Woodstock - 3 Days of Peace & Music (The Director's Cut)

Perhaps we need this mind-set of Peace
in today's society (without the dope smoking).
There has to be a better solution to keep this
Country safe (other than WAR)!

I'm a nostalgic semi-old rocker who would have love to be there during that era. So that movie is kind of a must for me, since I have a quite extensive collection of rock concert videos. Like everyone, I saw that movie in somekind of form, on TV or during nostalgia trips at Much Music (Canada's MTV). This version of Woodstock -the movie differs from the one we all saw in a few ways: First, and I quite can't explaine why, It does not follow the chronological order of the festival. Exemple: Richie Haven's performance, which opened the festival, is in the middle of the second DVD. Same for Country Joe McDonald... Also, it is hard to know exactly what happened. Did it rain once? Twice? But, apart from those historical questions, there is also a few benefits: The audio is far better than the cheesy and thin sound that we all remember from the original movie. Everything sound clear and true, with some kind of treatment that give almost the impression of "being there"...some kind of reverb and stereo spatialization. Ther is also bonus performance; 2 form Jefferson's Airplane, one from Country Joe McDonald and the Fish, and one from Jimi Hendrix that include a great unaccompanied guitar jam...
Anather point: I'm not crazy about the double-faced DVD. Mine arrived loose in its box, and was quite scratched. Still works though. Last: One can't watch those scenes about hippies and the "peance and love" generation and it's confrontation with the "straight" word without a smile and somekind of amazement...

Pierre

Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music was far from the straightforward Discovery Channel-type documentary that I imagined. There was none of the typical narrative, offsite interviews of resource persons, or anything post-event.

This film was made at the very heart of the festival, making the 3 or so hours of footage feel indeed like 3 days, as it spanned across all sub-plots of the event. There were closeup shots of the musical performances down to the foot-tapping, the literally dirty fingers tuning the guitars, and hands wildly beating on the bongo drums. There were casual interviews with the young organizers at work, the bewildered (some annoyed) locals, the toilet cleaner who took great pride in making the portalets "pleasanter" for the kids, and all kinds of hippies, some even offering the film crew smokage.

The film likewise captures the ironies - hundreds of thousands of stoned young people and not one violent incident, a financial disaster becoming a landmark event of the century, a film that nobody else wanted to do that saved a flailing film company, and a sense of unity in the backdrop of social unrest. And for these, it became so much more than the ultimate concert film. The rawness of it all combined with excellent editing gave the audience the surreal experience of what it would have been like to participate in those 3 days of peace, love and rock and roll. And it makes you wonder, as I did - had I lived in America in the late 60s, would I have gone to Woodstock?

I have enjoyed watching this movie several times I had just missed going to the festival so this is almost as good. Just not as much mud or excitement I think I would have been very tired after three days of peace and music not to mention all the dope you could have taken. But I enjoyed the movie and anyone that likes the sixty's would enjoy it and some of the young people might learn some stuff.

I am only 26 years old and i don't know what it was but woodstock caught my interest. I know that i would never expierence something like that so i thought if i watch this movie i might get a better idea how it was back then. I really enjoyed this movie and for the 4 hours of the movie i felt like i was there(with my surround sound). I did get a great feel what it was all about.

This is the seminal rock film of all time. I remember reading about the concert in "Rolling Stone", wondering about going, it sounds pretty good. But I was still in high school on the west coast, and the surf was up that summer. Then, when it hit the television news, the whole thing took up a life of its own...spontaneous combustion! Then the three-record set came out, the movie came out, the poster came out, the magazine coverage, and the books. With the passing of time, it's great the director's cut has been released, revealing more of what happened at the original Woodstock. Drop some brown acid, and take a wild ride!

Something happened in the '60s, and we're still feeling the effects of it now. Even as I type these words, my neighbors on the other side of the apartment wall are playing rock music REALLY LOUD -- I even like what they're playing, though I'm not sure what band's album it is. For better or worse, rock music and its attendant baggage have had an enormous effect on our culture: I would even go so far to say that a certain energy has been raised, and continues to be raised, by this sort of music.

Popular music began to change in the mid-1950s, as black rhythm-and-blues was sanitized for the white audience, or should I say that audience's parents. To make a long story short, popular music (according to a rock history documentary I saw some years ago) had been taken over by the bohemian element by 1969. From that time until sometime in the '90s, a large percentage of popular music actually had artistic merit: an anomalous situation in the history of the recording industry.

That reality is reflected by the Woodstock music festival of 1969, which the DVD being reviewed here documents. This DVD seems to be somewhat longer than the theatrical release was, with a few more acts shown. The only group that seems really out-of-place here is the novelty act Sha Na Na, who did a sendup of '50s rock. The rest of it is at least very good, with some of it being superb. Some of it left me with my jaw hanging open, even after all these years. The echoes of this energy still in some part animate us...

One thing about this that younger people might think about is that this was all new at the time: only 14 years before Woodstock, the number 1 hit for 1955 was Patti Page's "How Much is That Doggie in the Window." The WWII generation mostly hated our music; the width of that generational gap, perhaps the widest such gap in history, is shown by the difference between our music, and their music. I still can't stand watching Lawrence Welk...

Along with the music, there are short clips of life at the rock festival, including some interview footage. This footage nicely frames the music, and gives, I think, some sense of the spirit of the time.

I do have a small connection to this: in 1971 or '72, I met a guy at a party who told me that he was in the Woodstock movie -- he was one of the people who came over the fence at about the time they turned it into a free concert. I went and watched the movie again the next time it came around, and sure enough he wasn't lying.

My previous review to this was of the film _Groupies_, which I characterized as illustrating more of the everyday reality of those days.
This film provides the contrast to that, as it gives us a glimpse of the counterculture's peak moment. After that, it was all downhill; by the late '70s we had gone from "peace and love" to "disco sucks!" There was still a lot of good music to come, but that was truly our grand ball. I'm confident we won't see the likes of this again, nor will our descendants for some generations to come.

I give this one five stars: not only is the music terrific, but the film is superb as a documentary that gives a good impression of "how it was" to those not old enough to remember the time.

Read the other reviews.

I bought the VHS to see if it was better than the DVD. It is! Better video AND sound quality. Warner Home Video did a poor job on the DVD version. It is NOT truly widescreen (as you will see if you buy the VHS). It is more pan-and-scan full screen. You WILL get a better movie by buying the VHS and copying it to DVD.

They say that Woodstock is coming out on blue-ray in 2009, Fitting I since it will be the 40th Anniversary. But I do have a question for Warner Bros who own the outakes to the footage of the 1969 concert.

If there's a DVD worth of Jimi Hendrix performances not used in the original documentary but were edited and released to the public, Imagine what other performances exist of bands who performed at the concert.

If you read up on the making of the film, they say original runtime of the "first cut" of the film was 14 hours. I'd have to guess that there are more performances sitting in the vault waiting for them to be transfered and conformed to HD and mixed. It would be nice if they were available for download or it would be great if we could get them on DVD or blu-ray. There are other considerations that need to be considered. The artists, the producers of the film, as well as Woodstock Ventures would need to be compensated and that is probably the sticking point for all parties involved including Warners Brothers.

Come on Warners, hire a guy to oversee the release of these outake performances!

A great film, and would be a five star review based on content, but this is the same exact DVD released at the start of the DVD era, and there's no excuse for that. This would be one of the few films I'd actually watch the entire special features dvd, and with 296 hours of unused footage, there's bound to be some great deleted material in there, not to mention the chance to do "where are they now" interviews with not only the performers and event planners, but they might also be able to track down some of the audience members who gave interviews. It would be interesting to see how responsibility and parenthood affected their outlooks on life, and how many were able to retain the youthful optimism that made the event one of a kind.

Well,

this film is something of a 'curate's egg'.... As a reminder of the hippy scene of the late 60's it delivers. [Although looking back now, the 'scene' seems hilariously self-absorbed and frankly cringe inducing in places].As a social documentary,I'd give it 4 stars at least


But as a concert film it is dull, too 'chopped up' and not really worth buying for repeat viewing. For example,the butchered set of Hendrix was played over footage of all the rubbish being cleared up....hmm


So if you're primarily a music lover,in particular if you like full un-interrupted song footage,I suggest you rent this and buy something else instead

All together now- 'no rain,no rain,no rain....'!

As a non-drug user who remembers the concert, saw the theatrical version of the film in 1970, and has worn out records and tapes of the music, I was hoping to relive the visual experiences of the concert when I purchased this dvd. Unfortunately, the Director's Cut has butchered the original film. Scenes and performances have been altered, all for the worse. This dvd will sit on the shelf, and I will continue to listen to the cd. The Director's cut is revisionist at best.

Update--1 July 2008: If this review was not helpful to you, I would appreciate learning the reason(s) so I can improve my reviews. My goal is to provide help to potential buyers, not get into any arguments. So, if you only disagree with my opinion, could you please say so in the comments and not indicate that the review was not helpful. Thanks.

I had the privalege to attend the original release in 1970. At the time, as a promotion, Warner Bros. handed out a Woodstock booklet. The movie is a really great look into what the sixties were all about.

I have in my possession a booklet "hand-out" that was given
out to (I guess) the first so many people to see the movie
Woodstock by WB, released in 1970. The book contains pictures,
poems, artwork, and by now...history.

The book is approx. 8 1/2" x 11", in full color, has 48 pages.
Some of the photos contained include Jimi Hendrix, Santana,
Country Joe and The Fish, Richie Havens, The Who, Joe Cocker,
and others. A couple of the pictures were also used on/in the
Woodstock Album of the same era. This book is in excellent
condition and has been well cared for for thirty-eight years.

Can anyone supply a value for said book? Does anyone have any information to share about this booklet?

Thankyou! -Ken

when I received this product it was scrathed on side 2.
This was NOT supposed to be a used item...returning it would mean a huge headache, so I kept it.
Other than that the music/artist and concert goers brought me back to 1969.
I only wish my parents were hippies and I could have gone. I was 10 and would've loved and did love rock music in 1969.
If only some of those musicians what have made it through without losing their life. What a different world music would've been.

"Woodstock: The Directors Cut" is something everyone should experience. It provides hope that people can get along and have a great time if we all choose to get back to basics and LIVE peace!

Great way to spend an evening with the whole family, young and old. Brought back alot of memories.

If only to hear Ten Years After playing "I'm Comin' Home", this is a fantastic reminder of several days in history that have come to mean so much to so many people. Turn up the speakers if you still have hearing, more if you don't. Lay back and take the ride.

Bought for my husband for Xmas he has always wanted it for his collection of off beat movies

Woodstock - 3 Days of Peace & Music (The Director's Cut)
Woodstock 1969 is an original version, all the groups of the 1969 version are here. Lacks some scenes from the original VHS versions, like the three guys walking naked, but have some new scenes. The DVD version is stereo and the image is very clear. The group that sings "Coming into Los Angeles" is not present in the scene names, but is really present in the video. SANTANA in its beginnings is here with the original guys : Nicaraguan " CHEPITO AREAS" is here, seen at the end of "SOUL SACRIFICE, also, Gregg Rollie and David Brown are here. "Ten Years After" is Here with "I'm coming home". Also, Jimmy Hendrix with "The Star Spangle Banner" and "Purple Haze". Other presents are : Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Joan Baez with "Joe Hill",etc If you want to remember your young years as an adolescent in the "1960's" and the "Vietnam War Era", this video is appropiate for you, as it was for me to remember those caotic and beautiful years.

excellent document of a historic happening, perhaps this cut is a bit rigorous but it does speed up things nicely.

The song is Wooden Ships as recorded by Crosby, Stills, & Nash. The Jefferson Airplane also recorded it. It's on the album Volunteers I believe.

Fantastic DVD.. This really does capture the moment.. The current generation could do with giving this one a view!!

I wonder if anyone could tell me the name of the song that plays on this directors cut 9 mins 45 secs in.. The song plays over the imagery of the stage being set up..

The lyrics start with... If you smile at me.. il understand!!


Thanks in advance

(which director??) Don't waste your money! Film quality is really bad, audio not much better.I saw the original movie and know they could have done better. Looks like someone recorded it on their cellphone!

I was so enthusiastic when I finally had the privilege to see this, the Director's Cut of WOODSTOCK, a loveletter to the famous concert that took place in 1969 at Max Yasgur's 600 acre (2.4 km²) dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York from August 15 to August 18, 1969. What a generous man Mr. Yasgur was, and what lucky music fans we are, all of these years later, to have the highlights of that concert documented through film footage. All of the great musicians of that time are featured here (and then some). They include Richie Havens, Ravi Shankar, Melanie, Janis Joplin, Carlos Santana, Canned Heat, Janis Joplin, Jo Cocker and Jimi Hendrix. Of course, this concert is synonymous with the incomparable rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" that Hendrix played, perhaps ironically as an ode to war, destruction and social injustice in the wake of war and destruction, with great gusto and expression on his guitar.

What is particularly intriguing and notable, for me, is the distinctive use of "side-by-side" shots to depict set-up and the technical "behind the scenes" aspects of what was involved on the production side of Woodstock, along with footage of the musicians who were featured there. I won't lie to you. There were segments that dragged for me--it may have been the way in which it was shot, or, just that some of the numbers didn't grab me (though, I am sure there are many die hard Woodstock fans who would argue with me to the grave on this one). We also experience (if vicariously) what attendees experienced while at the festival at their height (complete with footage of recreational drug use, nudity, and the bond that grew between those who all came together to be a part of musical history, during three unforgettable days). I definitely reccomend WOODSTOCK because it's an incomparable time capsule and depicts a time in history rich in cultural expression, as well as social unrest.

Reviewer Thomas Thatcher is absolutely correct in every aspect of his review. Younger people ask me about that time (I had the long hair, blue jeans, and Dingo boots, etc.)and I set them straight about things as I see them. Referencing the film, one student found "the dialogue and antics of the hippies...." to be corny. This documentary on "Woodstock" is a fascinating cultural artifact but that's about it.

wonderfully well done. beginning to end.

My daughter used this as part of an oral report on Woodstock, she got a 95%

The sound on this DVD version is real sweet... This is a fresh and economical revisit to an event that many people now try to recreate, but clearly is unimitable... It just happened as a product of its times... today, if the same thing happened there would probably be rioting, violence, lawsuits galore... as for the peace and love: not without everyone being frisked and checked for sharp objects and explosives first.







My memories of seeing this film on PBS and Video was the grainy/musty look of the film... real groovy, but clearly something from a time when sound/video technology were very different. In contrast, this version seems a bit brighter, and the sound is warm and stereo... No, it doesn't look like it was shot with one of today's flawlessly saccharine digital DVD cams... its grainy, colorful and so tastey looking you feel like you can eat or smoke it. On the other hand, its definitely been cleaned up, however, the "funky grittyness" is still there.







As for anyone who's never seen the film, its unique not only for capturing legendary musicians at a legendary event... but the way in which in documented the spirit of the era - - arguably America's final goodbye to the 60's - - both literally (it was shot in August of 1969, not the Summer of Love in 1967!) and socially - - hey man... the 70's were arriving.







As a side note: I really wish this was issued with the bonus numbers and footage that's out there elsewhere...



Also, best listened to with headphones or a good sound system... nice but subtle surround sound. also: note to pervs - - the nude hippie chicks cavorting about.... Cool it - - they're your moms and grandmoms... watch it for the art and music *only*!

i expected more from this dvd. was not an enjoyable watch, but i may give it another chance someday

Great time capsule of a great era; highly recommend it. It's a shame the studio DVD production is up to par! The content is a 5, the DVD production is a 2. Much more could have been presented.

My kids gave me this, probably to stop me binding on about the old days, and it is intresting to see some of this about 37 years after I first saw it on the big screen in Edinburgh.

Something that you don't realise from early cuts is just how lamentable some the the bands were - no wonder it was so swingingly edited. Jefferson Airplane are beyond awful, and Canned Heat are quite dire - I don't know what Henry Vestine was on but his guitar is out of time, out of tune and out of it completely. Some acts managed to get it together, such as the Who, Santana, and even Country Joe and the Fish (nice, if out of tune, guitar from Barry Melton) and it is easy to see why dear old Alvin Lee in 10 Years After was such a hit - coming from a country that boasted Peter Green, Jeff Beck, Clapton, Rory Gallagher, Jimmy Page, Kim Simmons, Mick Green and many others, it was the norm to be very good and to play very well. Excellence was expected and the British Blues Scene led the world. Muddy, BB King and many others have paid tribute to the Stones, the Beatles, Clapton, Green and all the others for making sure that anybody who isn't from the planet Zark knows who Robert Johnson is.

If you had to sum the whole thing up, I suppose that the performances by CSN and Ritchie Havens sum it up pretty well musically - lots of flailing at acoustic guitars and sweet vocals. And Hendrix ... well, Hendrix. I blow very hot and cold about Sir Jimi, and I am cold about this performance too. Thank goodness somebody else has had the courage to say that he was not actually that good. In 1968, at the Woburn Abbey Festival, I saw a dreadful performance from Hendrix, and I mean dreadful, when he was completely upstaged by a 20-year-old Rory Gallagher with a primitive version of Taste. And here they are again, a year after Woodstock, at the Isle of Wight Festival, and those who were there told me at the time that the absolute show-stoppers were Procol Harum (don't laugh - they had Robin Trower, BJ Wilson and Gary Brooker)and ... Rory Gallagher with Taste. Luckily we have "Taste At The Isle Of Wight" available so you can judge for yourselves..... but that great Deceiver, Memory, has put Saint Jimi forward as the star of the IOW show.

Anyway, as a social document it is fascinating, lots of Peace and Love and rolling in the mud. But like all dreams it had to stop, and what this self-contained village (supported by food drops and an army of social and medical volunteers) left behind was a bloody awful mess, an emerging account of some very threatening back-stage scenes and an acreage "ankle deep in human s***", as one American (called Berry - where else?) who was there told me. It reminds me of the Travellers, who want to be "left alone" and not "victimised" - as long as some silly bu**er in full-time work is prepared to pick up the tab, hand over the dole, pay for the schooling, pay for the medical needs, pay for everything in fact. I know that's a bit cynical, because there really was a soft feeling to the 60s and early 70s, but there was also a buzz of anger and violence. Perhaps you had to live through Nixon, Vietnam and the Hell's Angels to really get the point of Woodstock. Perhaps not.

Buy? Yes, I guess so, because there are good parts musically and socially, and it surely won't happen again. But FF the dreadful bands - there's a lot of them, too - almost all from the U S of A.

Harmless nostalgia. Those should be the first words that anyone old enough to have been able to be there or who was actually there should shout after seeing this updated version of the Woodstock Festival of 1969. The second thought should be- did we really dress (or undress), act and talk that way? It is almost like coming out of a time machine. I do not think that today's youth with their worries about getting into good colleges, making money and being members in good standing on the information `superhighway' would get the point of many of the interviews with the young of my generation, the generation of `68.

Enough said on that, though. The real point of the film and the reason for taking the time to watch it is the music. (It is the music, man!) At one time many of us thought that music and the counter culture that would evolve from it was the revolution. Well, life itself proved the folly of that idea, however, some of the music presented here still is worth listening to. Some of it, however, also sounds and feels very dated like we used to think about the music of the early 1950's. There are several highlights here. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, obviously. The Jefferson Airplane and Carlos Santana, surprisingly. And, if one performance defined the whole festival and what music was all about in the summer of 1969 in the lives of those who were young `hippies' or `politicos' then it is Jimi Hendricks. If man and musical instrument ever acted in total unison it was in this performance. Watch it.

Although I would have been 3 years old! An the fact that I was living in Japan didnt help.
But this DVD catches that moment in US pop culture so well. The music, the people, the language they use. The corny questions of reporters, the skinny-dipping!
I've been wanting to see this DVD, for the music if not for a history lesson! It was worth it.
It was a real trip. The split screen editing is cool (and you get to see more). But just the fact that this event was recorded is great for us who couldnt be there.
Admittedly the film quality isnt the best, but it adds to that 1969 feel, but I was impressed that the sound was 5.1.
Great fun and good way to relive history.

It's great to see this concert film again. The split-screen effect still holds up, even if it's a bit distracting to the enjoyment of the musical performances. Richie Havens and The Who still stand out as incredible sequences in the film. I'm not such a fan of mud, but these people actually make mud dancing look like fun. There's an incredible story about why the Woodstock festival actually took place in Bethel. A guy named Elliot Tiber issued a concert permit to the Woodstock organizers from the Bethel Chamber of Commerce, where he was a member. The rest, as they say, is history. The Elliot Tiber story is told very well in a forthcoming book called TAKING WOODSTOCK. Keep an eye out for it on Amazon; it should fast become the perfect preamble to watching this movie. Have fun, everyone, and remember -- DON'T EAT THE BROWN ACID!!

Being of the Woodstock generation I remember vividly going to the theater and watching this revolutionary movie. I say revolutionary because it was ahead of its time for cinema effects. The use of the split screen was a precursor to MTV. It has an awesome soundtrack. It captured the young people that were into rock music during that era better than any film that has survived the 70's in my view.

I realize this movie was made in the 70's, but the theater version was much better quality than this release. The quality is just plain bad. It is certainly not DVD quality (or VHS quality for that matter) and that was a big disappointment. It is grainy and even fuzzy in places. If I did not respect Amazon so much I would say it was a bootleg copy made with a video camera taken into a theater.

The music is outstanding, however, and it is a historical look into the lifestyle of the hippy generation. For that, I gave it three stars.

Woodstock is a must see for all people that have ever wanted to experience what it is like to live 3 days of carefree fun, non-judgemental people. It captures all aspects of the concerts, and the thousands of people that attended the event. With the personal interviews, you get a great sense of the strong emotional connection the people have with the music, and to prove that they can make a difference. It is a beautiful documentation of the times. Highly recommended for all.

I purchased this DVD at my husband's request. He had viewed it has a young man, and wanted to revisit it after 30+ years. I had never previously seen the film. We were both impressed by the film quality and also had a "groovy" time reaching back through the years to the time of our youth. This film is excellent quality and a great historical record, worth the viewing for all. Far out!!

I found the director cut to be not as good as the theater version doesn't have the same flow.

Although it was before my time, as a big music fan I took the opportunity to pick this film up when I saw it on sale. I can see why they tried to re-create the feeling of these times by staging woodstock 94 and 99, unfortunate that 99 ruined a great thing. If you like music from that era, this film is a definite must have. The who, Hendrix, Joe Cocker to name a few, but many other as well. Interesting look into Flower power. I don't nessesarily agree with everything in the movie, but this is an important American Documentary. Something for any Music person to watch at least once in their life.

I agree completely with Kockenlocker "Thrusting Greatness" review.
Anyone who has seen either the VHS or, better yet, the actual film will be very upset about this! It seems downright irresponsible to make such a bad copy of this historic cultural event- especially because music is the central focus of it!!!

The Summer of 1969 seems a thousand years ago. I was eighteen years old, had just graduated from high school, was on vacation in Hawaii with my family, and terrified of the draft because the Vietnam War was at its height.

Watching Michael Wadleigh's Oscar-winning documentary, WOODSTOCK: 3 DAYS OF PEACE & MUSIC (1970), on letterboxed double videocassette, I don't know how I survived that Summer of 1969. For those of us not gathered in a field in upstate New York over one weekend, the movie is a priceless cultural record of an era. No one got killed, and at least one person was born. The crowd size was estimated at 500,000, with minimal toilets and highways turned into parking lots. At one point, mention is made that "This is the third largest city in New York". Fences were broken down, so some people got in to the musical concert for free. People were making love in fields--it was called "balling" in that long ago era. There was nudity elsewhere as people washed their only clothes in a muddy river. Maybe because there was so much drug use, almost everyone was too stoned to be unruly or unhappy. There was a loudspeaker announcement that some of "the pot" was bad. "Use it at your own risk, people." Wadleigh, at least five camera operators, and a huge team of editors (including Martin Scorsese and his future collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker) brilliantly employ split screen to show the crowd trying to get in by any means possible and the owners of the land talking about the kids; their opinions naturally vary. Certainly, it was difficult to helicopter in medical supplies and food for half a million people. But through it all, everyone survived and seemed to have an adventurous time. And now everyone can see it all on home video in their homes or apartments, whether they were there or not.

Originally just titled WOODSTOCK, the movie ran 184 minutes. But now it is called WOODSTOCK: 3 DAYS OF PEACE & music and runs a whopping 225 minutes. The 40 minute running time difference is mostly music performances, making this maybe the greatest concert film of all time. Included over nearly four hours, often in split-screen Panavision and Dolby Surround Stereo, are three numbers by Crosby, Stills & Nash, two songs by Richie Havens, "Joe Hill" and "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" by Joan Baez, The Who doing an enthralling number from "Tommy", Sha-Na-Na doing "At the Hop", Joe Cocker and the Grease Band, Country Joe and the Fish, Arlo Guthrie, Two Years After, Jefferson Airplane doing two songs not in the theatrical cut, John Sebastian, a song by Country Joe McDonald, Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin in a song cut from the original film, and Jimi Hendrix ending the weekend with three numbers (one cut before), including "The Star-Spangled Banner" on an acoustic guitar. It is one mindsucker of a musical lineup.

To especially watch The Director's Cut of WOODSTOCK and in one evening is to be grateful that Michael Wadleigh, his camera people, and his editors put up with inconveniences galore over this 1969 Summer weekend. They have captured, now and forever, what one aspect of that drugs and sex era was like for 500,000 attendees. And they have preserved on film for the rest of America--and maybe the world--what Woodstock was like as a concert event. Set aside a weekend and watch this almost-four hour musical masterpiece. (REVIEWED ON LETTERBOXED VIDEOCASSETTE).

Excellent - arrived on time.

When reviews of music DVD's are all over the board regarding sound quality only one fair conclusion is possible: The problem is the end user,not the product. I was stunned by how good this DVD sounded. Consider the conditions under which Woodstock was recorded and the quality and calibration of your home system before jumping to negative conclusions about this "transfer". That the VHS version sounds better than the Dolby 5.1 mix on DVD is simply not possible. You can quibble about several aspects of this movie but sound quality should not be one of them.

Don't get me wrong,I watched listened to and read everything I could find on Woodstock and always will.I've seen this movie maybe 25 times and love it.I bought the 25th CD collection and this directors cut back when it came out.I had not watch the DVD in a year or so because the sound just didn't cut it like I remembered.A month ago I bought an LCD TV and a nice surround sound system and everything has sounded wonderful until I put this on.The surround system has 8-10 different audio settings and they all sound pretty bad with THIS DVD especially many of the performances.I waited to review this DVD until I read others to make sure it wasn't just my ears and I find it's better to watch and listen to the older VHS version when I want to watch this.Great movie,concert performances and people watching BUT really disappointing audio soundtrack.I hope it can someday be improved,look what they did to Monterey Pop & Gimme Shelter,now that's a couple of directors cuts.

I have a borrowed copy so I am not bitter about buying this CHEAP rehash. Director's cut... means what? We all know that Woodstock was a groovy phenomenon - there's no debate there, and the positive reviews for this product are giving credit where its due. However, if I was a consumer I would be enraged. As another viewer mentioned, the sub titles are in places hysterically inaccurate- Couldn't the producers of this version hire a fact checker? Additionally- there are no extras at all, and the two sided disc is not mentioned anywhere. The dvd just cuts off and turns to black while CSN are still talking. I thought something happened to my TV. ( yeah man, the cats that put together this version were just not being cool - and that's not me just rappin' with a negative vibe- ya dig? Don't waste your bread man.) See the movie, just don't buy this version.

Heck- i really expected more from this DVD than I got.
I would have preferred if they'd included film versions of all the stuff released on the larger box set which preceded this release by a year or two I think.
No Creedence Clearwater, no Airplane's Eskimo Blue Day (easily a high point on the original 3 album release)- & you can barely tell Nicky Hopkins is on stage with them, if it hadn't been announced, though he gets some great licks in on Uncle Sam Blues.

And who is the moron responsible for the lousy subtitles?
It reminds me of the jokey subtitles used on Japanese releases of 60's albums- some of them are real clinkers.

And while the DVD mentions there are special features I sure couldn't find them. Perhaps I need to go over it with a fine toothed comb again, but you have too few choices, and the whole product seems to have been rushed. A letdown for only forty more minutes of music.

I really enjoyed the directors cut release when it was showing in the theatre and the original version changed my life! The dvd is a disappointment to be sure. And it is next to impossible to find the original on dvd with the better mix, although it can be found on VHS. Also, the flow of the original is much better, that being said, the extra 40 minutes of material is still very cool.

Yet it still leaves me wanting more. The sound quality to my ears
is fairly sub-par. This documentary should have received the same treatment as the "Monterey Pop" dvd as far as the superior sound and bonus features.

The music, minus the sound quality and some bad editing, gets a 5 star rating. Not always technically on, but very spiritually on.

This material should have been treated with more respect. It's a signifigant historical document for cryin' out loud. Maybe they'll try and fix it up again in 2009 for the 40th anniversary
and it will be so good that we will all have to buy it again one more time!

I purchased this DVD so that I would have a bit of history in my music collection. The performances on this DVD are all collectors items from Richie Havens to The Who.

Anyone who lived through the 60's and 70's will remember the political protests against the war in Vietnam and the drug culture which are evident in this DVD also.

EXCELLENT DELIVERY, RIGHT ON TIME AND IN PERFECT SHAPE!! IT IS NOW ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES. I GIVE A VERY ENTHUSIATIC TWO THUMBS UP!

I bought this DVD for Santana's Soul Sacrifice. In my opinion, this is the highlight of the whole concert. Michael Shrieve's drum solo is unbelievable. Imagine 400,000 people dancing in a muddy field, all at once! Crazy! Santana stopped the show! Ten Years After and The Who rocked the show too, and of course, Jimi Hendrix ripping on guitar. I gave it 4 stars because there's too much talking. Some talking parts are long and drag on and on. They could've been replaced with more music. Otherwise, a really good movie.