The Horse's Head

#418) Salome (1923)

OR “Baptism by Ire”

Directed by Charles Bryant (and an uncredited Alla Nazimova)

Written by Alla Nazimova and Natacha Rambova. Based on the play by Oscar Wilde.

Class of 2000

The Plot: Loosely based on the Oscar Wilde play (which in turn is loosely based on the New Testament story), Salome (Alla Nazimova) is the daughter of Herodias (Rose Dion) and stepdaughter of Herod the Tetrarch (Mitchell Lewis). During a royal banquet, Salome encounters Jokanaan the Prophet, aka John the Baptist (Nigel De Brulier), imprisoned for his criticism of Herod’s marriage to Herodias (the ex-wife of Herod’s half-brother). Salome declares her love for Jokanaan, who quickly rebuffs her. When Herod requests that Salome dance the provocative Dance of the Seven Veils, Salome agrees on the condition that Jokanaan’s head be brought to her on a silver platter! Hell hath no fury like a biblical figure scorned.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film “one of the earliest examples of surrealism in film” and praises the sets and “flamboyant” costume design. An essay by film expert Martin Turnbull argues that Alla Nazimova was an artist ahead of her time.

But Does It Really?: After feeling decidedly “meh” after watching this film, it was the aforementioned Turnbull essay that convinced me to give “Salome” a pass. As a whole, the film’s emphasis on surrealism mixed with its glacially slow pacing makes for a challenging watch, but it does represent Alla Nazimova, an artist whose brief Hollywood tenure deserves a mention. Neither Nazimova nor “Salome” are integral to film history, but, like many others on this list, they are “figures in the carpet” that provide more details to a specific era of filmmaking.

Everybody Gets One: A student of Constantin Stanislavski, Alla Nazimova was the toast of the European theater scene of the early 1900s. Her move to New York and Broadway were equally successful, and it wasn’t long before Hollywood became interested in film adaptations of Alla’s stage work. By the late 1910s, Nazimova had moved to Hollywood and was one of the highest paid actors of the day. Eventually, she sought more creative control over projects, “Salome” being a prime example: she is credited for acting and writing, did uncredited directing, distributed the film through her own Nazimova Productions, and even financed the entire project ($350,000, roughly 5 million today).

Other notes

• The film’s director Charles Bryant was not only an actor-turned-director, but he was also Alla Nazimova’s husband. The two appeared together in a series of films for Metro before both jumped ship for Nazimova Productions. It was revealed years later that theirs was a lavender marriage, most likely to help mask Alla’s bisexuality. The couple separated shortly after the financial failure of “Salome”.
• For the record, the story of John the Baptist’s beheading is covered in only a few passages in the Book of Mark. They don’t even mention Salome by name! The Oscar Wilde play is one act, his major contribution to the story being the Dance of the Seven Veils. And that’s about as much padding as this story can handle.
• The first chunk of this movie is intertitles explaining the story of Salome and introducing all the characters. It eats up a lot of screentime. This is why no one watches silent films anymore; who wants to read their movie?
• Shoutout to Natacha Rambova, the film’s costume and production designer. Rambova was inspired by the illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley in the original publication of Oscar Wilde’s “Salome”. The result is quite outlandish, but not soon to be forgotten: from the film’s minimalist set (shot entirely indoors for maximum lighting effects) to its elaborate, Roman-Empire-by-way-of-Art-Deco costumes. Fun Fact: Rambova was briefly married to Rudolph Valentino.
• “Salome” has joined the elite group of NFR films for which one of my notes simply reads “What is happening?” Part of that is this film’s assumption that you’re familiar with the story of “Salome”, and the other part is the film’s pacing being epically slow. Everything is such an ordeal: John takes forever to reject Salome, Salome takes forever telling Herod what her wish is, everyone takes forever doing everything! I know the emphasis is on the visuals rather than the story, but please have mercy on the little bit of plot there is.
• In case you missed it, the film’s main thesis plays at both the beginning and the end: “The Mystery of Love is Greater Than the Mystery of Death”.

Legacy

• “Salome” was a critical and commercial flop when it opened and, combined with her other big-budget failures, led to Nazimova’s bankruptcy and departure from Hollywood. She briefly returned in the early 1940s as a supporting actor in sound films, ironically living in a hotel that had once been her mansion (the infamous “Garden of Allah”). Alla Nazimova died in 1945, several decades before her movies would be rediscovered and reappraised.
• Oscar Wilde’s “Salome” has been revived and referenced from time to time, most recently in 2011’s docudrama “Wilde Salome” directed by Al Pacino and starring Jessica Chastain.

• There have been a few film remakes of “Salome” over the years, but the most notable is an ultimately abandoned epic circa 1950 that was meant as a comeback vehicle for silent film star Norma Desmond.

#417) King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis (1970)

Directed by Sidney Lumet and Joseph L. Mankiewicz (uncredited)

Class of 1999

Here’s a trailer from the film’s BluRay release

Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Era are enormously complex, especially considering how much of my education on the subjects is oversimplified to the point of inaccuracy. As always, I am only commenting on what is being presented in this film, and how it’s being presented. You owe it to yourself to learn more and go beyond what you think you know about this man and his times.

The Plot: As the title suggests, “King” chronicles the rise of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Christian minister and the face of the Civil Rights Movement. Culled from hundreds of hours of film and television footage, we follow Dr. King from his first public exposure leading the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, to his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech at the 1963 March on Washington, to his tragic assassination during the Memphis Poor People’s Campaign in 1968. Also featured are brief filmed sequences from such stars as Paul Newman, Ruby Dee, Harry Belafonte, and Burt Lancaster.

Why It Matters: The NFR gives a rundown of the film’s production and Dr. King’s media savvy, calling him “an astute judge of the media” and someone who knew “how to exploit his celebrity to further his cause.”

But Does It Really?: I’ve spent my entire life learning about Martin Luther King as a lionized martyr who preached peace and racial unity, so it’s refreshing to see a movie that treats him as a human with a strong moral backbone. While not an all-encompassing profile of the man, “King” provides the history of the civil rights movement and Dr. King’s influence on his times. The film still paints King in a positive light (no allegations of plagiarism or extra-marital affairs here), but helps give a sense of the conservative ‘50s giving way to the optimistic early ‘60s before turning into the politically unstable late ‘60s. “King” is an era’s tribute to one of its finest, and its NFR inclusion is welcomed.

Shout Outs: Look quickly during the Memphis march for a marquee advertising “The Graduate”.

Everybody Gets One: Ely Landau was a TV producer who, by the mid-1960s, had pivoted to producing films based on plays, most notably 1962’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”. Following Dr. King’s assassination, Landau planned a short film tribute, but enough material was found to create a feature length film. Of the film’s celebrity appearances, this is the only NFR appearance for Oscar winner/humanitarian Joanne Woodward. Here, Ms. Woodward briefly comments on the 16^th Street Baptist Church bombing, which we’ll cover in more detail with Spike Lee’s “4 Little Girls”.

Wow, That’s Dated: Subject matter aside, the main giveaway that this is the late ‘60s is an appearance by Clarence Williams III, aka Linc from “The Mod Squad”.

Seriously, Oscars?: “King” played in theaters across the country one night only: March 24^th 1970. In cooperation with the National Association of Theatre Owners of America and the Motion Picture Association of America, all proceeds from the evening went to The Martin Luther King Jr. Special Fund. Whether or not the film played additional dates in Los Angeles is unknown, but regardless, the film received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. The Oscars opted to vote for something a little closer to the zeitgeist, and gave the prize to “Woodstock”.

Other notes

• To the best of my knowledge, the archival footage was assembled by Ely Landau and co-producer Richard Kaplan. Sidney Lumet & Joseph Mankiewicz filmed the celebrity interstitials, though I couldn’t find anything that confirms who shot what.
• The film opens with a montage of King speaking publicly about non-violence, juxtaposed with other civil rights activists preaching violence. As much as we’d like to focus on the peaceful protests, it’s important to see the anger of the era as well.
• The first of the celebrity appearances is singer/activist Harry Belafonte, also seen in news footage alongside Dr. King at several events. As of this writing, Harry Belafonte is still going strong at age 92! He was in “BlacKkKlansman”!
• My one complaint about the film in general is that we don’t really get to know Martin Luther King beyond his public persona. His speeches are still powerful and stirring over 60 years later, but who is the man behind the speeches? Much like “The Times of Harvey Milk”, this film focuses more on the era and the movement than the person at its center.
• Those who remember Charlton Heston’s NRA “cold dead hands” brand of politics may be surprised to see him in this movie. In his younger days Heston was a vocal Civil Rights activist, and even participated in the March on Washington. Like many disenchanted liberals of the early ‘70s, Heston pivoted towards neoconservatism and the Republican Party.
• The great thing about having one of the world’s greatest orators at your church: no problem filling up that collection plate.
• With the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 and the Albany movement of 1961, King demonstrates an important point of protesting in America: the most effective form of protest involves the other side losing money, hence why boycotting buses and segregated businesses was ultimately successful.
• The Birmingham campaign of 1963 is perhaps best remembered for the police’s use of high-pressure hoses and dogs on the African-American protesters. It’s unsettling to watch, but an important viewing nonetheless.
• Longtime readers will note that this is the second film I’ve covered on the list that documents The March on Washington, but it helps that this one actually has the audio for “I Have a Dream” (thanks, King estate!) Seeing the march within this film’s context highlights this event as the apex of King’s career. Also, listen for Joan Baez singing “We Shall Overcome”, bumping up Joan’s NFR filmography to 3 ½!
• The Selma to Montgomery march of 1964 is a reminder that I still need to get around to watching the Ava DuVernay movie. Like Washington, the Selma march is loaded with celebrities, including a reunion of comedy duo Nichols & May.
• Jesse Jackson was involved in the Chicago Freedom Movement of 1966? Who isn’t in this movie?
• The thing that surprised me most was how aware King was of his impending death. The one off-the-cuff interview we get in this film is King discussing the gunshots fired near him in Chicago, and how much that put him in touch with his own mortality.
• Martin Luther King is one of the rare people who got to speak at their own funeral. At Coretta Scott King’s request, a recording of Dr. King’s final sermon was played at his funeral. Appropriately enough, his “Drum Major Instinct” speech was about how he wished to be remembered after his death. This audio is followed by footage of his funeral procession, accompanied by Nina Simone’s rendition of “Why?”

Legacy

• “King” played its one night screening, and besides an occasional TV broadcast, more or less disappeared. In 2010, producer Richard Kaplan commissioned a restoration of “King” using his own personal film elements, and released the film on DVD. Thank god I waited until the digital streaming era before attempting this blog.

• As for the man himself, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most celebrated figures of the 20^th century; his countless honors include several civil rights foundations, streets in over 900 American cities, and even a Federal holiday! And with any luck, we’ll see him and Harriet Tubman on our currency in the near future.

#416) Little Miss Marker (1934)

OR “Luck Be a Little Lady”

Directed by Alexander Hall

Written by William R. Lipman and Sam Hellman and Gladys Lehman. Based on the short story by Damon Runyon.

Class of 1998

No trailer. In fact, the only footage I could embed was one of those YouTube tribute videos. 

The Plot: Bookie Sorrowful Jones (Adolphe Menjou) reluctantly agrees to take collateral (a “marker”) for a horse race when one of the betters (Edward Earle) places a $20 marker on his daughter Marthy (Shirley Temple). When the man loses the bet, he runs out and commits suicide, and Sorrowful and his gang take in Marthy, nicknaming her “Marky”. The gangsters become an extended family to Marky, with Sorrowful as her put-upon new father and nightclub singer Bangles Carson (Dorothy Dell) as a more agreeable surrogate mother. There are a few songs and loads of sweetness in one of Hollywood’s first attempts at a “Shirley Temple picture”.

Why It Matters: The NFR gives a quick rundown of Shirley Temple, calling her “[o]ne of the most popular stars of the 1930s” and “the biggest child star the world had ever seen”. There’s also an essay by film professor/Shirley Temple expert John F. Kasson.

But Does It Really?: It’s clear the NFR inducted “Little Miss Marker” as representation of Shirley Temple’s career, but when I think Shirley Temple, this is not the movie that comes to mind. Mention Shirley Temple to any film buff and they’ll picture her dancing up the stairway with Bill Robinson, or singing the likes of “Animal Crackers” and “Good Ship Lollipop”. Those moments are from three different movies, and none of them are “Little Miss Marker”. On its own, “Marker” is a quick, enjoyable, harmless movie, but compared to the other films that could represent Miss Temple on the list, it is found wanting.

Everybody Gets One: Shirley Temple started making movies when she was three years old! After being spotted by a casting director in her dance class, Temple signed a contract with Educational Pictures and starred in “Baby Burlesks”, a series of shorts that spoofed modern movies. Her success in those shorts led to a featured role in the Fox film “Baby, Take a Bow”, and later a Fox contract with a seven-year option. Temple quickly became a nationwide sensation, and her films the epitome of Depression-era escapism. “Little Miss Marker” was her only non-Fox film of the era, on loan to Paramount.

Wow, That’s Dated: Besides the obvious ‘30s slang, “Little Miss Marker” resorts to some of the negative African-American and Asian-American stereotypes of the day. The most visible example is Willie Best, who spent the bulk of his career playing a stereotypically lazy, slow black man, to the point where in some films he is credited as “Sleep ‘n’ Eat”. Yikes.

Seriously, Oscars?: No Oscar love for “Little Miss Marker”, but the Academy recognized Shirley Temple with the first ever Juvenile Oscar. Temple starred in six films in 1934, and this body of work earned her an honorary statuette. At six years old, Shirley Temple is still the youngest person to ever receive an Oscar.

Other notes

• Right from the start, this thing is pure Damon Runyon: lowlifes with names like Sorrowful Jones and Benny the Gouge putting all their money on a horse race. I keep expecting Stubby Kaye to walk by.
• It’s always hard to accurately judge a child’s acting ability, but what Shirley Temple lacks in polish, she more than makes up for in star quality. From her first moment on screen you know that she will melt the heart of every gangster in this movie.
• Adjusted for inflation, the $20 marker on Marky would be about $380 today.
• Adolphe Menjou is one of those actors who was not on my radar until this blog, and it’s a shame he’s not as well remembered today. From his lead comic turn in “The Front Page” to his later dramatic work in “Paths of Glory”, Menjou has quite the range, and provides a good foil for Shirley Temple here.
• This film is also the only NFR representation of singer/actress Dorothy Dell. Sadly, “Little Miss Marker” was one of Ms. Dell’s final films; she was killed in a car accident at age 19 one week after this film’s premiere. Shirley Temple formed a close bond with Dell during filming, and her death devastated the young actor.
• Finally, Shirley gets to sing! “Laugh You Son of a Gun” is a brief duet between Markie and Bangles, and it definitely leaves you wanting more.

• Watching this ‘30s movie about an adorable orphan makes me suspect that “Annie” (the musical and subsequent films) has replaced “Little Miss Marker” in our cultural heritage. They are just similar enough properties, but “Annie” has all those songs!
• Best exchange in the movie: “Wanna kiss me?” “Well, I ain’t runnin’ for mayor.”
• Not only does the movie take a sudden dramatic turn at the end, but then Charles Bickford’s Big Steve returns and…he’s the hero? What a weird movie.

Legacy

• After the success of “Little Miss Marker”, Paramount tried to buy out Shirley Temple’s contract with Fox, but she returned to her home studio and started making her best-known films. Temple’s star diminished in the 1940s, and she retired from acting at age 22. Ms. Temple had a successful second career as a diplomat, eventually becoming the US Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.

• “Little Miss Marker” has been remade for film three times: 1949’s “Sorrowful Jones” with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball, 1962’s modern update “40 Pounds of Trouble” with Tony Curtis, and 1980’s “Little Miss Marker” with Walter Matthau, Julie Andrews, and a poster that definitely rips off “The Sting”.

• Ginger ale, a splash of grenadine, and a maraschino cherry is all you need to make the non-alcoholic drink named after Ms. Temple. Ironically, in her adult years Shirley admitted to hating the drink.

Further Viewing: I’m currently obsessed with the short-lived ‘80s TV show “Mad Movies”, in which Los Angeles improv group LA Connection overdubs public domain films. One episode turns Shirley Temple’s 1939 vehicle “The Little Princess” into an “Exorcist” parody. It’s a bit dumb and slightly dated, but it tickles me just right.

Listen to This: In 1950, Damon Runyon’s short stories “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” and “Blood Pressure” were combined to become the book for the Broadway musical “Guys and Dolls” by Frank Loesser. The original cast album made the National Recording Registry in 2004.

#415) Wings (1927)

OR “1917: The Multi-Take Version”

Directed by William A. Wellman

Written by Hope Loring and Louis D. Lighton. Story by John Monk Saunders.

Class of 1997

The Plot: After the outbreak of World War I, small town boys-next-door Jack Powell (Charles “Buddy” Rogers) and David Armstrong (Richard Arlen) enlist in the United States Air Service. David leaves behind the beautiful Sylvia Lewis (Jobyna Ralston), but Jack also vies for her affection, completely unaware that Mary Preston (Clara Bow) is in love with him. After basic training, Jack and David fly several missions, while Mary enlists as an ambulance driver. There’s plenty of love triangle complications to be had here, as well as some of the most amazing aerial footage ever preserved on film.

Why It Matters: While the NFR admits that “Wings” is “[s]hort on story but long on action”, their write-up is a tribute to the film’s “[d]azzling aerobatic dogfights”. An essay by film historian/curator Dino Everett also praises the film’s technical accomplishments.

But Does It Really?: The cultural significance of “Wings” has always seemed trivial to me: it’s the first Best Picture Oscar winner. But after viewing “Wings”, I can say that the film has a lot more going for it. The plot’s a bit thin, but the action-packed aerial sequences more than make up for any shortcomings. “Wings” was a technical innovation in its day, and those effects (as well as the film in general) hold up remarkably well 90 years later. “Wings” deserves a second look, as well as its place in the NFR.

Everybody Gets One: Of the main cast, Richard Arlen actually served as a pilot in Canada’s Royal Flying Corps during WWI, though he did not see combat. Arlen met Jobyna Ralston on the set of “Wings”, and the two married shortly after production wrapped.

Seriously, Oscars?: “Wings” premiered in August 1927 and was second only to “The Jazz Singer” at the box office. In February 1929, the newly formed Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted “Wings” the winner for their Academy Award. The first ceremony was held that May, where “Wings” won Outstanding Picture and Best Engineering Effects. Still fine-tuning their new award, AMPAS eliminated Engineering Effects the following year, and merged Outstanding Picture with Best Unique and Artistic Picture (won by “Sunrise”) to create the Best Picture category. “Wings” was retroactively declared the first Best Picture winner, cementing its legacy in Hollywood history.

Other notes

• First of all, shoutout to the team behind the 2012 restoration. In addition to an incredible picture restoration, this print rerecorded the original J.S. Zamecnik score, and recreated the Handschiegl color process, used here to colorize the flames when a plane is shot down. This restoration helps a modern viewer appreciate the epic scale of the original release.
• Clara Bow’s part was essentially shoehorned into Wings, as Paramount insisted on their biggest star being in their most expensive film. As Bow herself put it, “I’m just the whipped cream on top of the pie.” It helps that Clara Bow has that certain…quality about her. I don’t know how to describe…that quality.
• I get the everyman appeal of Charles “Buddy” Rogers, promoted at the time as “America’s Boy Friend”. To badly paraphrase, he doesn’t need dialogue, he has faces.
• The film’s comic relief comes in the form of vaudeville performer El Brendel as Herman Schwimpf, the German-American recruit who constantly has to prove his loyalty to America because of his name. Good thing we don’t do that anymore…
• And here comes Gary Cooper in his breakout film role as Cadet White. I can’t wait to see young Gary’s star power in full….and he’s dead. What a waste.
• What can I say except that the dogfight scenes in this movie are amazing. Director William Wellman was hired for the film thanks to his flying experience in WWI, and his expertise really shines through. He even revolutionized filmmaking when he had cameras mounted onto the plane to capture closeups of the pilots mid-flight!

• The film’s action sequences were filmed at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas with assistance from the War Department. Wellman insisted on perfect weather conditions for shooting, leading to production delays. At a time when most movies were shot in a month, principal photography for “Wings” lasted seven months.
• For the record, a Fokker is an aircraft manufacturer that began in Germany just before WWI. Nothing else.
• “Wings” has two moments of pre-Code nudity! Blink and you’ll miss some male rear ends as Jack enlists in the Air Service, but the film’s most famous example is a brief shot of a topless Clara Bow as Mary is caught changing back into her uniform. No wonder this movie won Best Picture.
• The random doughboy who cheers on Jack during the climactic battle isn’t so random after all: it’s director William Wellman. Wellman’s wife Margery Chapin and daughter Gloria appear as the mother and child whose house is crashed into.
• In addition to all its other claims to fame, “Wings” also contains what is purported to be the first on-screen kiss between two men. It’s definitely not in a homosexual context, but it’s still there.

• The film’s stance on war is a bit muddled. Ultimately, the French soldier says it best: “C’est la guerre”. War isn’t hell, it’s just war. A bit down the middle, but the more extreme stance of “All Quiet on the Western Front” was still three years away.

Legacy

• “Wings” was considered a lost film, until a print was discovered by a Paris archive in 1992. This, however, conflicts with a recorded screening of the film that occurred at the Mary Pickford Theater in 1987. Any leads on this one?
• “Wings” still gets its share of references, primarily every year at the Oscars when previous Best Picture winners get their shout out.

• Here’s a weird one: Buddy Rogers and Richard Arlen appeared as themselves in connection to “Wings” on two separate sitcoms in the late 1960s. A 1967 episode of “The Lucy Show” features the two in a musical revue about pilots with Lucy and guest star Carol Burnett, while a 1968 “Petticoat Junction” has them attend the Junction’s premiere of “Wings” 40 years after the fact. The latter episode includes footage from the film.

• Hmmm, do I go for the Paul McCartney reference or the NBC sitcom reference? “Maybe I’m Amazed” is great, but I’m opting to end this post with some vintage Tony Shalhoub!

#414) Woodstock (1970)

OR “Farm Out”

Directed by Michael Wadleigh

Class of 1996

NOTE: The most readily available version of “Woodstock” is the 1994 Director’s Cut with 45 minutes of additional footage and performances.

The Plot: On a warm August weekend in 1969, the town of Bethel, New York is inundated with over 400,000 young people eager to attend the Woodstock music festival. Traffic jams, uncooperative weather, and protests from the locals do not stop these three days of peace and music. Orchestrated by filmmaker Michael Wadleigh, “Woodstock” the film captures the event from every angle. In addition to the legendary performances by some of rock’s finest musicians, attention is given to the “younger generation” in attendance, the event organizers caught off-guard by the turnout, the local townspeople who do/do not support the event, and hippies. Lots and lots of hippies.

Why It Matters: The NFR gives a rundown of the bigger names on the roster, and singles out the film’s soundtrack as well as its “innovate use of split frame visuals”.

But Does It Really?: There’s no way one movie could capture the essence of the Woodstock experience, but “Woodstock” comes remarkably close. Wadleigh’s cross-section approach to covering the festival, as well as the aforementioned split frame visuals, makes for an immersive, unforgettable movie about a landmark American event. “Woodstock” is the rare documentary that captures the cultural zeitgeist, and is a no-brainer for NFR inclusion.

Everybody Gets One: Underground film director Michael Wadleigh landed the plum job of covering Woodstock thanks to event organizer Arte Kornfeld, who had persuaded Warner Bros. to finance the documentary. Wadleigh could not afford to pay his film crew, and got them all to agree on a double or nothing contract: double pay if the movie was a hit, nothing if it wasn’t.

Seriously, Oscars?: Despite constant fights between Wadleigh and Warner Bros. over the film’s runtime and distribution, “Woodstock” became one of the highest grossing movies of 1970. At the 1971 Oscars, the film received three nominations (still a record for a documentary), and won Best Documentary. “Woodstock” lost its other two nominations – Editing and Sound – to Best Picture winner “Patton”.

Other notes

• Woodstock came to be when concert promoters Michael Lange and Artie Kornfeld approached business entrepreneurs Joel Rosenman and John P. Roberts about bankrolling a recording studio in Woodstock, New York. Rosenman and Roberts countered with a concert that would promote artists known to perform around Woodstock (such as Bob Dylan), and the four founded Woodstock Ventures. After the towns of Wallkill and Saugerties emphatically denied Woodstock permits to perform there, the company settled on a dairy farm in Bethel, on the condition that attendance not exceed 50,000. Incidentally, the concert is named after the company, not the town, which was never considered as a potential venue.
• Shoutout to the film’s editing team, led by the legendary Thelma Schoonmaker. Their use of split-screen helped to retain as much footage as possible after Warner Bros. demanded Wadleigh cut the film down from his intended six hours to three. Fun Fact: One of the assistant editors on this movie was young up-and-comer Martin Scorsese. And now you know the rest of the story!
• The chronology of the concert is jumbled in the film, but the first day of Woodstock did begin with Richie Havens. The guitarist actually ran out of songs to sing during his set, and improvised “Freedom” on the spot. You are watching a man literally make it up as he goes along.

• For whatever reason, it tickled me that such a massive event still did loudspeaker announcements. Could anyone beyond the first few rows actually hear anything?
• Just a reminder that Joan Baez is in three movies on the NFR. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Joan was six months pregnant with her son Gabriel during Woodstock, and gives a shoutout to her husband David Harris, who was in Federal Prison for draft evasion.

• The Who’s set consists mostly of music from their album “Tommy” (now a major motion picture). We get a bit of the finale, performed at sunrise, hence the cool “lighting effect” near the end.

• I assume Sha-Na-Na were the first to capitalize on the ‘50s nostalgia wave that would permeate the 1970s. Can I blame them for “Joannie Loves Chachi”?

• Joe Cocker’s unhinged performance of “With a Little Help From My Friends” is A-maz-ing. Also, Joe Cocker is British? Lost that bet.

• What separates “Woodstock” from other “concert movies” is the emphasis on audience as well as performers. We witness the audience as they listen to the music, take shelter from the rain, call friends and family on the available pay phones, skinny dip in the nearby pond, and a variety of other activities. It helps with the overall feeling of actually being at Woodstock.
• “Woodstock” features an early performance by Crosby, Stills, Nash and…not Young. Neil Young refused to be filmed for the movie, rejoining the group after their acoustic first set.

• Fact: Jefferson Airplane (later Jefferson Starship) is the only group to perform at both Woodstock and “The Star Wars Holiday Special”. Light the sky on fire, kids!

• I was surprised when this movie showed me that not only did many Bethel residents on the other side of the generation gap support those attending the concert, but also supplied food and clothing throughout the weekend. Further proof that it’s hard to hate up close.
• Singer-songwriter John Sebastian happened to be attending Woodstock when he was called up on stage to perform (several acts had not arrived at that point). He’s clearly out of it, but in a sweet (and possibly drug induced) way. I’m just glad he remembered his guitar.

• Of all the songs in this movie, the one that got stuck in my head was Country Joe McDonald’s “FISH Cheer/Feel-Like-I’m-Fixing-To-Die-Rag”. It may be the catchiest anti-Vietnam song ever.

• Wow, Santana’s performance is so good the screen goes black for a second. THAT’S a showstopper.

• Sly and the Family Stone know how to put on a show. Even I was flashing the peace sign during “I Want to Take You Higher”.

• The exclusion of Janis Joplin from the theatrical cut is an unfortunate bit of shortsightedness; Joplin died only six months after the film’s release.
• Property owner Max Yasgur gives a brief, endearing speech to the crowd about the success of Woodstock. Side note: I 100% support casting Eugene Levy as Yasgar in 2009’s “Taking Woodstock”.

• Like the real Woodstock, the film closes with Jimi Hendrix’s iconic performance. Hendrix’s guitar skills are justifiably legendary, but that solo goes on way too long. They even intercut his set with footage of people packing up and leaving. Wrap it up, Hendrix!

• The final helicopter shot is the only full overview we get of Woodstock, and man is it a sight to behold.

Legacy

• The original Woodstock festival has, of course, become the quintessential music festival of the 20^th century. The founders of Woodstock have attempted reunion anniversary concerts over the years, with the results ranging from forgotten (Woodstock ‘89), to violence/cries of corporate sellouts (Woodstock ‘99), or cancelled (the planned Woodstock 50 of 2019).
• I am not going to list what happened to every performer/group from “Woodstock”. Suffice it to say that everyone is either tragically dead or miraculously still alive.
• Despite the film’s success, Michael Wadleigh would not direct another film until 1981’s “Wolfen” starring Albert Finney. Since then, Wadleigh’s only other film ventures have been related to “Woodstock”.

Listen to This: Many of the artists featured in the film are also in the National Recording Registry: Joan Baez (for her self-titled album), The Who (“My Generation”), Arlo Guthrie (“Alice’s Restaurant”), Janis Joplin (“Cheap Thrills“), Jimi Hendrix (“Are You Experienced?”), Sly and the Family Stone (“Stand!”), and Santana (“Abraxas”). Shockingly, the NRR has not inducted CSN&Y or Jefferson Airplane. Why not save time and induct the complete Woodstock recordings? Pretty historically significant if you ask me.