“Woodstock: 3 Days Of Peace & Music” The Director’s Cut And “40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition” On Blu-Ray And DVD June 9 From Warner Home Video
(March 13, 2009 – Burbank, CA) – “Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music” – the four-hour director’s cut of the 1970 Oscar®-winning documentary about the landmark music event that featured some of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll performers in history -- will be released June 9 in a spectacular new limited, numbered Blu-ray and DVD “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” (UCE). With two extra hours of rare performance footage -- some of it newly-discovered, some only seen in part and some never seen at all -- the UCE is destined to make its own history. Details of the new releases will be featured at the South by Southwest Music + Film Festival where Warner Home Video will offer festival goers a first look at the new high definition picture and sound on March 21.
Today, four decades later, Woodstock still resonates deeply with those that attended and those that wished they had. Director Michael Wadleigh notes, “Based on the vast e-mails and calls I’ve received, many from young people, it’s very evident that people still relate so much to the film and view the ‘60s as an age when anything and everything was possible, mostly good. Many hope for a new Woodstock generation since what people loved back then was spontaneity, originality, innocence and honesty - even in superstars; that’s why Woodstock, with its open and natural philosophy, has become timeless.”
The two extra hours of rare performance footage features 18 new performances as never before seen from 13 groups, including Joan Baez, Country Joe McDonald, Santana, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker and five (Paul Butterfield, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter and Mountain) who played at Woodstock but never appeared in any film version.
A third hour of bonus material also on the UCE includes a featurette gallery showcasing interviews with Martin Scorsese, producer Michael Lang, director Michael Wadleigh, Hugh Hefner, Eddie Kramer (the concert’s original chief on-site engineer and producer-engineer for Jimi Hendrix) and others who chronicle the making of the festival and the film. Included are such segments as “3 Days in a Truck,” “No Rain! No Rain!” and “Living Up To Idealism.” Additionally, exclusive to Blu-ray a Customize Your Own Woodstock Playlist from the 18 bonus performances and other special features like “Media Center,” “My WB Commentary” and “Live Community Screening.”
The UCE will be packaged in a unique giftbox, numbered as part of a limited run with an array of collectibles that include a 60+ page reprint of a Life magazine commemorative issue, a lucite lenticular display of vintage festival photos, festival memorabilia and an iron-on patch with the classic dove and guitar Woodstock emblem.
Jeff Baker, WHV’s Executive VP and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog, stated, “As I reviewed Woodstock interviews and some of the newly discovered concert footage, it struck me how historically relevant this project has become to all of us who have been privileged to be a part of it. The new ’content’ we have created, almost 40 years later, and the live performances we’ve restored in high definition, some in extended cuts, will live on as studio assets forever, and as a testimony to a time and a set of circumstances which will never again repeat themselves.”
“Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music” was newly remastered from original elements and scanned at 2K with an audio 5.1 mix. Eddie Kramer, Woodstock sound engineer, assisted with the 5.1 audio mix of recently found additional footage. The “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” will be available in Blu-ray™ Hi-Def ($69.99 SRP) as well as DVD ($59.98 SRP). “Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music” will also be available on DVD as a Two-Disc “Special Edition” ($24.98 SRP).
About Woodstock and the Film
Woodstock alumni David Crosby noted, “Woodstock was more than just a concert; it was an event. It was a time for our generation to speak up and let everyone know we had a voice. Whether you were there or are discovering the film for the first time, it still holds up 40 years later and now will speak to a whole new generation.”
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York on a sometimes rain-soaked weekend from August 15 to August 18, 1969.
Half a million people of all colors, shapes, sizes, ages and sexes attended this historical event. They came by car, by truck, a few even by helicopter, but the majority walked to what turned out to be the most famous festival in history, an event that was hailed by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the “50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
Created by promoter Michael Lang with Artie Kornfeld, John Roberts and Joel Rosenman, 32 legendary musical acts appeared which, in addition to those mentioned above, included Crosby, Stills & Nash, Santana, Joan Baez, The Band, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Country Joe McDonald and The Fish, Richie Havens, Jefferson Airplane, John Sebastian and Sly & The Family Stone.
Said Michael Lang, “It’s gratifying to me that Woodstock remains so relevant today as does the great work that documented it. Artie and Joel join me in congratulating Warner Home Video for putting together this brand new and exciting look at our event and for unearthing more of the historic performances that electrified us all at the time.”
Winner of the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature (and nominated for Best Editing and Best Sound), “Woodstock” was produced by Bob Maurice and directed by Michael Wadleigh, who assembled an outstanding crew that included young filmmakers at the start of their careers Academy Award® winners: director Martin Scorsese (“The Departed”) and editor Thelma Schoonmaker (“The Aviator”).
The critically acclaimed Museum at Bethel Woods, located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, NY, tells the story of the Sixties and Woodstock through state-of-the-art multi-media exhibits, engaging programs and educational events. The Center provides artists with the opportunity to perform on one of music's most legendary grounds, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is committed to being a world-class cultural destination in the heart of New York State. www.BethelWoodsCenter.org
“WOODSTOCK Ultimate Collector’s Edition” DVD Contents:
Disc One
• Film (Director’s Cut), Part 1 128:38 min
• “The Museum at Bethel Woods: The Story of the Sixties & Woodstock” Disc Two • Film (Director’s Cut), Part 2 95:34 min Disc Three • “Woodstock: Untold Stories” 18 Performances as never before seen
• “Woodstock: From Festival to Feature” Interviews of the sights and sounds of the 3 day event, from concert goers, promoters, crew and musicians Blu-ray Hi-Def Exclusive: • “Customize Your Own Woodstock Playlist” (from the18 bonus performances) This feature allows you to customize your own personal jukebox playlist from more than a dozen live Woodstock performances as never before seen. • BD-Live features include “Media Center,” “My WB Commentary,” & “Live Community Screening” “Media Center” is a hub for trailers, features and content • You can get sneak peeks of upcoming Warner Bros. films, and rate trailers
• You can access to Exclusive Content such as interviews, featurettes, and more only seen through WB BD-Live
• You can access Photo Galleries and other special features “Live Community Screenings” allow you to send invitations to fans and friends across the country for virtual screenings at a specified time and chat online with each other as the movie plays on each person’s Blu-ray player. You can host your own Live Community Screening with your buddy list or participate in a WB hosted Warner Bros. BD-Live community event. “My WB Commentary” lets you record and post a Picture-in-Picture commentary right over the film, then share it and rate it. Using a web-camera, you can record your own comments and play them back as a Picture-in-Picture feature over the film scene you have chosen and share it with your friends or the entire Warner Bros. BD-Live Community. See below complete description of new performances and featurettes “Woodstock 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition” will be supported with promotional partnerships and a national media and publicity campaign spanning TV, print, online/viral, events and grassroots efforts targeting music fans of all ages. VH1 Rock Docs and History are co-producing the definitive two-hour documentary, “Woodstock: 40 Years Later.” Fender®, known worldwide for producing the musical instruments that started the rock revolution will create a limited amount of special “"Woodstock 40th Anniversary Stratocaster®" guitars. In addition, the spirit of Woodstock re-emerges with a vast array of products -- from apparel to guitar straps -- from Signatures Network, exclusive worldwide licensing agents for Woodstock Ventures. For more information visit: www.woodstockondvd.com and be sure to check back in April as many new features will be added, including exciting performance clips, an image gallery, wallpapers, screensaver and much more. With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment. Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change. Woodstock Ultimate Collectors Edition Band Roster – 22 Bands Total • Arlo Guthrie
• Canned Heat
• Country Joe & the Fish
• Country Joe McDonald
• Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Crosby, Stills, Nash
• Grateful Dead
• Janis Joplin
• Jefferson Airplane
• Jimi Hendrix
• Joan Baez
• Joe Cocker
• John Sebastian
• Johnny Winter
• Mountain
• Paul Butterfield Blues Band
• Richie Havens
• Santana
• Sha-Na-Na
• Sly & The Family Stone
• Ten Years After
• The Who Full Description Of 18 Bonus Performances • Joan Baez “One Day at a Time”
• Country Joe McDonald “Flying High”
• Santana “Evil Ways”
• Canned Heat “I’m Her Man” and “On the Road Again”
• Mountain “Beside the Sea” and “Southbound Train”
• Grateful Dead “Turn On Your Love Light”
• Creedence Clearwater Revival “Born on the Bayou,” “I’ve Put a Spell on You” and “Keep on Chooglin’”
• The Who “We’re Not Going To Take It” and “My Generation”
• Jefferson Airplane “3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds”
• Joe Cocker “Something’s Coming On”
• Johnny Winter “Mean Town Blues”
• Paul Butterfield “Morning Sunrise”
• Sha Na Na “Teen Angel” Full Description Of “Woodstock From Festival To Feature” • “The Camera”: The Éclair NPR was the best camera around in 1969; Michael Wadleigh talks about why the Éclair was the right camera for this film.
• “365,000 Feet of Film”: The stories of how Dale Bell and his crew begged, borrowed and stole just enough film to document the festival.
• “Shooting Stage”: Those up-close shots of performers didn’t just happen by magic; see how Wadleigh and his cameramen got those up close and personal shots of the performers.
• “The Line Up”: The Who, Sha Na Na, Santana, Ten Years After, Jefferson Airplane and many more; how did all these bands get on the roster for the festival of a life time?
• “Holding the Negative Hostage”: What does a filmmaker do when Technicolor is sending a copy of your negative to the studio without your permission? Well, you lock up the film and hire a lawyer.
• “Announcements”: “Don’t take the brown acid” or maybe it was green. We’ll hear about all the strange and informative announcements heard during those three days of peace, love and enlightenment.
• “Suits VS. Longhairs”: The clash between the hippie filmmakers and the Warner executives who didn’t understand what this film meant.
• “Documenting History”: Find out from Michael Wadleigh and Dale Bell, along with filmmakers, where the idea of capturing this event on film came from.
• “Woodstock: The Journey”: Some came by car, others by truck, a few came by helicopter but most walked to the most famous festival in history.
• “Pre-Production”: We’ll find out how this production got off the ground and meet the members of the crew that made it happen.
• “Production”: How many cameras were used? How much film did they go through? Did anyone sleep? All these questions and more will be answered here as we explore how Woodstock was captured on film.
• “Synchronization”: How do you sync all this material with out any slates? No slate, no problem. With the help of an upright Moviola, Dale Bell, Michael Wadleigh, Eddie Kramer and the editors were able to make magic from miles of tape and film.
• “The Crowd”: Half a million people of all colors, shapes, sizes, ages and sexes attended this historical event. We’ll hear stories about the number of people and how they all coexisted for three days with only minor incidents.
• “No Rain! No Rain!”: Everyone talks about the rain at this event as if it were a character. It was. It set the tone, provided moments of danger, fun and disgust.
• “3 Days in a Truck”: Eddie Kramer heard some of the most amazing performances as he recorded this historic event. But during those three days of peace, love and music, he didn’t get to see any performances because he was stuck in a truck.
• “Woodstock Effect”: The film, the event and the album catapulted many musicians into the limelight, changing their lives forever.
• “Living up to Idealism”
• “World’s Longest Optical”
• “Critical Acclaim”
• “Courtesy of The Museum at Bethel Woods: The Hog Farm Commune”
• “Hugh Hefner and Michael Wadleigh: The Woodstock Connection”# # #
• “The Museum at Bethel Woods: The Story of the Sixties & Woodstock” Disc Two • Film (Director’s Cut), Part 2 95:34 min Disc Three • “Woodstock: Untold Stories” 18 Performances as never before seen
• “Woodstock: From Festival to Feature” Interviews of the sights and sounds of the 3 day event, from concert goers, promoters, crew and musicians Blu-ray Hi-Def Exclusive: • “Customize Your Own Woodstock Playlist” (from the18 bonus performances) This feature allows you to customize your own personal jukebox playlist from more than a dozen live Woodstock performances as never before seen. • BD-Live features include “Media Center,” “My WB Commentary,” & “Live Community Screening” “Media Center” is a hub for trailers, features and content • You can get sneak peeks of upcoming Warner Bros. films, and rate trailers
• You can access to Exclusive Content such as interviews, featurettes, and more only seen through WB BD-Live
• You can access Photo Galleries and other special features “Live Community Screenings” allow you to send invitations to fans and friends across the country for virtual screenings at a specified time and chat online with each other as the movie plays on each person’s Blu-ray player. You can host your own Live Community Screening with your buddy list or participate in a WB hosted Warner Bros. BD-Live community event. “My WB Commentary” lets you record and post a Picture-in-Picture commentary right over the film, then share it and rate it. Using a web-camera, you can record your own comments and play them back as a Picture-in-Picture feature over the film scene you have chosen and share it with your friends or the entire Warner Bros. BD-Live Community. See below complete description of new performances and featurettes “Woodstock 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition” will be supported with promotional partnerships and a national media and publicity campaign spanning TV, print, online/viral, events and grassroots efforts targeting music fans of all ages. VH1 Rock Docs and History are co-producing the definitive two-hour documentary, “Woodstock: 40 Years Later.” Fender®, known worldwide for producing the musical instruments that started the rock revolution will create a limited amount of special “"Woodstock 40th Anniversary Stratocaster®" guitars. In addition, the spirit of Woodstock re-emerges with a vast array of products -- from apparel to guitar straps -- from Signatures Network, exclusive worldwide licensing agents for Woodstock Ventures. For more information visit: www.woodstockondvd.com and be sure to check back in April as many new features will be added, including exciting performance clips, an image gallery, wallpapers, screensaver and much more. With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment. Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change. Woodstock Ultimate Collectors Edition Band Roster – 22 Bands Total • Arlo Guthrie
• Canned Heat
• Country Joe & the Fish
• Country Joe McDonald
• Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Crosby, Stills, Nash
• Grateful Dead
• Janis Joplin
• Jefferson Airplane
• Jimi Hendrix
• Joan Baez
• Joe Cocker
• John Sebastian
• Johnny Winter
• Mountain
• Paul Butterfield Blues Band
• Richie Havens
• Santana
• Sha-Na-Na
• Sly & The Family Stone
• Ten Years After
• The Who Full Description Of 18 Bonus Performances • Joan Baez “One Day at a Time”
• Country Joe McDonald “Flying High”
• Santana “Evil Ways”
• Canned Heat “I’m Her Man” and “On the Road Again”
• Mountain “Beside the Sea” and “Southbound Train”
• Grateful Dead “Turn On Your Love Light”
• Creedence Clearwater Revival “Born on the Bayou,” “I’ve Put a Spell on You” and “Keep on Chooglin’”
• The Who “We’re Not Going To Take It” and “My Generation”
• Jefferson Airplane “3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds”
• Joe Cocker “Something’s Coming On”
• Johnny Winter “Mean Town Blues”
• Paul Butterfield “Morning Sunrise”
• Sha Na Na “Teen Angel” Full Description Of “Woodstock From Festival To Feature” • “The Camera”: The Éclair NPR was the best camera around in 1969; Michael Wadleigh talks about why the Éclair was the right camera for this film.
• “365,000 Feet of Film”: The stories of how Dale Bell and his crew begged, borrowed and stole just enough film to document the festival.
• “Shooting Stage”: Those up-close shots of performers didn’t just happen by magic; see how Wadleigh and his cameramen got those up close and personal shots of the performers.
• “The Line Up”: The Who, Sha Na Na, Santana, Ten Years After, Jefferson Airplane and many more; how did all these bands get on the roster for the festival of a life time?
• “Holding the Negative Hostage”: What does a filmmaker do when Technicolor is sending a copy of your negative to the studio without your permission? Well, you lock up the film and hire a lawyer.
• “Announcements”: “Don’t take the brown acid” or maybe it was green. We’ll hear about all the strange and informative announcements heard during those three days of peace, love and enlightenment.
• “Suits VS. Longhairs”: The clash between the hippie filmmakers and the Warner executives who didn’t understand what this film meant.
• “Documenting History”: Find out from Michael Wadleigh and Dale Bell, along with filmmakers, where the idea of capturing this event on film came from.
• “Woodstock: The Journey”: Some came by car, others by truck, a few came by helicopter but most walked to the most famous festival in history.
• “Pre-Production”: We’ll find out how this production got off the ground and meet the members of the crew that made it happen.
• “Production”: How many cameras were used? How much film did they go through? Did anyone sleep? All these questions and more will be answered here as we explore how Woodstock was captured on film.
• “Synchronization”: How do you sync all this material with out any slates? No slate, no problem. With the help of an upright Moviola, Dale Bell, Michael Wadleigh, Eddie Kramer and the editors were able to make magic from miles of tape and film.
• “The Crowd”: Half a million people of all colors, shapes, sizes, ages and sexes attended this historical event. We’ll hear stories about the number of people and how they all coexisted for three days with only minor incidents.
• “No Rain! No Rain!”: Everyone talks about the rain at this event as if it were a character. It was. It set the tone, provided moments of danger, fun and disgust.
• “3 Days in a Truck”: Eddie Kramer heard some of the most amazing performances as he recorded this historic event. But during those three days of peace, love and music, he didn’t get to see any performances because he was stuck in a truck.
• “Woodstock Effect”: The film, the event and the album catapulted many musicians into the limelight, changing their lives forever.
• “Living up to Idealism”
• “World’s Longest Optical”
• “Critical Acclaim”
• “Courtesy of The Museum at Bethel Woods: The Hog Farm Commune”
• “Hugh Hefner and Michael Wadleigh: The Woodstock Connection”