Festival Express Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)April 7th, 2004
FESTIVAL EXPRESS
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
A real-life magical mystery tour and a forgotten railroad version of Woodstock, Bob Smeaton's FESTIVAL EXPRESS is a real rush. A documentary of rarely seen footage of a 1970 train tour through Canada with some of the great rock 'n roll groups of that era, the movie respectfully and joyously lets all of the musical numbers play in their entirety -- without any of the MTV-style of chopped up editing and fast cuts. Instead, the audience gets to kick back and relax while reliving some great songs from performers ranging from Jerry Garcia to Janis Joplin. The groups jam together as the train tours through Canada, and, in the larger cities, everyone gets off to give big concerts. The movie's bizarre subplot has a band of anarchistic kids demanding, in violent protests in which it is the cops ("pigs") who are injured, that the concerts -- as well as food and drugs -- be provided for free. The band members, who make their living with their music, think these kids are nuts. You, however, won't be complaining at all for the opportunity to buy a ticket to this movie, as you'll be having almost as much fun listening to the music as the bands did producing it.
FESTIVAL EXPRESS runs 1:30. It is not rated but might be PG-13 for alcohol usage and brief language and would be acceptable for kids around 11 and up.
It opens nationwide in the United States in July 2004. It will be playing as part of the 47th annual San Francisco International Film Festival (<http://www.sfiff.org>), which runs April 15-29, 2004.
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