Blu-News: Woodstock: 3 Days Of Peace & Music Blu-ray Review

Woodstock: 3 Days Of Peace And Music Blu-ray Review

Written by Loys Johnson

Disc Size: 36.7 GB

Film Size: 36.2 GB
Film Rating: R
Region: Free

Video

Woodstock comes to Blu-ray with a 1080p VC-1 video presentation. The release looks about as good as one could expect, footage is presented via a unique split-screen, with performances in both split-screen and letterboxed forms. It's never going to amaze, but it's definitely about as good as it will ever look, and the clearer the better for a historic time like this. The footage featured has never looked better, and fans will definitely see the upgrade. 7.5/10.

Audio

Warner has included a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio track. List new Warner releases, Woodstock defaults to Dolby TrueHD, which is a nice change from Warner. The track improves quite nicely over the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track, however don't expect miracles. Woodstock's audio will never be impressive, without substituting the audio, which should never happen. Fans should be pleased with the upgrade. 8/10.

Extras

Disc 1:
BD-Live

Disc 2:
The Museum at Bethel Woods: The Story of the Sixties & Woodstock (4:33) (SD)

Customize Your Own Woodstock Playlist
Select the songs you like, skip the ones you don't, to create a playlist.

Opening Of Festival (3:21) (HD)
Footage from the opening of the festival

Closing The Festival (1:20) (HD)
Footage from the closing of the festival, such as the request of filling up trash bags.

The Camera (3:53) (HD)
Michael Wadleigh talks about the Eclair NPR camera that he used for the film.

365,000 Feet Of Film (2:03) (HD)
Dale Bell talks about how they got all the film that they did to document Woodstock.

Shooting Stage (2:44) (HD)
Michael Wadleigh talks about shooting around the stage.

The Lineup (2:39) (HD)
Ever wonder how they got the bands lined up for Woodstock? Michael Lang explains, as well as interviews from members of certain groups who participated.

Holding The Negative Hostage (1:51) (HD)
Dale Bell talks about his experience with Technicolor sending a copy of the negative to Warner Bros. without permission, what did they do?

Announcements (3:45) (HD)
Listen to announcements made during Woodstock, some are very interesting.

Suits Vs. Longhairs (5:58) (HD)
Dale Bell and Michael Wadleigh discuss Warner wanting to screen the film, as well as their concern with screening it.

Documenting History (3:45) (HD)
Dale Bell and Michael Wadleigh and more discuss the original idea of documenting Woodstock.

Woodstock The Journey (2:34) (HD)
Members from Sha Na Na, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Ten Years After, and more discuss the amazing amount of people traveling from all over to Woodstock.

Pre-Production (3:05) (HD)
Martin Scorsese discusses his idea to do a concert film, utilizing 16 mm equipment. He heard about a big event that was going to occur. It also talks with others involved in making things happen.

Production (4:21) (HD)
The crew discusses capturing Woodstock on film.

Synchronization (1:52) (HD)
See how they were able to sync the sound tape and film together.

The Crowd (1:54) (HD)
Crew and band members discuss how people of all kinds coexisted for 3 days.

No Rain! No Rain! (3:18) (HD)
Leo Lyons of Ten Years After discusses the rain starting before they were going to perform, as well as stories from others.

3 Days In A Truck (2:05) (HD)
Eddie Kramer talks about his experience capturing the sound on tape, and experiencing the 3-day event from a vehicle.

The Woodstock Effect (3:26) (HD)
Members of Sha Na Na explain that without performing at Woodstock, they would not have the success that they did.

Living Up To Idealism (5:06) (HD)
The crew discusses the legacy of Woodstock.

World's Longest Optical (2:46) (HD)
The filmmakers explain how they shot in 16 mm, and screened in 70 mm.

Critical Acclaim (6:41) (HD)
See how the public, performers, and others reacted to the film.

Courtesy Of The Museum At Bethel Woods: The Hog Farm Commune (3:18) (SD)
Wavy Gravy and more discuss the Hog Farm Commune.

Hugh Hefner and Michael Wadleigh: The Woodstock Connection (9:30) (HD)
Hugh Hefner talks about his interview with Michael and episode about Woodstock, on his show 'Playboy After Dark.' Footage from the episode is included.

Blu-news Summary

Woodstock is such a famous and historical event that really will be remember forever. It wasn't just about the music, but people of all kinds coming together. The film is very impressive, covering every aspect of the event. The traveling, the performances, the weather, and much more. Fans of Woodstock, or those who have always had curiosity, this is one to see.

The Blu-ray release is very nice, featuring good video, nice audio, and a very impressive amount of extras and informative material. The extras are almost completely presented in high-definition, and all look very nice. The film is only half of the Blu-ray experience, as all this material included is both interesting and informative. The release comes in special limited and numbered packaging, with some very nice additions, pictured below. The Blu-ray release is a 'Must Own For Fans.'

Packaging: