Monterey Pop: The Film (1967)

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The definitive prequel to Woodstock, the Monterey International Pop Festival laid the groundwork for future "love-ins" of the late 1960s with similar talent, including the Mamas and the Papas, Simon and Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Who, Country Joe and the… More The definitive prequel to Woodstock, the Monterey International Pop Festival laid the groundwork for future "love-ins" of the late 1960s with similar talent, including the Mamas and the Papas, Simon and Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Who, Country Joe and the Fish, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Hugh Masekela, and many more. This vital concert film, directed by D.A. Pennebaker, a renowned rockumentarian who is perhaps most famous for his portrait of Bob Dylan, DON'T LOOK BACK, expertly captures the essence of the music festival. The documentary contains some of the best performances of a decade that was principally defined by its music, including many classic sequences, such as the legendary guitar burning by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin in one of her most powerful turns ever captured on film, and a hauntingly apt rendition from the Mamas and Papas of "California Dreaming." Additionally on display is The Who's "A Quick One While He's Away," cut from the film's initial release; this song comprises part of a full 9 minutes of never-before-seen footage. MONTEREY POP: THE FILM pulses with the revolutionary mandate and youthful vitality of the baby-boom generation, and is an absolute must-see for fans of 1960s American music.