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'Taking Woodstock' Review: Where Did The Music Go?

August 27th, 2009 10:43am EDT Post a comment

Taking Woodstock

What would the Woodstock Music & Art Fair have been like without the music? Most likely: Three days of 500 thousand wet, drug induced concert goers rolling around in the mud.

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14 Member Comments

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Thu Aug 27 2009 10:55:51 By: Squints (

2817)
I always assumed the movie would be more about the creation of the festival, not the festival itself.

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Thu Aug 27 2009 11:26:18 By: Mike Ryan (

599)
@Squints: Of course, but about 30 minutes are devoted to the festival. Instead of the music we get a ten minute acid trip. I did, for the most part, enjoy the creation scenes.

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Thu Aug 27 2009 13:43:31 By: KDeLaRiva (

14)
Not really something I would go see. Although, the way they set the film up sounds kind of interesting. I'm also not sure the world is ready for Liev Schreiber in drag.

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Thu Aug 27 2009 13:49:10 By: Mike Ryan (

599)
@NDRLNDR12X4: And it is interesting. I just didn't understand why, if you're going to devote 30 minutes to the concert, there wouldn't be any footage or recreation (other than the crowd) of the concert.
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@KDeLaRiva: I admit, I liked him in the part.

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Thu Aug 27 2009 14:43:11 By: VivianCostello1 (

1)
I was hoping this movie would be good because I kind of became an Emile Hirsch fan after "Into the Wild". I will probably skip it now, although seeing Liev Schreider in drag might be worth the price of admission!

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Thu Aug 27 2009 16:22:09 By: rpa1973 (

68)
I'm excited to see this one. I was about to plan a weekend road trip to see the motel, but it was torn down in 2004 and is now marked by a clock tower welcoming people to White Lake.

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Thu Aug 27 2009 16:22:49 By: rpa1973 (

68)
I guess I could stay at the motel where they actually filmed the movie in New Lebanon, though.

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Thu Aug 27 2009 16:36:43 By: Mike Ryan (

599)
@VivianCostello1: I like him, too. I was disapointed by his role in the film. Not really sure what the point was.
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@rpa1973: That filming location looked a tad run down.

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Thu Aug 27 2009 16:48:34 By: rpa1973 (

68)
Today's NY Times had an article on the Valley Rest Motel, which stands in for the El Monaco.. apparently the film crew did a great job making the hotel look shoddy and rundown.. only to undo almost everything after filming wound up.

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Thu Aug 27 2009 18:04:46 By: nicerack (

9009)
Meh..

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Fri Aug 28 2009 06:31:47 By: rob who had a broken foot (

130)
i must say, woodstock does nothing for me. i understand its importance to the time and the people of that time, and i like quite a bit of music from the bands that were there. but woodstock as a whole generally bores the hell out of me.

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Fri Aug 28 2009 14:32:17 By: RFWoodstock (

5)
I saw this movie here in Woodstock with Ang Lee, James Shamus and Michael Lang in the audience. It’s a small movie from the perspective of Elliot Tiber, a minor player in the overall saga of Woodstock. Worth seeing but don’t expect an Oscar nom.
Win a Woodstock special edition white Stratocaster guitar (like the one Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock...only 40 made by Fender) and Collector's Edition Woodstock DVD and listen to RADIO WOODSTOCK 69 with music from the original Woodstock era. Watch Woodstock TV. Join our Woodstock online community. Go to http://www.woodstockuniverse.com for details.
Peace, love, music,
RFWoodstock
rfwoodstock@gmail.com

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Fri Aug 28 2009 14:35:24 By: RFWoodstock (

5)
I saw this movie here in Woodstock with Ang Lee, James Shamus and Michael Lang in the audience. It’s a small movie from the perspective of Elliot Tiber, a minor player in the overall saga of Woodstock. Worth seeing but don’t expect an Oscar nom.
Win a Woodstock special edition Stratocaster guitar (like Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock…only 40 made by Fender) and Collector's Edition Woodstock DVD and listen to RADIO WOODSTOCK 69 with music from the original Woodstock era. Watch Woodstock TV. Join our Woodstock online community. Go to http://www.woodstockuniverse.com for details.
Peace, love, music,
RFWoodstock
rfwoodstock@gmail.com

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Wed Sep 2 2009 22:33:20 By: pbrinnel (

2)
It seems like most of the problems all trace back to simply a poor adaptation of a potentially rich source material. All the complexity of a closeted homosexual living a double life was turned into a minor subplot.
You can read my review at:
http://cfilmc.com/taking-woodstock/

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