Monday, August 3, 2009

Screening of Woodstock at the Avon- 3 Days of Peace and Music on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 6:00PM

We hope to spread "love and peace" throughout Bedford Street on the night of August 13.

The Avon is proud to announce a special screening of Woodstock - 3 Days of Peace and Music on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 6:00PM. Music, food and drinks will be offered prior to the screening.

Come dressed in your favorite 1969 "lovefest" outfit!


Reserve your tickets at Avon Theatre Film Center, lgreene@avontheatre.org 203-550-2697 cell or 203-661-0321 Greenwich Office

Spread the word among Stamford Downtown ...we want you all to share in this once-in-a-lifetime event! This event will be LOTS OF FUN, and we hope to spread "love and peace" throughout Bedford Street on the night of August 13.
Documentary Night at the Avon
presents
Woodstock
3 Days of Peace and Music


The Avon Theatre is proud to present the documentary, Woodstock – 3 Days of Peace and Music, about the historic 1969 three-day music festival that was the pivotal event of the 1960s peace movement. This landmark concert film will be shown on August 13, 2009 at 6:00pm in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the festival. Music, food and drinks will be offered prior to the screening. The Avon will be showing the 40th Anniversary Director’s Cut that adds over 40 minutes to the film and includes performances by Canned Heat, Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin that were omitted from the original release. Jimi Hendrix’s set at the end of the film was also extended with two additional numbers. Performances also include Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Who, Joe Cocker and the Grease Band, Arlo Guthrie, Ten Years After, Joan Baez, Sly and the Family Stone, Santana and many more. Some of the crowd scenes, reported to have been half a million strong, in the original film are replaced by previously unseen footage.

The film is the definitive record of a milestone in rock & roll history. It’s more than a chronicle of the hippie movement. Woodstock – 3 Days of Peace and Music is a film of genuine historical and social importance, capturing the spirit of America in transition, when the Vietnam War was at its peak and antiwar protest was fully expressed through the liberating music of this time. Come celebrate the spirit of Woodstock. Patrons are encouraged to dress as if they were attending the original lovefest. Love beads, tie-dyed shirts, bell-bottom jeans, hip huggers, bead bands and sandals are just some of the attire that was popular at Woodstock. Run time is 228 minutes.

Tickets are: Non-Members: $15; Avon Members: $10; and Avon Carte Blanche members: free. To purchase tickets, please call the Avon Greenwich Office at 203-661-0321.

In April 1969 Michael Wadleigh, the film’s director, undertook the monumental task of documenting the rock music festival in Bethel, New York from August 15-18. He arrived in Bethel, New York with over a thousand reels of film and a crew of several camera operators. The concert was originally scheduled to take place in the 300-acre Mills Industrial Park in northeast Middletown, New York. Woodstock Ventures had leased the area for $100,000 in the Spring of 1969. Town officials were assured that no more than 50,000 people would attend. On July 15, 1969, the concert was officially banned on the basis that the planned portable toilets would not meet town codes. Following the ban, Elliot Tiber, who owned a local motel offered to host the event on his 15 acres. When it was clear that the site was too small, Tiber introduced the promoters to Max Yasgur, a dairy farmer. On July 20, 1969, Yasgur met with the organizers and agreed to rent 600 acres for $75,000. Yasgur’s land formed a natural bowl sloping down to Filippini Pond on the lands north side. The stage would be set at the bottom of the hill with the pond forming a backdrop. The name Woodstock is synonymous with the festival because of its original planned location.

Michael Wadleigh’s finished product was rumored to have consisted of about 120 miles of footage or over 300 hours of footage to create his original 225 minute director’s cut. Warner Brothers released the film on March 26, 1970. The film, which cost around $600,000 to produce, earned over $50 million in the United States and millions more from foreign rentals. Woodstock stands as a milestone in the documentary film field, receiving an Academy Award® for Best Documentary at the 1971 ceremony. Although the film was directed by Michael Wadleigh, it was edited by Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker, along with several other editors. Schoonmaker was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Film Editing. Woodstock also received an Academy Award® nominations for Best Sound. The film was screened at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival, but wasn’t entered into the main competition.

In 1996, Woodstock was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in the United States National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” Today a plaque has been placed at the original site in commemoration the festival. The field and stage area remain preserved in their rural setting. On the field are the remnants of a neon flower and bass from the original concert. In the middle of the field, there is a totem pole with wood carvings of Jimi Hendrix in the middle, Janis Joplin on Top, and Jerry Garcia on the bottom. A concert hall has been built on the hill, and fields of the old Yasgur farm are still vistied by people of all generations.

The Avon Theatre is a non-profit member-supported first run art house showcasing the best in independent, foreign, classic, documentary, and cult classic films. The Avon is a Bedford Street Landmark restored to its 1939 vintage appearance and just celebrated its 70th anniversary. For further information, call 203-661-0321 or lgreene@avontheatre.org.


Further information for a Calendar Listing:
AVON THEATRE FILM CENTER, 272 Bedford Street, Stamford, CT 06901
Box Office: 203-967-3660

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2009 @ 6:000PM
Woodstock – 3 Days of Peace and Music, the Director’s Cut, 40th Anniversary Edition. Academy Award® Winner for Best Documentary for 1970. Run time 228 min.

Woodstock chronicles the original music festival in 1969 at Yasgur’s Farm in upstate NY. Performances include The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Santana and many more. Music, food and drinks prior to the screening.

Tickets: Avon Carte Blanche Members-FREE; Avon Members - $10, Non-Members - $15. For further information, call 203-661-0321 or email lgreene@avontheatre.org

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