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Movie poster: Festival (1967)
🎬 Movie

Festival

1967 · 97 min Documentary Music
5.7 / 10 · TMDB

Black and white footage of performances, interviews, and conversations at the Newport Folk Festival, from 1963 to 1966. The headliners are Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan, who's acoustic and electric. Son House and Mike Bloomfield talk about the blues; John Hurt, Howlin' Wolf, and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee show its range. The Osborne Brothers perform bluegrass. Donovan, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Mimi and Dick Farina, and others less well known also perform. Several talk musical philosophy, and there's a running commentary about the nature and appeal of folk music. The crowd looks clean cut.

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📋 Film Details

Year 1967
Country United States of America
Genre Documentary, Music
Director Murray Lerner
Runtime 97 min.
Rating TMDB: 5.7/10 (11 votes)

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🎬 MovieFinder's Take

The film constructs a mosaic from the 1963–1966 festivals, weaving performances, interviews, and philosophical asides into a study of the folk movement's very essence. It relies on the palpable tension between acoustic tradition and the arriving electric revolution, captured in Dylan's iconic sets.

What lingers after viewing is the feeling of intimate access to a fleeting moment of musical community and upheaval. The film serves as a vital, immersive document of a cultural turning point. — MovieFinder Editorial

Director: Murray Lerner

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Watch attentively, to catch every musical nuance and whispered conversation.

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