The Grateful Dead Movie

I saw the Grateful Dead twice in my life, so I'm not a true Deadhead by Deadhead standards (ie: I didn't follow them around the USA) although I fell in love with "Morning Dew" at 15 years of age (I'm now 53) and listened to "Live In Europe" endlessly in my college years. The first time I saw them was in 1969 in a free concert and then several years later in a paid concert. This DVD represents in my mind, the free concert years. The free concert was totally free in mind and body. It lasted over four hours. Little children and mama's were on stage along with the musicians. The atmosphere was extremely laid back. I have attempted to describe the experience to friends and youth who never experienced a free concert of that magnitude. Thankfully, "The Movie" came along. Now I can only direct those who are inquisitive enough and wise enough to understand the ramifications of such a period in time to this DVD. One more comment: Garcia was an artist in more than musical terms as illustrated by his graphical and fine art and film sense of the movie. He produced this masterpiece. Enough said. You decide for yourself after viewing. One thing that I will state is this: You will never see anything similar in your entire lifetime. This is a totally unique experience of awesome creative magnitude. -Big Wave Dave

Thanks to this film, we can pretend we are a curious "eye" at a Dead gig in 1974. We are free to reflect on many different types of concert goers, without other people's comments or moral judges. Here are common teens and youngsters, healthy, curious, seekers, and cracked. Of course, we'll also meet some hippies, a member of Hells Angels, policemen and sausage selling guys. All this alongside the bass show of Phil Lesh and the fragile voice and glittering guitar sounds of Jerry Garcia.

Of course, much of the repertoire is standards without any deeper meaning. With Dead, it's under the improvised parts that we'll experience something bigger, something that no other rock band I know of has been close to. To illustrate this, the "eye" chooses to enjoy free dance, a visual description of Dead's greatness. The rhythm section with Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann (drums) and Bob Weir (rhythm guitar) should be enough. But on top of that, Garcia's lead guitar takes us away from everyday life on trips that doesn't feel repetitive.

44 years afterwards, the music still inspires. Sadly, the time atmosphere can't be regained in real life - we are committed to the future. However, like the song "Eyes of the World", we can still look back at the seventies, at a time that sure was no utopia but a time where people still were searching for something new and original.

Wow, what a movie. Not only is it filled with great music but it also is a great time capsule of the late '70s Dead scene. It's a movie that non-Dead fans will enjoy because it's truly a movie that brings you to another place and time but it never feels dated in it's presentation. A timeless classic. (Just for the record, I saw this movie in the theater. It was a midnight movie screening somewhere on Long Island, NY. I was in high school at the time. I'm guessing 1980.)

They were the ONLY ones who did what they did.

I think for people that don't know anything about The Grateful Dead (or but think they do, but their entire knowledge of the band consists of the songs they've heard on Classic Rock Radio, and that stoner kid in one of their classes) the hardest thing for them to grasp as they're watching this movie is that it Actually Happened.

This is not Fiction, and it ain't CGI. All of those speakers are not Props. None of those people are Extras.

The best part is - none of it was Planned. NOBODY in the Organization ever would have thought in 1965 that someday they would be as big as they were in 1974. At the time this movie was filmed, they (the Organization) were wildly out of control, and were needing to just STOP.

These concerts were the last ones before the band took a badly needed year and a half hiatus from touring. When they came back to the road in 1976, they assumed the form they would pretty much take until 1995. Up to October, 1974 - they were in a continual state of flux. This film documents one of their peaks, even it it is on the down-side of it.

What people who still believe in Corporate Media (older-type folks) and MTV (kids - most of whom believe the world MTV portrays is real) will never understand is that The Grateful Dead were so much bigger than all of that.

Forget 'Casey Jones' (although the version on this film is Smokin') and 'Touch of Grey'. If you want a peak into the most important social phenomenon of the Twentieth Century - this is a good place to start.

I've tailored this review towards people who don't know anything about the Dead, because those that do have already seen this film. I've watched this movie at least two hundred times since 1990. It hasn't bored me yet. It's a different film each time I watch it - much like the concerts I went to.

Last advice - if you don't have a good sound system, don't bother. Wait until you can watch the movie at your buddy's house with the killer system. Watching this movie with the sound coming out of a TV set speaker is like having sex without a partner.

TURN IT ON, TURN IT UP - and most importantly - RELAX! The worst thing that can happen to you is that two hours and twenty minutes after you push Play is that you'll like the Grateful Dead! (Imagine what your friends will think!) PEACE!

I am and was a big fan of the dead but too young to have been a fan when this film was made. The film chronicles the 1974 4 night stint at the historic winterland in san francisco. at the time there were some that did not know whether or not the band would tour again. of course they did decide to hit the road again and the rest is history.

the movie shows the essence of the grateful dead experience from the fans to the crew to the band. it is a trip to look in on the scene as it truly was in 1974. i could think of no better way to show future generations what the early 70's rock scene and particularly the dead scence was like. the band footage is pretty good and is mixed in with great shots of the fans. additionally you get a look at the "wall of sound" which was the set up the band employed during the 1974 tour. donna jean describes the film as the good, the bad and the ugly of the dead experience. i think that is accurate.

the rest of the features on the DVD are great. the extra songs are awesome although they completely lack any flow. they could have formatted them in the same order as they were done. instead they are very random. the interviews are great and lend some light on the tremendous amount of work that has to go into bringing the extra material to the public.

if you like the dead and have been to a show (or 2 or 20) this is a must see. if you are younger and just want to see what all the fuss was about you should also get the movie.