Message to Love

Last updated

Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival 1970
Paul Rodgers Isle of Wight 1970.JPG
Paul Rodgers of the band Free during their performance of "All Right Now"
Directed by Murray Lerner
Written byMurray Lerner
Produced byMurray Lerner
Edited by
  • Greg Sheldon (performance sequences)
  • Stanley Warnow (as Stan Warnow)
  • Einar Westerlund
Production
company
Castle Music Pictures
Distributed by Strand Releasing
Release dates
  • October 9, 1995 (1995-10-09)(U.K.)
  • February 21, 1997 (1997-02-21)(U.S.)
Running time
127 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Message to Love is a feature documentary film of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970. Directed and produced by Murray Lerner, the film includes performances by popular rock acts, such as Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and the Doors, as well as folk and jazz artists, such as Joni Mitchell and Miles Davis. The title of the film is taken from a song by Hendrix.

Contents

Due to financial difficulties, Message to Love was not released until 1995 in the UK and 1997 in the US, after premiering at a San Jose film festival in 1995. [1] A soundtrack album was also issued by Castle Communications/Sony Legacy in 1997.

Background

The film often comically depicts the myriad problems associated with the chaotic festival –the main program of which was held on 26–30 August 1970 –including gate-crashing, numerous crowd incursions onto the stage, Kris Kristofferson being booed offstage, and head promoter Rikki Farr's rants against the audience, which only intensified as the situation deteriorated: "We put this festival on, you bastards, with a lot of love! We worked for one year for you pigs! And you wanna break our walls down and you wanna destroy it? Well you go to hell!" In addition, several near-riots occurred over the price of tickets, as well as during several of the performances that took place over the weekend, especially Jimi Hendrix's last billed performance in England. [2]

Production

The filming used eight cameras, [3] and took 175 hours of 16mm and 35mm Ektachrome footage, which was later edited down to approx 78 minutes of music and 41 minutes of interviews and announcements. [1] All of the headliners were captured, only Sly Stone and Chicago refused permission to be filmed. [4]

Release

The 1996 version of the film was given a certificate of 15, with the 1999 extended edition being rated 18 for nudity. [5] BBC2 premiered the film for the 25th anniversary of the festival. The VHS was released a month later by Castle. The Region 1 DVD was released in 1997, with the Region 2 DVD being released in 2003 by Castle.

Performances in order of appearance in the film

  1. Jimi Hendrix: "Message to Love" (Sunday) †
  2. The Who: "Young Man Blues" (Saturday)
  3. Free: "All Right Now" (Sunday)
  4. Taste: "Sinner Boy" (Friday)
  5. Tiny Tim: "There'll Always Be an England" (Saturday)
  6. John Sebastian: "Red Eye Express" (Saturday)
  7. Donovan: "Catch the Wind" (Sunday) snippet
  8. Ten Years After: "I Can't Keep from Crying Sometimes" (Saturday)
  9. The Doors: "When the Music's Over" (Saturday)
  10. The Moody Blues: "Nights in White Satin" (Sunday)
  11. Kris Kristofferson: "Me and Bobby McGee" (Wednesday)
  12. Joni Mitchell: "Woodstock" (Saturday)
  13. Mitchell: "Big Yellow Taxi"
  14. Miles Davis: "Call It Anything" (Saturday)
  15. Leonard Cohen: "Suzanne" (Sunday)
  16. Emerson, Lake & Palmer: "Pictures at an Exhibition" (Saturday)
  17. Hendrix: "Machine Gun" †
  18. Hendrix: "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"
  19. Joan Baez: "Let It Be" (Sunday)
  20. Jethro Tull: "My Sunday Feeling" (Sunday)
  21. The Doors: "The End" (Saturday) †
  22. Great Awakening: "Amazing Grace"
  23. Hendrix: "Foxy Lady"
  24. The Who: "Naked Eye"
  25. Bob Dylan: "Desolation Row" (studio version played over the end credits)

" † " indicates songs that are not included on the CD.

Reception

Message to Love
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Rotten Tomatoes 100% [7]
TV Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]

Time Out magazine said "The music is exemplary stuff to anyone who heard it the first time around –the Doors, Free, Kris Kristofferson (who eventually stormed off stage), the Who, Miles Davis (silhouetted against the dusk), Jethro Tull –but it's the hilarity of the sound-bites that makes this really worth catching." [9]

TV Guide said "Lerner's sharp, devastingly funny film, which was to be financed by the profits, remained one of its greatest casualties –until now. Lerner managed to capture all the hilarious backstage wheeling and dealing, as well as some of the era's best live music." [8]

The Austin Chronicle said "because Message to Love does such a fine job of underscoring the ideology of a generation in conflict with the commercialism of festivals like Wight, it's easy to forget about the quality performances captured by Lerner over the five days that the festival raged". [1]

Deseret News said "Though the performances are great, the 'warts-and-all' approach the film takes elevates it from being just a good music documentary to a great one." [10] The Independent suggested the film was "twice as entertaining if you fast- forwarded through the music". [11]

Variety magazine said this expertly-edited film had "a far deeper historical insight than similar pics from its original era", adding "images are in good shape, and sound quality is excellent." [12] At the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards in 1997, the film was nominated for Best Documentary. Rolling Stone placed it at number 21 in their list of the greatest rock documentaries. [13] Vulture.com included the film at number 37 on their list of the best music documentaries of all time. [14] Musicoholics had it at number 37 on their list of Legendary Music Documentaries. [15] It was listed at number five on the list of Top 10 Music Festival Documentaries. [16]

Soundtrack

Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival 1970
Live album by
Various artists
Released29 October 1996 (1996-10-29)
Recorded26–30 August 1970
Venue Afton Down Farm, Isle of Wight
Genre Rock, Folk, Jazz
Length144:00
Label Sony Music
Producer Jon Astley

The Message to Love soundtrack album was released as a 2-CD set in 1997. It also includes dialogue from the film placed in between some of the tracks.

Track listing

Disc one

  1. Free – "All Right Now" – 4:54
  2. Jethro Tull – "My Sunday Feeling" – 4:24
  3. Leonard Cohen – "Suzanne" – 4:27
  4. Jimi Hendrix – "Foxy Lady" – 5:31
  5. Jimi Hendrix – "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" – 8:56
  6. Ten Years After – "Can't Keep from Cryin'/Extension on One Chord" – 11:50
  7. Kris Kristofferson – "Me and Bobby McGee" – 5:44
  8. Joni Mitchell – "Big Yellow Taxi" – 3:46
  9. Joni Mitchell – "Woodstock" – 4:04
  10. Emerson, Lake & Palmer – "Blue Rondo à la Turk/Pictures at an Exhibition/Drum Solo" – 7:35
  11. The Doors – "When the Music's Over" – 11:46

Disc two

  1. The Who – "Young Man Blues" – 5:54
  2. The Who – "Naked Eye" – 6:23
  3. Tiny Tim – "There'll Always Be an England" – 1:15
  4. Taste – "Sinner Boy" – 5:11
  5. Joan Baez – "Let It Be" – 3:53
  6. The Moody Blues – "Nights in White Satin" – 5:23
  7. Donovan – "Catch the Wind" – 3:51
  8. Family – "Weaver's Answer" – 7:22 (not in the film)
  9. John Sebastian – "Red Eye Express" – 3:58
  10. Miles Davis – "Call It Anything" – 14:56
  11. Great Awakening – "Amazing Grace" – 3:47
  12. Bob Dylan – "Desolation Row" – 11:43

Legacy

In recent years, Lerner's copious 16mm concert footage has been repurposed to create a wealth of complete-performance DVD releases:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kris Kristofferson</span> American country singer (born 1936)

Kristoffer Kristofferson is an American retired country singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night", all of which were hits for other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight Festival 1970</span> UK music festival

The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 was a music festival held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at Afton Down, an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight in England. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and often acknowledged as the largest musical event of its time, with a larger attendance than Woodstock. Although estimates vary, Guinness World Records estimated 600,000 to 700,000 people attended. It was organised and promoted by local brothers, Ron and Ray Foulk through their company Fiery Creations Ltd and their brother Bill Foulk. Ron Smith was site manager and Rikki Farr acted as compere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight Festival</span> British music festival which takes place annually on the Isle of Wight in Newport, England

The Isle of Wight Festival is a British music festival which takes place annually in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. It was originally a counterculture event held from 1968 to 1970.

"Red House" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and one of the first songs recorded in 1966 by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It has the musical form of a conventional twelve-bar blues and features Hendrix's guitar playing. He developed the song prior to forming the Experience and was inspired by earlier blues songs.

<i>Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970</i> 2005 film

Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 is a live album by Jethro Tull, released on 2 November 2004. It was recorded on the fifth and last day of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, where Jethro Tull were second on the bill between The Moody Blues and Jimi Hendrix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Cox</span> American bassist (born 1941)

William "Billy" Cox is an American bassist, best known for performing with Jimi Hendrix. Cox is the only surviving musician to have regularly played with Hendrix: first with the experimental group that backed Hendrix at Woodstock, followed by the trio with drummer Buddy Miles that recorded the live Band of Gypsys album, and, lastly, The Cry of Love Tour trio with Mitch Mitchell back on drums. Cox continues to perform dates with the Band of Gypsys Experience and the Experience Hendrix Tour.

<i>Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight</i> 2002 live album by Jimi Hendrix

Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight is a posthumous live album by Jimi Hendrix released on November 12, 2002. The album documents Hendrix's last U.K. live performance at the Isle of Wight Festival on August 31, 1970, three weeks before his death. The set list for the concert contained songs from the original Experience albums, as well as new songs. Some were previously available on Isle of Wight (1971) and Live Isle of Wight '70 (1991). "Power to Love ", "Midnight Lightning", and "Foxy Lady" released in the US on the three record set The First Great Rock Festivals of the 70s: Isle of Wight/Atlanta Pop Festival" released on Columbia Records in 1971.

<i>The Jimi Hendrix Experience</i> (album) 2000 box set by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

The Jimi Hendrix Experience is a box set by the British-American rock band the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in 2000 by MCA. The material includes alternative recordings, live performances and some rarities. Although most of the material had been released in earlier compilations, some previously unreleased material was also included.

Live at the Isle of Wight 1970, Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, or Live at the Isle of Wight may refer to:

Murray Lerner was an American documentary and experimental film director and producer.

<i>Jimi Hendrix</i> (film) 1973 American film

Jimi Hendrix is a 1973 rockumentary about Jimi Hendrix, directed and produced by Joe Boyd, John Head and Gary Weis. The film contains concert footage of Hendrix from 1967 to 1970, including the Monterey Pop Festival the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, Woodstock and a Berkeley concert. The film also includes interviews with Hendrix' contemporaries, family and friends. Others appearing in the film include Paul Caruso, Eric Clapton, Billy Cox, Alan Douglas, Germaine Greer, Hendrix' father, James A. "Al" Hendrix, Mick Jagger, Eddie Kramer, Buddy Miles, Mitch Mitchell, Juggy Murray, Little Richard, Lou Reed and Pete Townshend. Noel Redding refused to be interviewed as he had a pending lawsuit against the Hendrix Estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cry of Love Tour</span> 1970 concert tour by Jimi Hendrix

The Cry of Love Tour was a 1970 concert tour by American rock guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix. It began on April 25, 1970, at the Forum in Inglewood, California, and ended on September 6, 1970, at the Love & Peace Festival in Fehmarn, West Germany. The majority of the 37 shows were in the United States, with two each in Sweden, Denmark, and West Germany, and one in England, where Hendrix was the final act at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970.

<i>Live at the Isle of Wight 1970</i> (Leonard Cohen album) 2009 live album by Leonard Cohen

Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 is a combo CD/DVD live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. Released in October 2009, it is his nineteenth album. The album was recorded at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roadhouse Blues Tour</span> 1970 tour by The Doors

The Roadhouse Blues Tour was a 1970 tour undertaken by rock band the Doors. The group recorded many of the concerts which have been subsequently released through Elektra Records, Rhino Records and Bright Midnight Records.

Trade Mark Of Quality was a bootleg record label based in Los Angeles, California, and was established in 1970 by "Dub" Taylor and Ken Douglas. In the summer of 1969, they released Bob Dylan's "GWW" Great White Wonder with a white fold-out cover and white labels. Another 9 titles followed before they 1970 created the "farm pig" logo and the TMQ label was fact then they began fastening round fluorescent stickers on the outside of their rubber-stamped jackets which read 'Trade Mark Of Quality,' and bore the profile of a farm pig. The Frank Zappa - 200 Motels release was the first to bear such a sticker. Over time, custom pig labels were added along with xerox insert covers.

<i>Live Isle of Wight 70</i> 1991 live album by Jimi Hendrix

Live Isle of Wight '70 is a posthumous live album by Jimi Hendrix released in 1991. It contains some of the songs from Hendrix's last U.K. live performance at the Isle of Wight Festival on August 31, 1970, three weeks before his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimi Hendrix videography</span>

Jimi Hendrix (1942–1970) was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter whose career spanned from 1962 to 1970. He appeared in several commercially released films of concerts and documentaries about his career, including two popular 1960s music festival films – Monterey Pop (1968) and Woodstock (1970). A short documentary, Experience (1968), also known as See My Music Talking, was also screened.

Raymond Foulk MA, Dip Arch, ARB, is an English architect, author, environmentalist, art collector, exhibition curator and rock music festival promoter/organiser. Foulk founded the Isle of Wight Festivals of Music in 1968 with his brothers Ronald Anthony (Ron) and John Philip Foulk. Born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire Foulk was brought up in the Isle of Wight from the age of 10 with his younger sister and three brothers by their recently widowed mother. Foulk is best known as the promoter who negotiated for and signed Bob Dylan for the 2nd Isle of Wight Festival 1969 - the artist's first full concert, pre-announced, advertised or paid performance since May 1966 and his only such performance in nearly eight years. Foulk is also well known for provoking an Act of Parliament.

Jacoba Atlas is an American executive producer in television, also publishing as a journalist, music critic, novelist, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. She won a Peabody Award, an Emmy Award and a CableACE Award for Survivors of the Holocaust (1996), a TV documentary made for TBS.

<i>Live in Maui</i> 2020 live album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

Live in Maui is an album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience documenting their performance outdoors on Maui, Hawaii, on July 30, 1970. It marks the first official release of Hendrix's two full sets recorded during the filming of Rainbow Bridge (1971). The two-CD and three-LP set was released on November 20, 2020, along with a video documentary titled Music, Money, Madness ... Jimi Hendrix in Maui.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hernandez, Raoul (20 June 1997). "The Wight Stuff –Message to Love: Isle of Wight Festival". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  2. ↑ Shapiro, Harry; Glebbeek, Cesar (1991). Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy (1st US ed.). New York City: St. Martin's Press. pp. 447–450, 465, 695–698. ISBN   0-312-05861-6.
  3. ↑ Schudel, Matt. "Murray Lerner, Oscar-winning Documentarian Who Captured Rock History, Dies at 90". The Washington Post . Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Message to Love DVD liner notes, Michael Heatley
  5. ↑ "MESSAGE TO LOVE – THE ISLE OF WIGHT MUSIC FESTIVAL 1970 | British Board of Film Classification". www.bbfc.co.uk.
  6. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. Message to Love at AllMusic
  7. ↑ "Message to Love". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Message To Love: The Isle Of Wight Festival | TV Guide". TV Guide. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  9. ↑ "Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival". Time Out Worldwide. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  10. ↑ Vice, Jeff (4 April 1997). "Film review: Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival". Deseret News. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  11. ↑ "review" . The Independent. 28 August 1995. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  12. ↑ "Message to Love". Variety. 12 February 1996. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  13. ↑ Tim Grierson; Sam Adams; Eric Hynes; David Fear; Jason Newman; Kory Grow (15 August 2014). "40 Greatest Rock Documentaries". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  14. ↑ Murray, Noel (17 April 2019). "The 50 Best Music Documentaries of All Time". Vulture. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  15. ↑ Gerlitz, Hadar (29 October 2019). "Legendary Music Captured on Film: The Best Music Documentaries Ranked". Musicoholics. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  16. ↑ Cutris-Horsfall, Thomas (18 March 2020). "Top 10 Music Festival Documentaries". Festicket. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.