Rainbow Bridge

I felt the need to give my opinion of this film, Rainbow Bridge, as a previous reviewer had left me cold with a rather incredulous review which I felt was a bit harsh, at times downright nasty in judging certain people ("She is obviously an uneducated moron"), shallow ("She is also buck-toothed and ugly") as well as egotistically presumptuous ("How did Hendrix fall in love with her?" which implies an ability to know what is right for other people more so that those people themselves)... This isn't me slamming some other reviewer; I'm simply attempting to provide an open-minded and fair counter balance… In my review you will find no attacks or judgments of other people (maybe criticisms of their attitudes, but nothing personal), or any naive presumptions of wisdom ("a obviously deluded earth-mother..." etc) So what kind of audience will Rainbow Bridge appeal to? Well, it will not be to everyone's taste, that's for sure. The most obvious audience are die-hard Hendrix fans and people who are into surfing films. But if you have an open mind and enjoy quirky 60's films, you might like this too (yeah yeah, I know it was filmed in 1970 and came out in '72, but lets not get pedantic about it ;-) In Rainbow Bridge, the validity of the psychedelic experience as a means of transcending normal human perception is debated. The pros and cons of such a method are discussed, and comparisons made between the effects of psychedelic substances and that of various meditation and yoga practices. The conclusion seems to be that psychedelics can be effective to a point, but are ultimately futile/counter-productive as a method in itself. However, this discussion, and that of extra-terrestrial life is, in my view, an interesting one and one which the late Terrence McKenna would delve into and elaborate on in years to come.

Rainbow Bridge is a product of its time, for sure, but that doesn't make it irrelevant or passé. On the contrary, the ideas expressed and the questions posed about the human condition are timeless, and seem to be re-emerging in relevance today. There is talk of higher life forms/extra-terrestrials/spiritually evolved beings (or whatever term appeals most to your particular frame of reference) that will no-doubt raise a few sneers from those among us who are convinced that we now have our collective finger on the pulse of reality, which is all cut & dry, and now that we know the world is not flat we need not keep our minds open any longer, and that "space people" is a possibility entertained only by a poor mindless/crazy/naïve/deluded few, and that anybody who openly questions these things is obviously in some brainwashed state (the irony!).

Actually, if one were to take an open-minded and entirely rational look at these questions, they may be surprised to find some logical basis for some of these ideas. Concepts that the layperson may find outlandish or even downright crazy, often have some basis in quantum physics, and there are many open-minded scientists out there who refuse to rule out any of this stuff.

But this is a review of a film, not a philosophical/scientific/spiritual debate, so lets move on! The final live footage of The Jimi Hendrix Experience (featuring Billy Cox on bass) is cool, but the sound is marred by strong wind (evident by the big sponges taped around the microphones!). As I say, it's cool, but not essential unless you simply have to have as much Hendrix footage in your collection as possible.

All in all it's a nice, unusual, quirky film featuring some cool footage of Hendrix casually hanging out, as well as performing live. Regarding the more "far-out" aspects of the film, I'll simply leave you with this thought, and let you make up your own mind: Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we CAN imagine.