Rating: 
Summary: Not Pleased
Review: I purchased the DVD based on reviews here. I love Bluegrass music, but this movie was terrible. It could have been made as a high scholl project. Consists mostly of interviews with 3 or 4 musicians, very little complete music. A good portion of the movie is Bill Monroe walking through an old house looking at nails in the wall, doors falling off the hinges and other such nonsense. I can't understand why it received such good reviews.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and informative
Review: Liking bluegrass is not necessarily a prerequisite, but if you do then you will thoroughly love this dvd. It's well shot & well paced with b&w background footage, interviews and concert snippets with bluegrass greats from the 1940's through to the 1990's. Watching this DVD i can see where the Coen-brothers "brother, where art thou" film must have been inspired, as there are at least a dozen scenes & stills which turn up in their film. The emphasis musically sticks to monroe's vision of bluegrass and asides from a few songs by the osborne brothers and the seldom scene (brilliant) in a 'rock' setting, it doesn't stray from that straight path so you won't find any fretboard whizzkid-flatpickers like clarence white, tony rice or jazzified bluegrass such as bela fleck but instead some of the purest bluegrass out there! As for the DVD, there's no fancy menu structure or audio selection just "start" and "scene selection", but there's really no need for that here, as the audio is great and the movie says it all anyways. If you like bluegrass, "brother where art thou" and/or "buena vista social club" then buy this dvd.
Rating:
Summary: BILL MONROE IS GOD
Review: Not only is Bill Monroe a bluegrass deity, he is a national treasure. The man has passed into the sweet by and by, but his music remains here with us...earthbound and gritty. Ralph Stanley, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and Mac Wiseman are featured prominently. Eat your heart out Garth and Shania! This is real country music.
Rating:
Summary: AN EXTRAORDINARILY PROFOUND MOVIE
Review: THIS FILM WILL TAKE YOU BACK IN TIME AND MAKE YOU WISH THAT YOU COULD LIVE THROUGH IT ALL. FULL OF INSIGHT AND TENDER REMINISCENCES. A PERFECT COMBINATION OF MUSIC AND DOCUMENTARY. IF YOU LIKE OR LOVE BLUEGRASS THEN YOU MUST HAVE THIS DVD (OR VHS).
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommendable
Review: This is a wonderful overview of Bluegrass. It gave me - as a beginner - an idea where, why and how Bluegrass originated and why it became so popular. One of the singers on the tape said something that is very true: Bluegrass is music that is appealing to many but those people cannot really say why they like it. That says everything. Buy the tape if you want to know more about Bluegrass and if you really appreciate that music. Hands off it if you do not like the music.
Rating:
Summary: a must if you love traditional bluegrass
Review: This superb documentary explores the origins and developments of traditional bluegrass, from the the early years of the 20th century through the 1970's. It features a heavy dose of Bill Monroe, with a lot of Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman & Ralph Stanley rolled in. A number of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys alumni are also featured -- String Bean, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs. I found myself fascinated by the commentary and singing along to most of the performances. There are a number of clips that standing alone would make this DVD worth the money -- Bill Monroe clogging while picking his mandolin at what looks like a county fair, Ralph Stanley singing "Man of Constant Sorrow" (Ralph Stanley singing a capella gospel never fails to give me goosebumps), and hippie "flower children" in San Francisco grooving to bluegrass in the early 1970's. There are also some great clips of other wonderful performers -- A young, unpolished Alison Krauss, a young overly-polished George Jones in his crewcut days, singing "White Lightning", a young Porter Waggoner. In addition, there is commentary by two rail-thin farmers, wearing overalls & fedoras & leaning on hoes in a field, talking about the backdrop against which bluegrass music gained and lost popularity, discussing the struggles of the depression and that crazy hip-swinging Elvis who had people "throwing their babies at him" and everything. This is such a great DVD -- I know that I'll watch this again and again, and share it with several of my friends and family (and I'm half tempted to run out & buy myself a banjo and spend the next few years trying to learn to play like Earl Scruggs.)
Rating:
Summary: a must if you love traditional bluegrass
Review: This superb documentary explores the origins and developments of traditional bluegrass, from the the early years of the 20th century through the 1970's. It features a heavy dose of Bill Monroe, with a lot of Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman & Ralph Stanley rolled in. A number of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys alumni are also featured -- String Bean, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs. I found myself fascinated by the commentary and singing along to most of the performances. There are a number of clips that standing alone would make this DVD worth the money -- Bill Monroe clogging while picking his mandolin at what looks like a county fair, Ralph Stanley singing "Man of Constant Sorrow" (Ralph Stanley singing a capella gospel never fails to give me goosebumps), and hippie "flower children" in San Francisco grooving to bluegrass in the early 1970's. There are also some great clips of other wonderful performers -- A young, unpolished Alison Krauss, a young overly-polished George Jones in his crewcut days, singing "White Lightning", a young Porter Waggoner. In addition, there is commentary by two rail-thin farmers, wearing overalls & fedoras & leaning on hoes in a field, talking about the backdrop against which bluegrass music gained and lost popularity, discussing the struggles of the depression and that crazy hip-swinging Elvis who had people "throwing their babies at him" and everything. This is such a great DVD -- I know that I'll watch this again and again, and share it with several of my friends and family (and I'm half tempted to run out & buy myself a banjo and spend the next few years trying to learn to play like Earl Scruggs.)
Rating:
Summary: Living History
Review: What an outstanding movie. If you like bluegrass music this movie will touch you very deeply. If you like American history but not the music this movie could still be of interest. Documenting the beginnings of bluegrass music. How it came about, how it progressed in the early days and interviews of those who pushed the envelope and created the sound of today. With interviews of everyday folks and artists along with concert clips of the legends of the music including Bill Monroe, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin, Ralph Stanely and many more mixed with an exceptional soundtrack of music by these legends this movie is an absolute tour-de-force of music documentaries, with soul! I first saw this movie when I was just beginning the "experience" that is bluegrass music and festivals and had been looking for it for a while. Now that I found it I have been swept away again. For the new listener this movie is very important in providing history that you did not see, the artists explaining their life and their view on the music. For the experienced listener, this movie absorbs you with music you love, concert clips from places you remember, and people that you have come to know. One (and only one) of the many special things about this music is the artists do not consider themselves above you and set themselves off. They perform for you, the eat with you, the pick with you in the night. One big loving community. This movie is a great introduction to this thing that we love! Buy it, watch it, FEEL IT!
Rating:
Summary: Living History
Review: What an outstanding movie. If you like bluegrass music this movie will touch you very deeply. If you like American history but not the music this movie could still be of interest. Documenting the beginnings of bluegrass music. How it came about, how it progressed in the early days and interviews of those who pushed the envelope and created the sound of today. With interviews of everyday folks and artists along with concert clips of the legends of the music including Bill Monroe, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin, Ralph Stanely and many more mixed with an exceptional soundtrack of music by these legends this movie is an absolute tour-de-force of music documentaries, with soul! I first saw this movie when I was just beginning the "experience" that is bluegrass music and festivals and had been looking for it for a while. Now that I found it I have been swept away again. For the new listener this movie is very important in providing history that you did not see, the artists explaining their life and their view on the music. For the experienced listener, this movie absorbs you with music you love, concert clips from places you remember, and people that you have come to know. One (and only one) of the many special things about this music is the artists do not consider themselves above you and set themselves off. They perform for you, the eat with you, the pick with you in the night. One big loving community. This movie is a great introduction to this thing that we love! Buy it, watch it, FEEL IT!
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Depiction of America's Country Music Roots
Review: Without doubt the single most positive example of our country music roots. Simply a must for students and lovers of country music. I'm certain you'll love it.
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