By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Chris Hegedus | D.A. Pennebaker | Nick Doob
Country: united_states
Year: 2001
Running time: 98
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0284067
Diane says: “So much material (i.e., people) that the docu-makers had access to here, and I felt they wasted it by giving so much time to the concert performances. We could have learned more about the history of bluegrass from the dean of bluegrass, more about families who perform together, more about what drew Gillian Welch to the music, Alison Krauss’ experience as a young prodigy, the origins of the Fairfield Four…. But I loved everything I got from it.”
Michael says: “Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker (STARTUP.COM, THE WAR ROOM) do it again, this time with a documentary of a bluegrass benefit concert. The Coen Brothers last film, O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? spawned a best-selling soundtrack featuring some terrific bluegrass music. T-Bone Burnette produced the album, and a benefit concert featuring the participants, including Emmylou Harris, The Cox Family, Alison Kraus and Union Station, Gillian Welch and more.
“As a concert film, MOUNTAIN is very satisfying. Great scenes of the artists rehearsing and bantering start things off, and lovely performances finish things up. Really, everything you’d want from a concert film. As a documentary, MOUNTAIN was a trifle disappointing. There was certainly a lot we could have learned about Bluegrass, or even the use of the music in the film, O BROTHER, that we didn’t. There could have been more intercutting of concert footage with other material.
“Still, all in all, I enjoyed the music and personalities of those involved.” 3 1/2 cats