Rating: 
Summary: A great balance to the U.S.'s Woodstock...
Review: In many ways, the Isle of Wight festivals (there were two of them) are parallels to 1969's Woodstock. Both featured high-powered rock acts. Both feature some stunning performances. And both show the ugly side of the Love Generation, Woodstock Nation, or whatever you want to call those of us who came of age in the late '60s/early '70s. Unlike Woodstock, where the promoters just gave up and went with the free the music concept due to overwhelming crowds, the Isle of Wight gang tried to keep a rein on things and caused tensions to escalate. In many ways, the ugliness that rears its head at the Isle of Wight might better be compared to the violence at Altamont. The vintage footage is entertaining (did we REALLY look that silly and talk like that?), and, as mentioned before, the music is great. Especially great are the performances by Free, the Who, and the Doors, and while Woodstock introduced us to Santana and Ten Years After, Message to Love introduces us to the Moody Blues, who were making their first public performance. The movie flows well and crowd scenes are nicely spliced with performances. Unlike Woodstock, there's no double, triple or quadruple on-screen images. Someday (if it's not already being done somewhere), some perceptive social history professor is going to teach a class on the Sixties and use Woodstock, Message to Love, Gimme Shelter and maybe something like Easy Rider as teaching tools for what our generation stood for. While they might be a bit off track, it won't be by much... Message to Love is a good movie. I owned it on VHS and now have it on DVD. As a p.s., if you liked this movie, especially the Who's performance, their entire performance is available on a two-CD set, and the soundtrack to this movie is also available on a two-CD set. Very good, overall. Not great, but very good.
Rating: 
Summary: Wight '70 to Woodstock '99 - what a vicious circle we weave
Review: Irony, I don't think so...Woodstock '99 ended yesterday and I sit here now watching a concert that I've only heard about for almost 30 years... How appropriate to close with Dylan's "Desolation Row." Almost as ironic as the Chili Peppers playing Hendrix's "Fire" while the riot was just sparking. What's happening to us? Were those of us who watched on pay-per-view any less guilty than those who crashed the gates at Wight?? Did we want something for nothing? Oh we'll pay for it alright ...when we get our Mastercard bills next month. Can you believe that Woodstock '99 Mastercards will be sold as collector's items on the internet 30 years from now?? Maybe Joni Mitchell had it right in the movie, we've paved over paradise and put up a (paid) parking lot ... right on top of Max Yasgur's farm. We are stardust we are Gold cards, we have got to get ourselves back to the Olive Garden.
Rating:
Summary: When the music's over...
Review: It is such a shame that such a huge and important milestone in the history of early 1970's rock involving so many big names,was pressed into such a blend of a tasteless low points.the mistery gets even bigger along with the surprising discovery about director Murray lerner who's keeping 175hr of rare and priceless footage from this great event in his california suite safe...wonder how many more years will it take till all that artists legal rights jumble that prevented the release of that film until 1995 will be solved out and all this pricless material will finally be released,simply for the pure pleasure of millions of fans all around the world.all and all you'll find plenty of nostalgy here plus lots of longings for that relatively innocence era.the colorful sights and sounds of the 600,000 stoned hippies attended on the small island which lies only a few miles away off the south coast of England for the 5 days wild stoned celebration of the "British woodstock" are truly amazing.add to that the interesting,and somehow amusing interviews held by lerner with the flower children,and you'll get a pretty decent and fascinating picture of the hippies culture,style and way of life back in 1970,a naive view which said it's all there for the take.the "only thing" that is really missing here is the..........music,no less.lerner and his crew seems to forget what at least 70-80% of it should be all about: *Music*. there is simply not enough music here,and the best parts were brutaly cut out and heavily edited.on the other hand,lerner was strangely enough concentrating way too much in the never ending disputes
and conflicts between the long haired L.S.D struck hippies which refused paying the 3 pounds!!! admission,and between the festival promoters and their helpless security stuff.what a waste.
the fence saga about the long double steel fences that surrounded the festival grounds in order to keep gate crashers away,fences that intitled the festival as a "psychedelic concentration camp" by one of the festival goers took quiet largely a main role at the film.the music unfortunately,was pushed aside.Donovan has been shown here for 20 seconds only.....What a waste Indeed...
the good news however(even though heavily edited)are Jimi hendrix in an
absolutely blazing performance,perhaps his best gig ever,only 18 days before his untimely death,the Doors gives the shivers with the outstanding melodramatic
"The end",and "When the music's over",Jethro tull performing "My sunday feeling",a stunning classic powerful piece from their early days,Ten years after hits a real powerful number-"Can't keep from crying + the hypnotic "Extension on one chord",
a showcase of one of the world's greatest guitarists ever-Alvin lee,
Free hits the stage with their all time greatest "All right now",The Who wild as always let it all hang out strongly with the 60's-70's young generation chant "Young man blues" and the heavenly "Naked eye",Taste with legendary Rory gallagher get it on with the wild "Sinner boy",Emerson Lake & Palmer almost crash the stage as Keith emerson rides twist and turn his poor organ all over the place,great stuff by ELP,getting real wild with the "Blue rondo a la turk" and "Pictures at an exhibition" plus a smashing drums solo by Carl palmer,and finally the Family,introducing Roger chapman in a hysteric trance on the "Weaver's answer",a real powerful piece by one of the 60's greatest progressive rock bands.
the bottom line in this kind of documantaries as always remains the same:this is all history now,and the beauty as always is in the eyes of the beholder.
a great nostalgy bomb is the exact definition for this film.
go and get it,for the good old days.great notalgy from a disappearing world.peace man...
Rating:
Summary: bueno pero...
Review: la filamción de la bbc es impecable.Pero hay demasiados peros:
se respira un mal ambiente en el festival con el tema de las entradas y la gente que no quiere pagar.Las actuaciones son cortas y muchas no duran ni 30 segundos.
de todas formas hay que destacar a :the doors(the end),joni mitchel(woodstock),the who(naked eye),joan baez(let it be).
en resumen esta mejor woodstock
Rating:
Summary: "Whoever knocks down the fence gets a free ball!"
Review: Most of the performances are good, although a little too brief (and some songs are probably edited), which is why I had to dock this review one star. This is more of a documentary of the event than anything else. You'll see the promoters and the crowd get almost as much time on the camera as the performers. The Isle of Wight wasn't exactly Britain's answer to Woodstock (Altamont ended the Woodstock spirit and this is Hippydom's last true hurrah), but still a great festival.
This has poignant moments, like Jimi Hendrix' final performance featuring "Message to Love," "Machine Gun" and "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)," one of the Doors' final performances (Jim Morrison looks sad and out of it) featuring "When the Music's Over" and "The End" and Joni Mitchell bursting out in tears after one rambunctious hippie interrupts her set while playing "Woodstock" (he's lucky he didn't try interrupting the Who's set!). She carries on singing "Big Yellow Taxi." After instances like Altamont, the promoters add security like a metal fence dividing the young teens and adults (some English, some American) who've paid admission and those who haven't and police dogs. So, naturally, there's plenty of arguments between the promoters and the music fans. Due to the war between them, Kris Kristoferson is unduly booed onstage. Folks are too busy trying to get in to listen to the original "Me and Bobbie McGee." Joan Baez, after her performance of "Let It Be" is interviewed. She's honest and says "This is my job, so naturally, I expect to be paid." A humorous moment is Tiny Tim singing via megaphone "There'll Always Be An England." A sad moment is when one hippie says he's given his young son LSD (nowadays, a social worker would probably take the son away from him). It's amusing to see a young thin Ian Anderson perform with Jethro Tull ("Whoever said we wouldn't perform tonight is full of...") on "My Sunday Feeeling" and a young thin Paul Rogers perform "All Right Now" with Free. This is also Emerson, Lake and Palmer's debut performance (each of them celebrates in full flamboyance by Emerson nearly destroying his organ, Lake setting off a cannon and Palmer removing his shirt while performing "Pictures at an Exhibition/Blue Rondo a la Turk"). It's also one of the Moody Blues' 1st performances live. Fortunately for the freeloaders (nowadays one would find it extraordinary that they would spend a lot of money on crossing the boat to the Isle and not schill out 3 English pounds), the fence is taken down and all hold hands in peace, while a guitar plays "Amazing Grace." You really sympathize with Rikki (one of the emcees), as he bears his heart with the audience that he and the other promoters will have lots of fees to pay for this decision. As the festival comes to end, Rikki later sums it all up when he says "This is the last great event." One of the carpenters looks a little like Jerry Garcia!
An edition with more complete performances would be great in the future. In the meantime, this will have to do. By the way, this is a 2 sided disk (at least my copy is) and if it ends with Joni Mitchell singing "Big Yellow Taxi," turn the disk over and you'll get Miles Davis and the rest of the program.
Rating:
Summary: "Whoever knocks down the fence gets a free ball!"
Review: Most of the performances are good, although a little too brief (and some songs are probably edited), which is why I had to dock this review one star. This is more of a documentary of the event than anything else. You'll see the promoters and the crowd get almost as much time on the camera as the performers. The Isle of Wight wasn't exactly Britain's answer to Woodstock (Altamont ended the Woodstock spirit and this is Hippydom's last true hurrah), but still a great festival. This has poignant moments, like Jimi Hendrix' final performance featuring "Message to Love," "Machine Gun" and "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)," one of the Doors' final performances (Jim Morrison looks sad and out of it) featuring "When the Music's Over" and "The End" and Joni Mitchell bursting out in tears after one rambunctious hippie interrupts her set while playing "Woodstock" (he's lucky he didn't try interrupting the Who's set!). She carries on singing "Big Yellow Taxi." After instances like Altamont, the promoters add security like a metal fence dividing the young teens and adults (some English, some American) who've paid admission and those who haven't and police dogs. So, naturally, there's plenty of arguments between the promoters and the music fans. Due to the war between them, Kris Kristoferson is unduly booed onstage. Folks are too busy trying to get in to listen to the original "Me and Bobbie McGee." Joan Baez, after her performance of "Let It Be" is interviewed. She's honest and says "This is my job, so naturally, I expect to be paid." A humorous moment is Tiny Tim singing via megaphone "There'll Always Be An England." A sad moment is when one hippie says he's given his young son LSD (nowadays, a social worker would probably take the son away from him). It's amusing to see a young thin Ian Anderson perform with Jethro Tull ("Whoever said we wouldn't perform tonight is full of...") on "My Sunday Feeeling" and a young thin Paul Rogers perform "All Right Now" with Free. This is also Emerson, Lake and Palmer's debut performance (each of them celebrates in full flamboyance by Emerson nearly destroying his organ, Lake setting off a cannon and Palmer removing his shirt while performing "Pictures at an Exhibition/Blue Rondo a la Turk"). Fortunately for the freeloaders (nowadays one would find it extraordinary that they would spend a lot of money on crossing the boat to the Isle and not schill out 3 English pounds), the fence is taken down and all hold hands in peace, while a guitar plays "Amazing Grace." You really sympathize with Kerri (one of the emcees), as he bears his heart with the audience that he and the other promoters will have lots of fees to pay for this decision. As the festival comes to end, Kerri later sums it all up when he says "This is the last great event." One of the carpenters looks a little like Jerry Garcia! An edition with more complete performances would be great in the future. In the meantime, this will have to do. By the way, this is a 2 sided disk (at least my copy is) and if it ends with Joni Mitchell singing "Big Yellow Taxi," turn the disk over and you'll get Miles Davis and the rest of the program.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm selling mine...
Review: most songs are less than a minute, so if you're looking for music, dont waist your money... I'm selling mine on eBay (after watchng it once)
Rating:
Summary: Too Much Crowd-Not Enough Music
Review: Ok- here is one of the greatest collection of rock artists-not only that-but a pivotal moment of when 60 greats blend into the up and coming 70s arrivals-and what does this film feel is the most important element? The huddled masses of course! If one is interested in what youth looked like in 1970 this may be your cup of tea- sort of lookng at your high school year book I guess.
I find myself clicking through this mess to find the music. A pity that there is so little of it-
But its worth geting to see a few songs of the Who, Hendrix, Doors and Joni Mitchell. Others just get one song! Miles Davis appears for approx. 30 seconds! There is however nice footage of Tull and Moody Blues- would like to see the entire performances of these guys.
Missing- but appearing at the festival included Tony Joe White, Chicago, Procol Harum, and Pentangle. Not on this film.
The Bob Dylan performance is just a song over the credits. The actual Dylan live performance was the previous year-1969. When is this going to be released?
Hoping that one day another volume of this appears from the vaults- with more performances! Please- no crowds! It's just not
interesting!
Rating: 
Summary: groovy, baby!
Review: Rather like "Woodstock", but with much better A/V quality, and a better roster of performers. Chock full of 60's wackiness, to boot - who could ask for anything more!
Rating:
Summary: The music too-often takes a back seat to the promoters.
Review: The big difference between this movie and Woodstock: Woodstock had the non-musical footage serving as interludes to the performances. Here the impression I get is largely the opposite, although there is quite a bit of music seen and/or heard throughout the film. The talent roster is roughly equal between the two festivals (Jimi Hendrix appeared at both). However, I think fans of most of the MESSAGE TO LOVE artists will be irked by how little screen-time that most of the musicians receive. For example, I am a disappointed Miles Davis fan (his segment lasts about a minute), while the footage of another of my musical favorites (Joni Mitchell) is preoccupied with her tearful reaction to an impatient crowd rather than her music. Too many of the featured artists (Tull, Miles, Joni, etc.) have loyal followings that would warrant an alternative multi-volume edition featuring their complete performances (this has already happened with sets by Hendrix and The Who). That would release this movie from the inflated expectations of fans who've waited up to a quarter-century to hopefully see significant chunks of the artists' sets. We could then be more receptive to the story the film-makers are trying to tell.
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