The Ultimate Collector's Edition (Blu-ray™ Hi-Def & DVD) will include the four-hour Director´s Cut, remastered from original elements and scanned at 2K with audio 5.1 mix supervised by director Michael Wadleigh. Eddie Kramer, the concert's original chief engineer - who was on-site for the festival (and the engineer of several Jimi Hendrix albums) - is overseeing the new audio mix of all of the recently found added footage.

Special features include a filmmaker's commentary, replicas of handwritten notes from Festival attendees, The '60s And The Woodstock Generation (a 40 minute documentary film by noted filmmaker Robert Kline adapted from his book "Children of the '60s"), studio archive letters and other souvenir collectible items. The film has been on moratorium since January of this year and will continue to be unavailable to the public for more than a year and a half until its DVD release next year. Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music will also be available as a stand-alone DVD.

In making the announcement, Jeff Baker, WHV's Executive VP and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog, stated, "The music, artists and spirit of Woodstock resonate as strongly today as in 1969. We're certain the film will strike a chord with those who remember, and may have even attended, Woodstock, but we also believe the music - some in extended cuts - will appeal to today's youth generation who not only love rock music but are equally as committed now to the values surrounding Woodstock, like spirit of community, caring for the environment and idealistic change.

"Additionally, since we think of the Ultimate Collector's Edition as our 'signature dish,' if you will, we´re very excited that we'll be giving the same attention to this iconic film as we have to our other top-tier titles such as Harry Potter, Blade Runner, JFK and upcoming, A Christmas Story and Casablanca.

Woodstock alumni David Crosby noted, "Woodstock was more than just a concert; it was an event. It was a time for our generation to speak up and let everyone know we had a voice. Whether you were there or are discovering the film for the first time, it still holds up 40 years later and now will speak to a whole new generation."

In June 2008, The Museum at Bethel Woods completed construction and opened its facility, located near the historic site of the 1969 concert. The museum features state-of-the-art multi-media exhibits, engaging programs and educational events.

> About WOODSTOCK and the Film...

Woodstock was unique not only because of its legendary artists, from Jimi Hendrix to Janis Joplin, or the subsequent timeless motion picture it produced, but also because it was the pivotal event of the 1960s peace movement.

The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held at Max Yasgur's dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York on a sometimes rain-soaked weekend from August 15 to August 18, 1969. Created by promoter Michael Lang with Artie Kornfeld, John Roberts and Joel Rosenman, the two put together 32 legendary musical acts which included such artists as Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Who, Santana, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, The Band, Joe Cocker, Country Joe McDonald and The Fish, Richie Havens, Jefferson Airplane, John Sebastian, Ravi Shankar and Sly & The Family Stone. Rolling Stone Magazine hailed the Festival as one of the "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock 'n' Roll."

Said Michael Lang, "It's gratifying to me that Woodstock remains so relevant today as does the great work that documented it. Artie and Joel join me in congratulating Warner Home Video for putting together this brand new and exciting look at our event and for unearthing more of the historic performances that electrified us all at the time."

Winner of the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature (and nominated for Best Editing and Best Sound), Woodstock was produced by Bob Maurice and directed by Michael Wadleigh, who assembled an outstanding crew that included young editors and filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Thelma Schoonmaker, Joel Cox and Tina Hirsch. Noted film critic Roger Ebert (of the Chicago Sun-Times) said, "Few documentaries have captured a time and place more completely, poignantly and, for that matter, entertainingly."

The critically acclaimed Museum at Bethel Woods, located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, NY, tells the story of the Sixties and Woodstock through state-of-the-art multi-media exhibits, engaging programs and educational events. The Center provides artists with the opportunity to perform on one of music's most legendary grounds, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is committed to being a world-class cultural destination in the heart of New York State. www.BethelWoodsCenter.org

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