Rainbow Bridge

This is very much about the 60's and Jimi Hendrix and I just absolutely love this movie and its sense of humour ... Hat's off to Hartley as she makes her way to Hawaii for a private concert with Jimi Hendrix. Man, I wish I was from the 60's.

I felt the need to give my opinion of this film, Rainbow Bridge, as a previous reviewer had left me cold with a rather incredulous review which I felt was a bit harsh, at times downright nasty in judging certain people ("She is obviously an uneducated moron"), shallow ("She is also buck-toothed and ugly") as well as egotistically presumptuous ("How did Hendrix fall in love with her?" which implies an ability to know what is right for other people more so that those people themselves)... This isn't me slamming some other reviewer; I'm simply attempting to provide an open-minded and fair counter balance… In my review you will find no attacks or judgments of other people (maybe criticisms of their attitudes, but nothing personal), or any naive presumptions of wisdom ("a obviously deluded earth-mother..." etc) So what kind of audience will Rainbow Bridge appeal to? Well, it will not be to everyone's taste, that's for sure. The most obvious audience are die-hard Hendrix fans and people who are into surfing films. But if you have an open mind and enjoy quirky 60's films, you might like this too (yeah yeah, I know it was filmed in 1970 and came out in '72, but lets not get pedantic about it ;-) In Rainbow Bridge, the validity of the psychedelic experience as a means of transcending normal human perception is debated. The pros and cons of such a method are discussed, and comparisons made between the effects of psychedelic substances and that of various meditation and yoga practices. The conclusion seems to be that psychedelics can be effective to a point, but are ultimately futile/counter-productive as a method in itself. However, this discussion, and that of extra-terrestrial life is, in my view, an interesting one and one which the late Terrence McKenna would delve into and elaborate on in years to come.

Rainbow Bridge is a product of its time, for sure, but that doesn't make it irrelevant or passé. On the contrary, the ideas expressed and the questions posed about the human condition are timeless, and seem to be re-emerging in relevance today. There is talk of higher life forms/extra-terrestrials/spiritually evolved beings (or whatever term appeals most to your particular frame of reference) that will no-doubt raise a few sneers from those among us who are convinced that we now have our collective finger on the pulse of reality, which is all cut & dry, and now that we know the world is not flat we need not keep our minds open any longer, and that "space people" is a possibility entertained only by a poor mindless/crazy/naïve/deluded few, and that anybody who openly questions these things is obviously in some brainwashed state (the irony!).

Actually, if one were to take an open-minded and entirely rational look at these questions, they may be surprised to find some logical basis for some of these ideas. Concepts that the layperson may find outlandish or even downright crazy, often have some basis in quantum physics, and there are many open-minded scientists out there who refuse to rule out any of this stuff.

But this is a review of a film, not a philosophical/scientific/spiritual debate, so lets move on! The final live footage of The Jimi Hendrix Experience (featuring Billy Cox on bass) is cool, but the sound is marred by strong wind (evident by the big sponges taped around the microphones!). As I say, it's cool, but not essential unless you simply have to have as much Hendrix footage in your collection as possible.

All in all it's a nice, unusual, quirky film featuring some cool footage of Hendrix casually hanging out, as well as performing live. Regarding the more "far-out" aspects of the film, I'll simply leave you with this thought, and let you make up your own mind: Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we CAN imagine.

For anybody who came of age during the late 1960's/early 1970's,this film will probably be a feather in your cap. This film,shot mostly in a commune in Hawaii that seemed to be centered in various realms of spirituality was directed (?)by Chuck Wein, a former hanger on with Andy Warhol & the Factory clique (a few of which appear in this film). The film seems to be pure improvisation, as there is no screen writer mentioned in the credits,and the cast made up of various members of the commune. Don't try & make any kind of sense out of it (at least in the traditional way,anyway). The film seems to be very organic in it's presentation (shot in 16mm,which vies for it's kitchen sink,do it yourself look). The obvious highpoint of the film is the participation of Jimi Hendrix,who in addition to being filmed at a concert overlooking a volcano,also makes a non musical appearance,conversing with some of the various denizens of the commune. I suppose experiencing this film loaded to the nines on whatever psychedelic drugs one can get their hands on is a "must" for this film (but so were other films of this nature produced between 1967 to 1975). All I can say is, fish out those love beads that have been hiding in that back drawer for the last 30 plus years,turn on that black light,roll another number & drop this in your DVD/VHS player & get 'yer groove on.

Well....Do you love Jimmy, 60'S, and hippies? Then yes! Rent me!I joined a nudist vegetarian commune after watching this. I was born in the 70's and got robbed. I could not go see Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin...This gave me a spiritual taste of what the "movement" was really about. I also got to see the real Rainbow Bridge in Hawaii. I feel films like this are necessary to show the people younger than us what is was about also. I believe the Utopian like atmosphere that they were trying to create was ideal, however clouded by the overuse of the drugs. I often think to myself, besides Jimmy, are any of those people alive? They were into some heavy partying.

and/or the heart and the mind, a term, antahkarana, in Sanskrit or a yoga. This rather pretentious title for a "cosmic surfing film" features surfing by Mike Hynson, a surfer who's model with low rails resembles a thin Phil Edwards model(Endless Summer fame), and his Maui buddy Les Potts (hashish inside the surfboard) at small Maalea (highlighted by a Greenough inspired inside the tube looking out sequence), a red-hot David Nuuiwha (U.S. Champion) doing sideslips and smooth turns, B.K.(Sunset beach legend), Herbie Fletcher(the guy perpetually arching on the nose off the point at San Onofre), and others filmed upside down and backwards to resemble a drug experience. Surfing is used as a metaphor for "the spirit of 1969" or peak of the counter-culture or drug deluded "revolution" that a few of us experienced. The film explored sexuality, drugs, yoga, aliens from space, music, ecology, nutrition, astrology, and science during an extended "rap" discussion by an ensemble of acid laced hippies, a philosophic young follower of yoga, a obviously deluded earth-mother talking about our "space brothers", and an interesting scientist. Of course, the best rap is by a drunken Jimi Hendrix, which is printed on the inside sleeve of the out of print "Rainbow Bridge" album on Warner-Brothers. You can find it for about $25 on EBAY. The film features "Dolly Dagger" as she arrives in Los Angeles, hitchikes to San Diego airport, down the Pacific Coast Highway through Laguna and San Clemente, past Black's and Swami's, enroute to Hawaii. She has been sent to "inspect" the Rainbow Bridge Meditation Center on Maui to make sure no one is wasting money, which is a laugh. During this trip the film mixes sound and scenery to pull off visual metaphors. For example, you hear a 747 airplane as a seagull takes off from the beach, a dog barking as a drill instructor marches recruits, et. al. Once on Maui, Dolly Dagger gets high, and pops around talking drivel with the other hippies. She is obviously an uneducated moron, and was a famous groupy. If you read a few of the books on Jimi Hendrix, one of them documents in her in detail. She is most famous for her ability to score drugs and sucking the blood from the finger of Mick Jagger. She is also buck-toothed and ugly. How did Hendrix fall in love with her? Anyways, the film climaxes with an outdoor concert by Jimi Hendrix. This is Hendrix at his best, near the end of his days, as Mitch Mitchell slams at the drums along with the lackluster bass of Billy Cox. Despite the absence of Noel Redding; this is the best footage of Hendrix in concert you will ever see. If you are a Hendrix fan, I suggest you fast-forward to the concert. If you want to see the surfing, there isn't much. The film needs to cut everything but the surfing and the concert. The soundtrack album on Warner Brother is worth buying, too.