Down from the Mountain

This is a film for music lovers. Here we have some of the most talented performers of folk/bluegrass/blues in America today doing some of the most enduring songs ever written. It is the music that is the star, not the performers or the filmmakers. In fact, I think the filmmakers knew that and deliberately played down the cinematic tricks. What you see (and hear) is what you get. The introductory documentary is more a mosaic than a story. It sets the mood of the entire movie, showing the performers as ordinary folk who might as well be gathering for a neighborhood picnic. The performances are all excellent. Standouts include Ralph Stanley, John Hartford and Alison Krauss. If you have even a passing interest in American Roots music this is a film not to be missed.

Concert movie focussing on the `bluegrass' songs of the Coens film `O Brother Where Art Thou?' EmmyLou Harris and other perform in a feast of music that washes over you from start to finish. Sadly it doesn't include the main song that George Clooney lip-synched too. At the Edinburgh film festival, where the movie got its international premiere, legendary music documentary maker D.A. Pennebaker (Don't Look Back) explained that they had tried to get the guy to sing it about six times but he always sang different words; as a `definitive' version had already been released on the `O Brother' soundtrack, they decided, after talking to the Coens, that the number should be dropped from `Down from the Mountain.'

For what it is this is pretty good. It has musicians playing and audience enjoying with no film-trickery or SFX. I was a bit disappointed that the song "I'll Fly Away" wasn't shown complete but as a track over the credits.

The documentary section could have been way better, perhaps with more history of the songs and musicians for them folks of us who don't know nobetter! The bits about how they learned to sing and play were very interesting and more would have been appreciated.

However, as a record of some fine, ole time music it hits the spot nicely.

It's almost impossible to describe the colourful quality of this film, not because it has or lacks special merit in the normal measures of cinema, nor should it be so evaluated, but because it comes out of nowhere to reach parts of you that you don't expect a movie to reach.

Co-incidentally, last June I drove to Charlottesville, VA to visit Monticello and see UVA. On that evening I stumbled into a performance of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at a local brewpub and had a very similar experience to that of the film. The music was just so good that it almost brought tears to my eyes. Like the firsthand joy of getting a glimpse into the souls of Welch and Rawlings, the footage of Down from the Mountain, especially the unpretentious commentary and dialogue between the performers, both onstage and behind the curtains, revealed their genuinely good nature. This greatly enhanced the earthy loveliness of some brilliant bluegrass.

I would love to have been at this stunning concert, but sadly was not. Having missed it, I can perhaps take some comfort in the film's additional insights and experience that the live audience did not have. The camera work backstage might not win an Oscar, but accomplished much in capturing some of the character of its subjects. This added dimensions of warmth and appreciation to their performances which would be difficult to imagine that the audience could have shared.

This is a film for music aficionados, not cinema buffs. Doubtless a film critic could find some artistic merit in the work, but it seems much safer to simply wholeheartedly recommend it as pure musical ecstasy.

I love O Brother, Where Art Thou?. I love the soundtrack. So when I saw in my local multiplex that a documentary had been made in my town about the music recorded in my town and the subsequent concert in my town, I knew I had to go. As far a filmmaking goes, the film leaves a lot to be desired. There is no structure, no clarity, etc. It lacks the elements that make a documentary a moving chronicle. It does have, however, great footage of great artists playing great music. I have never been a fan of country music, but I love the old timey sounds of bluegrass and mountain music. Ralph Stanley is awesome! If you can find this film (I think it's only playing in Nashville) see it. It's well worth the time just for the music.