Down from the Mountain (2000)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

Nick Doob
Chris Hegedus

Release Date:

26 October 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

This is a documentary about the musical artists who performed the songs in the Coen Brothers' film O Brother, Where Art Thou? |

Plot Keywords:

Benefit | Baseball Fan | Ryman Auditorium | Nashville Tennessee | Bluegrass

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Evelyn Cox	...	Herself
Sidney Cox	...	Himself
Suzanne Cox	...	Herself
Willard Cox	...	Himself
Nathan Best	...	Himself
Issac Freeman	...	Himself
Robert Hamlett	...	Himself
Joseph Rice	...	Himself
Wilson Waters Jr.	...	Himself
John Hartford	...	Himself
Larry Perkins	...	Himself
Emmylou Harris	...	Herself
Chris Thomas King	...	Himself
Alison Krauss	...	Herself
Colin Linden	...	Himself

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:G

Filming Locations:

Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Mike Zoss Productions

Movie Connections:

References Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Soundtrack:

Blue and Lonesome

Musical Magic!

It's almost impossible to describe the colourful quality of this film, not because it has or lacks special merit in the normal measures of cinema, nor should it be so evaluated, but because it comes out of nowhere to reach parts of you that you don't expect a movie to reach.

Co-incidentally, last June I drove to Charlottesville, VA to visit Monticello and see UVA. On that evening I stumbled into a performance of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at a local brewpub and had a very similar experience to that of the film. The music was just so good that it almost brought tears to my eyes. Like the firsthand joy of getting a glimpse into the souls of Welch and Rawlings, the footage of Down from the Mountain, especially the unpretentious commentary and dialogue between the performers, both onstage and behind the curtains, revealed their genuinely good nature. This greatly enhanced the earthy loveliness of some brilliant bluegrass.

I would love to have been at this stunning concert, but sadly was not. Having missed it, I can perhaps take some comfort in the film's additional insights and experience that the live audience did not have. The camera work backstage might not win an Oscar, but accomplished much in capturing some of the character of its subjects. This added dimensions of warmth and appreciation to their performances which would be difficult to imagine that the audience could have shared.

This is a film for music aficionados, not cinema buffs. Doubtless a film critic could find some artistic merit in the work, but it seems much safer to simply wholeheartedly recommend it as pure musical ecstasy.