DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN review

Hey folks, Harry here at South By Southwest... Most of this film festival I have been a bit incommunicado with the site, I've been spending equal time with film and a wonderful person that you don't get to know anything about... but suffice to say I've been distracted and missed a couple of films here and there, but I've seen quite a few as well... She's asleep and the first film... of the many I've seen that I wanted to review is DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN.

First off you should know that this documentary was created chiefly by D.A. Pennebaker, whose films MONTEREY POP and THE WAR ROOM have been a pair of the best documentaries ever made. Outstanding work. MONTEREY POP alongside WOODSTOCK are the two best documentaries about the Rock Experience that I have yet seen, and THE WAR ROOM was an amazing look into the world of planning and creating a President for the United States... where issues and appearances become about raising donations and points in polls... An amazing documentary film.

As soon as Pennebaker took the stage I knew that I was in for a wonderful experience. I saw the film the first time with the regular gang, then again last night with "Heyu" (name for mysterious lady sitting next to me) Well, both experiences were great, but seeing the film with someone you care about, well... that intensified the experience greatly.

I love old time mountain music, known to most as Bluegrass... The documentary was about a concert that revolved around the artists gathered for the soundtrack of "O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU"... Now if you remember, way back last year we ran a brief article about A CONCERT revolving around the soundtrack. That it was to benefit the New Country Western Music Hall Of Fame in Nashville and how you could attend... and we even had some folks that did. Well it turns out that D.A. Pennebaker and his pals in crime were there in all black filming the entire concert.... Amazing artists... not the POP COUNTRY junk that makes you gag, but the bluesy-cool happy country that you heard on the O BROTHER soundtrack.

Now this is about the most wonderful companion film for a wonderful companion film I've ever seen. I call O BROTHER a companion film, because it is a movie I always want at my side, on my shelf and near my entertainment system, and DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN is the flip disc for that one. There were 3 things that made me love O BROTHER... The Script, The Cinematography and THE MUSIC... and the music being my absolute dead on fave. I loved the sound of this movie... It felt true and real and something honest as well. In the documentary you get to see all of the great artists that made that music perform, interact backstage...

You watch as Emmylou Harris checks up on her baseball games via some weird electronic device... Chris Thomas King with cheat notes written on his hand so he can remember parts to a song he's just learned. The Peasall Sisters, the cutest triplet of pre-pubescent singing angels you ever did see, being told a third time to sing it faster, and then the look... ohmygod the look was precious.

You have Holly Hunter talking with mountain music GOD Richard Stanley about nerves, and then you have the music and the performances while they perform it.

Watching THE FAIRFIELD FOUR (which are actually 5 and have apparently always been 5) perform THE LONESOME VALLEY acappella... the way they stomp their feet as though pounding rocks on a chaingang, while occassionally slapping their fists into their hands for a residual rock chipping style sound.... and then the one on the end swinging an imaginary sledge hammer exactly in time with the beat... BLISS...

Watching Harry McLintock performing BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN... words cannot describe the unmistakable look of elation that I had on my face as the man that looks just like Professor Faulkner (think JOSHUA / WOPR) sang the most happy music that I've heard... Oh what aural prozac that was...

Watching Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris sang the siren's song, DIDN'T LEAVE NOBODY BUT THE BABY... oh my... while the sirens in the film were sultry and spilling out wet soaking sex.... these three singing the song for real... the way Emmylou looked... the innocence in Gillian and Alison's faces... well I just melted... they sung with those voice and elicited thrills by body language alone. Amazing number...

But my favorite had to be O DEATH by Ralph Stanley. He took the stage in near darkness wearing a black suit and a scant bit of light... crimson red alongside his face... No musicians, no crowd... just this impossibly old man standing stage center, pouring out his soul through that mountain top voice that should be considered one of our greatest national treasures sings about the struggle with Death and his/her ice cold hands pulling upon him. Shudders and cold chills were sent down my body and the shaking of his aged skin as he warbled a phrasing sent a tear from my eye. What an incredible performance.

As of now, I do not know what the distribution plans are for Pennebaker's latest, but dear god I hope it comes back soon... twice during a festival is simply not enough for the life of the viewer. See it by all means if you get a chance!