While the official Woodstock 50 celebrations may or may not go ahead next month (probably may not), the BBC has confirmed it will be marking the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival by screening 'Woodstock: Three Days That Defined A Generation'.
That’s a film bought in via PBS in the US which, says the Beeb, "turns the lens back at the audience" of the legendary 1969 festival.
"What took place in that teaming mass of humanity was nothing less than a miracle of teamwork", the blurb goes on, "a manifestation of the 'peace and love' the festival had touted and a validation of the counter-culture’s promise to the world. Who were these kids? What experiences and stories did they carry with them to Bethel, New York that weekend, and how were they changed by three days in the muck and mire of Yasgur’s farm?"
'Woodstock: Three Days That Defined A Generation' will air on BBC Four, as will 'Ibiza: The Silent Movie', another film documenting a musical movement.
The Ibiza film is directed by Julien Temple and recently premiered at the Glastonbury Festival. According to the official blurb, the film, "without words or narration, the extraordinary 2000 year story of dance music’s most influential, charismatic and spiritual island. Filled with an explosion of music, imagery, re-enactments and remarkable archive clips, the film is backed by an eclectic score curated and composed by Fatboy Slim".
Confirming the two musical programmes will air this summer, BBC Four Channel Editor Cassian Harrison said: “Music has the extraordinary power to turn a single moment or a place into something that resonates through history and culture: These two brilliant films explore how this can happen in the most unexpected of ways, and are a fantastic illustration of BBC Four’s commitment to music programming of real depth and insight".