Though documentary contains invaluable scenes of Janis Joplin relaxing and jamming, the film is mostly a concert movie with the occasional testimony from who was there.
Comment
08/05/04
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Festival Express (2004)
96
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Reviews Counted:74
Fresh:71
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.6/10
Consensus: Festival Express is a spellbinding documentary that nostalgically chronicles five days in the summer of 1970, when a train full of now- legendary rock perfomers jammed its way across Canada.
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Reviews for Festival Express
A delirious piece of pop ephemera, a time capsule set on the cusp between the Summer of Love and the Day the Music Died.
09/03/04
The road doc format's nothing new, but it preserves such a brief, precious moment in rock history that it'll have fans captivated.
09/04/04
With the exception of some minor glitches in the sound synchronization and a nighttime performance of The Band's 'The Weight' that is uncharacteristically grainy, the film looks and sounds great.
08/26/04
Captures not only top-notch stage performances by some long-gone supertalents in their prime, but happy jamming and general good fun in the club cars between gigs.
07/30/04
Filled with some classic rock coments, this fascinating social document should appeal to everyone.
09/03/04
It sheds new light on psychedelic rock and shows viewers heretofore unseen, career-defining performances by some legends.
07/23/04
From the moment Joplin announces her arrival in the film she holds you rapt under her spell.
09/23/04
What's most revealing and human about Festival Express are its candid looks at artists bonding aboard the choo-choo.
09/03/04
Top CriticClimb aboard this train, it's an entertaining ride... Some of these musicians may be gone, but they won't be forgotten as long as footage like this exists.
09/03/04
Made with style.
09/02/04
Click to read the article
08/19/04
Festival Express seems to step directly out its period and is guaranteed to thrill both survivors of those times and younger viewers who may know little of them.
07/29/04
Top CriticFull of bright colors, offbeat people, tuneful sounds.
07/29/04
The music was fabulous--a reason enough to cherish this first-rate documentary.
11/17/04
This is the filmed fun of musicians enjoying what they do.
06/21/04
A remarkable cultural document that captures the circus-like atmosphere and the raw and immediate quality of the performances.
09/23/04
The result is satisfying, anchored by wonderful performances, including an aching rendition of Bob Dylan's 'I Shall Be Released' with Manuel singing and Guy's smoking-hot version of 'Money.'
08/27/04
Here's a chance to listen to the soundtrack for the social upheaval of the late '60s and early '70s.
09/03/04
Top CriticAlthough their on-board antics are mighty entertaining, it's the extraordinary performances -- including Joplin's historic, heart-rending 'Cry Baby' -- that lift this movie into the cannon of classic festival films.
07/30/04
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