Blu-ray Picks for the Week of June 9 - Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Director’s Cut (Review)

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Blu-ray Picks for the Week of June 9 - Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Director’s Cut (Review)

By brenden ⋅ June 9, 2009 ⋅

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PICK OF THE WEEK FOR JUNE 9 - WOODSTOCK: 3 DAYS OF PEACE & MUSIC DIRECTOR’S CUT

Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music Director's Cut Blu-ray What do I know about Woodstock? Yeah…nothing. I’m almost ashamed to admit that, as a musician, I have little interest or investment in any of the acts that played the famous festival. I look at it as more of a curiosity. But this 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition of Michael Wadleigh’s Oscar-winning documentary might just be the artifact that turns me around.

This Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Director’s Cut box-set is bat-shit crazy! Warner has really pulled out all the stops here - taking the original Éclair 16mm shoulder-mounted camera footage, shot dirt-level full of scratches and grain and given it a stunning 2K transfer. I mean, this thing is never going to look pristine perfect like Planet Earth or Iron Man on your big screen. This was guerilla filmmaking in the 60s. It’s supposed to look dirty. But the Blu-ray transfer preserves the nature of the film. The grain. The scratches. And the soundtrack! Originally recorded on eight-track, using a remote sound truck, the Blu-ray producers have made the best of what they had to work with. This disc marks a substantial improvement over previously releases, sporting a new mix that make you feel like you’re a part of the crowd. Not a crisp, shiny 7.1 tracks of perfection, of course. But slightly noisy and poppy with the occasional hiccup. Just like you were there. There’s nothing wrong with that.

I’m not making apologies for the quality of the disc. No need. This is as good as Woodstock has ever looked and sounded. Just be prepared to watch a film that’s been restored and preserved with loving care, not one that’s been computer-enhanced to artificially bring it closer to today’s shiny standards. Bravo, Warner!

So, this thing’s a little bloated. Not only in the near-4 hour run-time of the film but also in the Blu-ray packaging. The fringed hippy box it ships in is loaded with goo-gaas and trinkets including:

Oi vey. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much bonus content here that watching these discs could become a full-time job:

And just in case this isn’t enough for you, you can nab yourself an additional exclusive bonus disc with never-before-seen performance footage and featurettes if you order from Amazon.com.

ANOTHER PICK - GRAN TORINO

“Urghhhhh…Grrrrrr…” That’s what I took away from Gran Torino. When you’re old, all you need to do is snarl and growl at the camera. It’ll get you where you need to be…

Ok, so, I’m not recommending this because I liked it. But the disc is slick. And it seems quite popular. So there. If cliche, ham fisted storytelling is your thing, or if you’re just such an unabashed Clint Eastwood fan you’ll watch anything the man is in then you kind of can’t go wrong here. But seriously, folks. Go and spend your hard earned cash on Fox/MGMs recently released The Good, The Bad and the Ugly instead. Clint is just genius in that. You’ll be doing yourself a favour.

ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about the Blu-ray: