June 10, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 27 Documentary chronicles decade’s seminal event by Dennis Seuling If you are a certain age, the word “Woodstock” conjures far more than a place in Ulster County, New York. Advertised as “The Woodstock Festival of Music and Art,” the monumental event was held from Aug. 15 to 18, 1969, on land belonging to local farmer Max Yasgur. Many of the era’s most popular rock groups and solo performers were signed at huge fees to make the event the biggest rock concert ever held in the United States. “Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music: The Director’s Cut -- 40th Anniversary Edition” (Warner Home Video) has been reissued on DVD and new to Blu-ray and features the Michael Wadleigh-directed documentary that captures the music, and the cultural phenomenon. Designed to attract 50,000 people, Woodstock eventually drew 500,000, who came by car, truck, helicopter, or on foot. Artists included Country Joe McDonald, Santana, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, The Band, Janis Joplin, Richie Havens, John Sebastian, and Sly and the Family Stone. Performance highlights of the three-disc set include Jimi Hendix’s “Star Spangled Banner;” Richie Havens’ “Freedom;” Sly & the Family Stone’s medley of “Dance to the Music,” “Music Lover,” and “I Want to Take You Higher;” and Ten Years After’s “I’m Going Home.” The appeal of the movie is twofold. As a concert film, it showcases top acts of the era, many at the peak of their popularity. But it also works as a chronicle of a once-in-a-lifetime happening, as Wadleigh shows concertgoers reveling in the atmosphere, excited by the music, making the best of things when rain comes, and even coping with inadequate Jimi Hendrix was one of many rock artists who performed at the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. The documentary about that event has been re-released in a 40th anniversary director’s cut. sanitation facilities. Their youthful exuberance is captured in the smiling faces, flowered shirts, love beads, long hair, and occasional nudity. “Woodstock” had an uninspired DVD release in 1997 that disappointed many rock fans and lovers of the movie. That has been righted with this set, which features 18 neverbefore-seen-on-film performances, including “One Day at a Time” (Joan Baez), “Flying High” (Country Joe McDonald), “On the Road Again” (Canned Heat), “Born on the Bayou” (Creedence Clearwater Revival), “Mean Town Blues” (Johnny Winter), and “Teen Angel” (Sha Na Na). Also included is “Woodstock: From Festival to Feature,” a featurette containing interviews with original concertgoers, promoters, crew, and musicians, and a Hugh Hefner interview with director Michael Wadleigh from the 1970s. The sound on the discs has been re-mastered and the new edition is uniformly widescreen. Also available is an ultimate collector’s edition, with deluxe packaging, containing the material listed above as well as a retrospective featurette, “The Museum at Bethel Woods: The Story of the Sixties and Woodstock,” a 60-page Life magazine reprint, a Woodstock patch, and a reprint of a concert ticket. “The International” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), available on DVD and Blu-ray, is a swift-paced thriller with a great scene in a famous New York City building. Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) are investigating an international bank, headquartered in Luxembourg, that is involved in a catalogue of illegal activities ranging from money laundering and arms trading to the backing of coups in unstable third(continued on Crossword page) #1 German Restaurant in Bergen & Passaic Counties! TAKE TIME OUT FOR LUNCH NEW KIRKERS ��������������������������������������������� Businessmen’s & Senior Lunch Special ��� ������� ������� ��� ���� ������������������ �������������� �������� ������������ Includes Soup or Salad, Vegetable, Choice of Entree and Coffee/Tea Over 23 Entrees from $895 - $1395 •Served Noon - 3 pm Daily ������ Sauerbraten, Wienerchnitzel, “Wursts” Platter, Prime Rib, Stuffed Shrimp with Crabmeat Shore Thing - Broiled or Fried TUESDAY SPECIAL Our Top “6” Entrees Only $12. Served 6-8pm ������������� �������� ������ �������������� ���������� www.kirkers.com • All Major Credit Cards Accepted • Open Mon - Sat • Noon til 11:30 pm 237 Diamond Bridge Ave, Hawthorne • 973-427-7700 ������� ������ ������������� ������������������ ������������� ������������� ���������� �������� �������� ���������� ����� ������������ ������������ HAPPY HOUR ������������������ �������������� ��������� ������� ������������������� �������������� � �� 4-22-09 For Ester......Janine KirkersTakeTime(4-22-09) 3 col x 3” ������������������������������������������������ ������������������������������������������� ���������������������� Make reservations now for Father’s Day at one of the fine restaurants advertised in The Villadom TIMES.