Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the concert that became a touchstone for a generation. This film brings the three-day concert to life through the voices of those who were present at what became the defining moment of the counterculture revolution.
American Experience: Woodstock: Three Days that Defined a Generation In August 1969, nearly half a million people gathered at a farm in upstate New York to hear music. What happened over the next three days, however, was far more than a concert. It would become a legendary event, one that would define a generation and mark the end of one of the most turbulent decades in modern history. Occurring just weeks after an American set foot on the moon, the Woodstock music festival took place against a backdrop of a nation in conflict over sexual politics, civil rights and the Vietnam War. A sense of an America in transition - a handoff of the country between generations with far different values and ideals - was tangibly present at what promoters billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace and Music."
Woodstock turns the lens back at the audience, at the swarming, impromptu city that grew up overnight on a few acres of farm land. What took place in that teaming mass of humanity - the rain-soaked, starving, tripping, half-a-million strong throng of young people - was nothing less than a miracle of teamwork, a manifestation of the "peace and love" the festival had touted and a validation of the counter-culture’s promise to the world. Who were these kids? What experiences and stories did they carry with them to Bethel, New York that weekend, and how were they changed by three days in the muck and mire of Yasgur’s farm?
Producer: Jamila Ephron, Barak Goodman, Mark Samels, Vanessa Ruiz
Executive Producer: Mark Samels
Production Year: 2019
Copyright Year: 2019
Rating: TV-MA
Actors: Donald Goldmacher, Carol Green, Michael Lang, John Morris, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Wavy Gravy
Writers: Barak Goodman, Don Kleszy
Number of Discs: 1
Length: 96 minutes
Subtitled: Y
Language Track: English (SDH)
DVI: N
Audio Format: 5.1 Surround
Aspect Ratio: 16x9 Widescreen
Content Warning: This program includes material that may not be appropriate for younger viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
VIDEO USAGE RIGHTS
Why the Institutional version? Because it provides additional usage options for PBS videos. Institutional versions come with limited public performance rights so they can be shown in University classrooms and transmitted on a closed-circuit system within a building or on a single campus. Institutional version can be shown at free public screenings by libraries, businesses, clubs and community organizations, as long as no admission is charged. For additional questions or to arrange a screening where admission is charged, please contact [email protected]