Got some time to kill this weekend? Why not head to your local DVD rental outlet and pick up a film about folk music? From
documentary to mockumentary, the films about American folk music artists, bands, tours, concerts and history are as diverse as the topics they present. Whether it's the undeniable energy of
O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the intense behind-the-scenes footage in
Be Here to Love Me, or the silly color worshippers in
A Mighty Wind, folk music fans are far from under-serviced at any local DVD store.
Here are my top five folk music movies.
image © Warner Home Video
Comments
At the top of my list would be Murray Lerner’s “Festival”, the brilliant documentary on the Newport Folk Festival. Watching the film, you can see where the inspiration for the Woodstock documentary came from. I am glad it is finally available on DVD.
Also, I would include “Wasn’t That A Time”, the documentary about the Weaver’s reunion.
Great topic! It is tough to limit the list to 5!!!
Ron Olesko
http://www.ronolesko.blogspot.com
I have to vote for the addition of “Songcatcher” to this list… if you haven’t seen it, it’s really wonderful.
But, of course, it’s not quite as fun to quote as “A Mighty Wind”.
WINC.