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Summary:

"Before Woodstock and Monterey Pop, there was Festival. From 1963 through 1966, Murray Lerner visited the annual Newport Folk Festival to document a thriving, idealistic musical movement as it reached its peak as a popular phenomenon. Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Cash, the Staple Singers, Pete Seeger, Son House, and Peter, Paul and Mary were just a few of the legends who shared the stage at Newport, treating audiences to a range of folk music that encompassed the genre's roots in blues, country, and gospel as well as its newer flirtations with rock and roll. Shooting in gorgeous black and white, Lerner juxtaposes performances with snapshot interviews with artists and their fans, weaving footage from four years of the festival into an intimate record of a pivotal time in music--and in American culture at large"--Container.

Contributors:

Lerner, Murray , film director, film producer, camera operator

Alk, Howard , editor of moving image work

Baez, Joan , performer, interviewee

Barker, Horton, 1889-1973 , performer

Bikel, Theodore , performer

Bloomfield, Michael , performer

Cash, Johnny , performer

Collins, Judy, 1939- , performer, interviewee

Emmy, Cousin, 1903-1980 , performer

Donovan, 1946- , performer

Dylan, Bob, 1941- , performer

Fariña, Mimi , performer

Fariña, Richard , performer

Hamer, Fannie Lou , performer

House, Son , performer

Howlin' Wolf, 1910-1976 , performer

Hurt, Mississippi John, 1892-1966 , performer

Koerner, John , performer

Kweskin, Jim , performer

Logan, Tex , performer

Mashiyane, Spokes , performer

McDowell, Fred , performer

Odetta, 1930-2008 , performer, interviewee

Robertson, Eck, 1887-1975 , performer

Sainte-Marie, Buffy , performer, interviewee

Seeger, Pete, 1919-2014 , performer, interviewee

Terry, Sonny , performer

McGhee, Brownie, 1915-1996 , performer

Petrusich, Amanda , writer of supplementary textual content

Aldin, Mary Katherine , writer of supplementary textual content

Blue Ridge Mountain Dancers , performer, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prf

Paul Butterfield Blues Band , performer, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prf

Freedom Singers (SNCC) , performer, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prf

Sea Island Singers , performer, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prf

Jug Band , performer, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prf

Osborne Brothers , performer, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prf

Peter, Paul, and Mary (Musical group) , performer, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prf

Alabama Sacred Harp Singers , performer, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prf

Staple Singers , performer, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prf

Swan Silvertones , performer, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prf

Ed Young Fife & Drums Corps , performer, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prf

Patchke Productions , production company, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/prn

Janus Films , film distributor, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/fds

Criterion Collection (Firm) , film distributor, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/fds

Meetings:

Newport Folk Festival

Languages:

English

Language Notes:

Item content: English

Included Works:

Festival (Motion picture : 1967)

Related Series:

Criterion collection; [volume] 892

Subjects:

Popular music — 1961-1970

Folk-rock music

Folk songs, English — United States

Folk music — United States

Protest songs

Blues (Music) — 1961-1970

Rock music — 1961-1970

Gospel music

Newport Folk Festival

1961-1970

Folk songs, English

Folk music

Blues (Music)

Rock music

Popular music

United States

Genres:

Biographical films

Documentary films

Concert films

Interviews

Nonfiction films

System Details:

DVD, NTSC, region 1; fullscreen (1.33:1 aspect ratio); Dolby Digital monaural.

Performers:

Joan Baez, Horton Barker, Theodore Bikel, Fiddler Beers, Mike Bloomfield, Blue Ridge Mountain Dancers, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Cousin Emmy, Donovan, Bob Dylan, Mimi and Dick Fariña, the Freedom Singers, the Georgia Sea Island Singers, Ronnie Gilbert, Mrs. Ollie Gilbert, Fannie Lou Hamer, Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Spider John Koerner, Jim Kweskin and the Jug Band, Tex Logan and the Lilly Bros., Mel Lyman, Johannes "Spokes" Mashiyane, Fred McDowell, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Pappy Clayton McMichen, Moving Star Hall Singers, Odetta, the Osborne Brothers, Joe Patterson, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Almeda Riddle, Alexander "Eck" Robertson, the Sacred Harp Singers, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Mike Seeger, Pete Seeger, the Staple Singers, the Swan Silvertones, Mrs. General Watson, Reverend Wilkins, Howlin' Wolf, the Ed Young Fife & Drum Corps.

Production Credits:

Photographed by Murray Lerner, Stanley Meredith, Francis Grumman, George Pickow ; film editor, Howard Alk.

General Notes:

Title from title frame.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1967.
Program notes by Amanda Petrusich and biographical notes on the performers by Mary Katherine Aldin (40 pages : portraits) inserted in container.
Special features: new, restored 2K digital transfer, approved by director Murray Lerner; new reconstruction and remasters of the soundtrack from the original concert and field recordings, approved by Lerner; Making 'Festival,' a new program featuring Lerner, associate editor Alan Heim, and assistant editor Gordon Quinn; When We Played Newport, a new program featuring archival interviews with Lerner, music festival produer George Wein, and musicians Joan Baez, John Cohen, Judy Collins, Phil Ochs, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Pete Seeger, Peter Yarrow, and others; selection of unreleased performances by Clarence Ashley, Johnny Cash, Elizabeth Cotten, John Lee Hooker, Odetta, and Tom Paxton; optional captions identifying artists and song titles; plus a booklet featuring an essay by critic Amanda Petrusch and artist biographies by folk music expert Mary Katherine Aldin.

Physical Description:

1 videodisc (98 min.) : DVD video, sound, black and white ; 4 3/4 in. + 1 booklet (40 pages : illustrations ; 19 cm).

Physical Characteristics:

4 3/4 in.

Audio Characteristics:

digital; optical; mono; Dolby

Film Characteristics:

full screen

Video Characteristics:

NTSC

Digital Characteristics:

video file; DVD video; region 1

Call Numbers:

FES 1967 DVD

ISBNs:

9781681433547
1681433540

Other Standard Numbers:

Universal Product Code: 715515203814
Publisher Number, Criterion Collection: CC2804D

OCLC Numbers:

995853298