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| Festival Express |
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  (6/10)
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Runtime: 90 m |
| Public Rating: 8.00 (6 votes) |
Director: Bob Smeaton |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Documentary |
Year: 2004 |
| Writer(s): Bob Smeaton |
| Distributor: ThinkFilm |
| Reviewed by: Aaron West |
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When i think of notable concerts from the 60s and 70s, I instantly think of three that have already been given cinematic treatment: Woodstock, the Monterey Pop Festival, and The Last Waltz. These three shows are remembered mostly as being for the fans. Several great musicians came together, sometimes for free, and provided the fans with more music than they could ask for. Festival Express was a different type of concert. Of course there was still a lot of great music, and it was put together with making a profit in mind, but it was mostly for the musicians themselves. As a result, the long overdue documentary treatment of the event focuses mostly on the artists and their adventures.
The Festival Express was a tour throughout Canada during the Summer of 1970. It featured such prominent musicians as The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and The Band. Instead of using customary travel, such as tour bus or airplane, the musicians were carried from place to place on a train, hence the name. The musicians were given their own private compartments, but a common area was setup with musical instruments, booze, plus other assorted chemicals (mostly brought by the bands themselves). While travelling, the musicians would spend most of their time jamming and partying together. These parties were ongoing, even throughout the night, with many musicians getting little or no sleep, but having the time of their lives.
The tour itself was a financial disaster. The early shows were interrupted by protesters who thought the bands should play for free. They were scaring away ticket holders and putting out a bad vibe for other shows. There is a lengthy sequence that shows the protestors and even has Jerry Garcia from The Grateful Dead trying to reason with them. Eventually the musicians cave in and begin to play mini-sets away from the main stage for those who weren't able to afford a ticket. This is one of the few sequences in the film that displays the hippie movement prevalent at the time.
Festival Express isn't about any free love or anti-war movement. It was about the music and musicians and the structure of the documentary reflects just that. The first half of the film resembles a conventional documentary, as it sets up the material with interviews and select scenes that show the activities on the train. The second half is mostly concert footage, with some brief forays back into the train to watch some jam sessions. Like Scorsese's The Last Waltz, the latter portion of Festival Express shows the performance of a song, such as Janis Joplin's Crybaby, have a brief interview, and then show another song. The music is the highlight of the picture and, like most musical documentaries, is the determining factor as to who will enjoy the film.
My only problem with the movie is that it loses sight of the event itself. It's easy to become immersed in the music, but you're left with little idea as to the actual experience. Jam sessions, such as when Janis Joplin is playing with Jerry Garcia, are the most intimate and thus the most enjoyable parts of the documentary, but they are too infrequent. It becomes controlled by the music. That, combined with the short running time, simply doesn't satisfy. It leaves us wanting more and it doesn't deliver.
Festival Express, while 33 years too late, is a refreshing if limited portrait of a group of expressive artists having a terrific time. It'll be adored by rabid fans of the era, merely appreciated by lesser fans, and forgotten instantly by the people who live in today.
© Aaron West, 12th November, 2004
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