Down from the Mountain

Concert movie focussing on the `bluegrass' songs of the Coens film `O Brother Where Art Thou?' EmmyLou Harris and other perform in a feast of music that washes over you from start to finish. Sadly it doesn't include the main song that George Clooney lip-synched too. At the Edinburgh film festival, where the movie got its international premiere, legendary music documentary maker D.A. Pennebaker (Don't Look Back) explained that they had tried to get the guy to sing it about six times but he always sang different words; as a `definitive' version had already been released on the `O Brother' soundtrack, they decided, after talking to the Coens, that the number should be dropped from `Down from the Mountain.'

This is a concert film about musicians enjoying to make music. At last a concert film where a shot can be longer than 30 seconds. No special effects, dazling camera movements or superfast cutting here. But a crew of talented cameramen trying to capture the emotion of a concert by concentrating on the faces of the musicians. Take also notice of the incredible sound quality. The sound engineer took the risk of using only a few high quality microphones and let the musicians do most of the balancing. The clarity and transparency is remarkable.

It's almost impossible to describe the colourful quality of this film, not because it has or lacks special merit in the normal measures of cinema, nor should it be so evaluated, but because it comes out of nowhere to reach parts of you that you don't expect a movie to reach.

Co-incidentally, last June I drove to Charlottesville, VA to visit Monticello and see UVA. On that evening I stumbled into a performance of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at a local brewpub and had a very similar experience to that of the film. The music was just so good that it almost brought tears to my eyes. Like the firsthand joy of getting a glimpse into the souls of Welch and Rawlings, the footage of Down from the Mountain, especially the unpretentious commentary and dialogue between the performers, both onstage and behind the curtains, revealed their genuinely good nature. This greatly enhanced the earthy loveliness of some brilliant bluegrass.

I would love to have been at this stunning concert, but sadly was not. Having missed it, I can perhaps take some comfort in the film's additional insights and experience that the live audience did not have. The camera work backstage might not win an Oscar, but accomplished much in capturing some of the character of its subjects. This added dimensions of warmth and appreciation to their performances which would be difficult to imagine that the audience could have shared.

This is a film for music aficionados, not cinema buffs. Doubtless a film critic could find some artistic merit in the work, but it seems much safer to simply wholeheartedly recommend it as pure musical ecstasy.

As concert films go, "Down from the Mountain" is neither the most stunning nor the most creative. Other filmmakers, surely with more time to prepare and film, have captured musical performances with more flair. Nevertheless, "Down from the Mountain" is an exceptional film, a complete joy for those of us who loved "O Brother Where Art Thou?" and the "old-timey" music it showcased. Without exception, the artists participating in this Nashville concert last year are shown to be kind, good-natured, and incredibly talented. How unusual to see on film a group of artists, characters all of them, who have limitless talent, and yet are not shown to be arrogant or overpaid. Emmylou Harris, Chris Thomas King, and Ralph Stanley in particular shine like the stars they are.

I love O Brother, Where Art Thou?. I love the soundtrack. So when I saw in my local multiplex that a documentary had been made in my town about the music recorded in my town and the subsequent concert in my town, I knew I had to go. As far a filmmaking goes, the film leaves a lot to be desired. There is no structure, no clarity, etc. It lacks the elements that make a documentary a moving chronicle. It does have, however, great footage of great artists playing great music. I have never been a fan of country music, but I love the old timey sounds of bluegrass and mountain music. Ralph Stanley is awesome! If you can find this film (I think it's only playing in Nashville) see it. It's well worth the time just for the music.