Monterey Pop (1968)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

D.A. Pennebaker

Release Date:

2 June 1969 (Sweden)

Genre:

Documentary | History | Music

Tagline:

Filmed At The Monterey International Pop Festival by D.A. Pennebaker

Plot:

A film about the greatest pre-Woodstock rock music festival.

Plot Keywords:

Audience | Rock Music | Monterey Pop Festival | Performance | Summer Of Love

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Scott McKenzie	...	Performer
Denny Doherty	...	Performers (as Mamas and the Papas)
'Mama' Cass Elliot	...	Performers (as Mamas and the Papas)
John Phillips	...	Performers (as Mamas and the Papas)
Michelle Phillips	...	Performers (as Mamas and the Papas)
Frank Cook	...	Performers (as Canned Heat)
Bob Hite	...	Performers (as Canned Heat)
Henry Vestine	...	Performers (as Canned Heat)
Alan Wilson	...	Performers (as Canned Heat)
Art Garfunkel	...	Performers (as Simon and Garfunkel)
Paul Simon	...	Performers (as Simon and Garfunkel)
Hugh Masekela	...	Performer
Marty Balin	...	Performers (as Jefferson Airplane)
Jack Casady	...	Performers (as Jefferson Airplane)
Spencer Dryden	...	Performers (as Jefferson Airplane)
Paul Kantner	...	Performers (as Jefferson Airplane)
Jorma Kaukonen	...	Performers (as Jefferson Airplane)
Grace Slick	...	Performer, with Jefferson Airplane
Peter Albin	...	Performers (as Big Brother and The Holding Company)
Sam Andrew	...	Performers (as Big Brother and The Holding Company)
Dave Getz	...	Performers (as Big Brother and The Holding Company)
James Gurley	...	Performers (as Big Brother and The Holding Company)
Larry Taylor	...	Performers
Janis Joplin	...	Performer
Eric Burdon	...	Performers (as Eric Burdon and The Animals)
Vic Briggs	...	Performers (as Eric Burdon and The Animals)
Barry Jenkins	...	Performers (as Eric Burdon and The Animals)
Danny McCulloch	...	Performers (as Eric Burdon and The Animals)
John Weider	...	Performers (as Eric Burdon and The Animals)
Roger Daltrey	...	Performers (as The Who)
John Entwistle	...	Performers (as The Who)
Keith Moon	...	Performers (as The Who)
Pete Townshend	...	Performers (as The Who)
Bruce Barthol	...	Performers (as Country Joe and The Fish)
David Cohen	...	Performers (as Country Joe and The Fish)
Chicken Hirsh	...	Performers (as Country Joe and The Fish)
Country Joe McDonald	...	Performers (as Country Joe and The Fish)
Barry Melton	...	Performers (as Country Joe and The Fish)
Otis Redding	...	Performer
Jimi Hendrix	...	Performer
Ravi Shankar	...	Performer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
The Animals	...	Themselves
Big Brother and the Holding Company	...	Themselves
Canned Heat	...	Themselves
Country Joe and the Fish	...	Themselves
Jefferson Airplane	...	Themselves
The Mamas and the Papas	...	Themselves
The Who	...	Themselves
Booker T. & the M.G.s	...	Themselves (uncredited)
Steve Cropper	...	Himself - Booker T. & the MG's (uncredited)
Micky Dolenz	...	Audience Member (uncredited)
Donald Dunn	...	Himself - Booker T. & the MG's (uncredited)
Al Jackson Jr.	...	Himself - Booker T. & the MG's (uncredited)
Booker T. Jones	...	Himself - Booker T. & the MG's (uncredited)
Brian Jones	...	Himself (uncredited)
Mitch Mitchell	...	Performer, with Jimi Hendrix (uncredited)
Noel Redding	...	Performer, with Jimi Hendrix (uncredited)

Directed by
D.A. Pennebaker

Produced by
Lou Adler	....	producer
John Phillips	....	producer

Cinematography by
Nick Doob		(as James Desmond)
Barry Feinstein
Richard Leacock
Albert Maysles
Roger Murphy
D.A. Pennebaker

Film Editing by
Nina Schulman

Camera and Electrical Department
John Maddox	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Mary Lampson	....	assistant editor

Production Companies

• The Foundation

Distributors

• Leacock-Pennebaker (1968) (USA) (theatrical) (as Leakock Pennebaker Inc.)
• Criterion Collection, The (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Video Beat (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Video Beat (????) (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Monterey, California, USA

Company:

The Foundation

Trivia:

Legend has it Laura Nyro was booed off the stage at Monterey. This was widely reported in rock publications (such as Rolling Stone) at the time and mentioned in several of Nyro's obituaries after her death in 1997. Footage of her performance (unreleased until the DVD box set) shows otherwise - she receives a warm round of applause from the audience. D.A. Pennebaker believes Nyro imagined the negative reaction, and may have even helped spread the rumor herself.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: In the opening credits, a hand-drawn title says "IN ORDER OF PEFORMANCE", misspelling the word "PERFORMANCE".

Movie Connections:

Featured in No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005)

So many gone too young

There was a time in 1969 when a friend and I went to see Monterey Pop every Friday night at the Kips Bay Cinema in NYC just to hear Janis sing Ball and Chain and Otis sing I've been Lovin You Too Long. Then we'd go to dinner and maybe another movie, but it set up our entire weekend.

Now, I think about how many of the performers were gone too soon, too young -- Janis, Jimi, Otis, Mama Cass... How amazing to have them all there in this one glorious celebration of music and the innocence (yes) of the 60's.

Maybe it's not the best "film-making" but it's a treasure to be appreciated as the years go by. Would love to see a DVD release with any additional available footage. Enjoy and remember, (or discover)