Woodstock: The Director’s Cut

Winner of the 1971 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Woodstock: The Director’s Cut captures the legendary music and arts festival held from 15 to 18 August 1969 at Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York. One of the most iconic events of the twentieth century, the festival drew nearly half a million people. Most were peace-loving hippies and opponents of the Vietnam War – flower children whose free-spirited, pacifist way of life the film portrays with striking openness.

Spanning three days of music and collective celebration, the documentary captures the mood, energy and sound of the era like few others. It features many of the biggest names in rock and folk at the time, including Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Joe Cocker, Country Joe & the Fish, Arlo Guthrie, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Santana, Sly & the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Ten Years After, Jefferson Airplane, Sha-Na-Na, John Sebastian, Canned Heat, Bert Sommer and Ravi Shankar. In 1994, a director’s cut (228 min) was released, featuring Janis Joplin as well as additional footage of Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Johnny Winter and Jimi Hendrix.

For many, it remains one of the greatest documentaries ever made.

Roman Gutek

Michael Wadleigh (b. 1939) – American director and cinematographer who emerged from the American independent scene. He gained international recognition with his Academy Award-winning documentary about the Woodstock festival. His work captured the energy of music and the spirit of the American counterculture.