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NEIL YOUNG MOVIE Release dates


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Movie Review

"Heart of Gold": Letting Neil Young's music speak for itself

By Ted Fry

Special to The Seattle Times

If you're looking for a piece of entertainment that's a superlative showcase by and for one of popular music's most iconic figures, search no further than "Neil Young: Heart of Gold."

Director Jonathan Demme (whose précis of the Talking Heads in "Stop Making Sense" already stands as a milestone of music on film) has been meticulous in not describing this as a concert movie. Rather, it's a captured performance documented on two extraordinary nights last August at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium, original home of the Grand Ole Opry.

Before an audience of mostly invited guests, the shows were staged exclusively for the film as a loving and often moving celebration of Young's latest album, "Prairie Wind." Young had recently completed work on the album during a time an aneurysm was discovered and successfully treated in his brain.

"Neil Young: Heart of Gold," a documentary directed by Jonathan Demme. 103 minutes. Rated PG for some drug-related lyrics. Meridian. Out of all its simplicity, a pervasive feeling of grandeur permeates the movie. From the Western-themed costumes and simple scrim backdrops, this is as much about Americana and one of its greatest art forms as it is an excellent soundtrack from a living legend of rock 'n' roll.

The songs are presented without flash as the camera lingers long and unmoving, whether in close-up on Young's scruffy, worn presence or gazing in wide angle on a stage filled with musicians completely absorbed by their passion.

Simple blackouts separate the numbers, and you may find it difficult to keep from joining the audience applause. The first portion is devoted exclusively to "Prairie Wind," with its cowboy ethos and elegant melodies.

The second set is punctuated by some of Young's best-known gems such as "Heart of Gold," "I Am a Child," "Harvest Moon" (percussion accompaniment provided by an old broom brushed across the floor), "The Needle and the Damage Done" (sung solo in a lonely pool of light) and "Old Man," which Young introduces with a touching anecdote about its origin.

A full string section, the Memphis Horns, a gospel choir and a handful of backing singers who include Emmylou Harris and Young's wife, Pegi, come and go as complement to Young's backup band of close friends. The glances they all share speak volumes about the wistful intimacy of their musical lives.

For "Comes a Time," the stage proscenium is a lineup of the whole party, almost all holding a guitar in their hands. But the most important guitar is Neil's beat-up old acoustic, which he explains is making a return to the Ryman after having been on its stage many times before in the company of its original owner, Hank Williams. It's one of many emotional zingers that makes "Neil Young: Heart of Gold" such a terrifically crafted story with music imbued in its soul.

Ted Fry: tedfry@hotmail.com

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2002809917_neil17.html

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  • 3 weeks later...

DOn't know if there was another thread about this, but I checked this out last night at the Bytowne,,, Man. This is awesome stuff.

I enjoyed it from start to finish. I even got chills at one point (well, three times: in Comes a Time, when Emmylou goes way up high at the 'tall trees' line and everyone else sounds perfect beneath her).

It's playing tonight at 6, and Wednesday and Thursday at 9:15 in Ottawa. Don't miss this.

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