I was put off by the product placement in the first few minutes of the film. I don't believe that Demme couldn't have shot footage of Nashville that didn't include Shell Oil or Budweiser advertisements.
Heart of Gold begins with a decent set up to the concert. Members of Neil Young's posse tell the history of the Rayman Auditorium and their relationship to Neil, but fall short of sparking an interest in the concert to follow.
Unless you are a Young fan, you will most likely be bored to tears. Other than the addition of the steel guitar, the accompanying musicians add little to Young's folksy tunes. It seems like such a waste to have 12 to 15 talented musicians on stage at any given time, only to produce such minimal music.
While I have always known of singer/songwriter Neil Young but have never heard of any of his songs, so watching this concert film is my official introduction to his music. Overall it is decent but I wasn't blown away by it unfortunately, I just found it a little dull at times (I probably would have loved it if I was a fan). Still the songs were beautifully written and the direction is nicely done. Even though I didn't go much into it but will recommend it to Neil Young fans because they will definitely eat it up.
A great musician performing and sharing his life. I really like Neil Young but this was a little too country for me. I like my Neil rockin' just a bit more.
Well shot and interesting, but the featured album (Prairie Wind) is kind of "same old Neil," and though listenable, the lyrics are kind of schlocky. As far as concert films go, though, this is something worth seeing - the Ryman auditorium is such an amazing venue.
Just got the Neil Young DVD "Heart of Gold". Brilliant. My favourite music movie is "Stop Making Sense". I have only just watched "Heart of Gold" so it would be premature to replace the former with the latter. One thing that is constant with these two movies is the director, Jonathon Demme. He has made a wonderful film that touched me deeply.
"Heart of Gold" put me in the lap of the performers without any feeling of discomfort. The lighting is nothing like I have seen in a popular music performance before. It was warm, bringing focus to the primary players while emphasising the efforts of the entire ensemble. The introduction was short enough so one was not wondering when the music was to start. It gives a sense of what is to be performed and an insight into the world of the musicians and their relationship to Neil. This is important because relationships are what is cherished most deeply in these songs and the camera work catches this in the faces of the players on the stage.
Neil Young is not a "nostalgia act" or one to play on past glory. Neil is deeply into the process of creating music. His "Prairie Wind" songs are insightful and carefully arranged. The credits show him playing "Old Laughing Lady" (from hist first album) on stage by himself to an empty Ryman Auditorium. His fresh rendition of the song truly completes this movie.
Heart of Gold feels like an ample slice of the real America, the one truly worth caring for. And it's such a rare thing in this benighted age that the simple clarity with which it's presented feels like nothing less than a miracle.
Quite simply Neil Young at the absolute top of his game. A brain aneurysm in 2005 nearly cost Neil his life, and inspired him to write an album dealing with his thoughts on mortality.
Filmed in Nashville's hallowed Ryman Auditorium, and featuring
Maybe you had to love folk music, to TRULY appreciate this movie...but we all get older, and what a self-tribute! One of my favorite musicians...bst songwriter!!!
Neil Young is a beautiful man, I love his music, it fills me with different, familiar feelings each song I hear. Harvest Moon reminds me of october when I was a child, one of the last good childhood memories I have left!
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