Everybody's happy, everybody's free: Representation and nostalgia in the Woodstock film

Abstract

This chapter examines the significance of the Woodstock film as both a visual document of the Woodstock festival and focus on nostalgia concerning the event and the wider socio-cultural context of the hippie movement. It deals with the making of the film, its status as one of the first 'rockumentaries' and the film-makers' innovative use of the split-screen effect to convey particular representations of the Woodstock festival to the cinema audience. This will be followed by a consideration of the Woodstock film's role in constructing the myth of the rock community. The chapter also examines how audiences interpret Woodstock, and how the film evokes feelings of nostalgia typified through the harking back to a 'golden age' of youth culture. The notion of a counter-cultural community was a myth, maintained by the sheer belief of those involved that music could, in some way, represent their interests and, ultimately, change the world.