Festival (1967) : distribution, intrigue et streaming

Released in 1967, Festival is a musique and documentaire film directed by Murray Lerner, running about 97 minutes. “Newport is an oasis of beautiful music - and beautiful people ... who take the high road to” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Black and white footage of performances, interviews, and conversations at the Newport Folk Festival, from 1963 to 1966. The headliners are Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan, who's acoustic and electric. Son House and Mike Bloomfield talk about the blues; John Hurt, Howlin' Wolf, and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee show its range. The Osborne Brothers perform bluegrass. Donovan, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Mimi and Dick Farina, and others less well known also perform. Several talk musical philosophy, and there's a running commentary about the nature and appeal of folk music. The crowd looks clean cut.

Who’s in it. Festival stars Horton Barker as Self, Fiddler Beers as Self, Theodore Bikel as Self and Pete Seeger as Self, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.7/10, Festival has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In États-Unis you can stream it on Criterion Channel. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Festival page.

If you liked it. Fans of Festival tend to enjoy Whiplash, Coco, Green Book : Sur les routes du Sud and La Légende du pianiste sur l'océan.