1969 was a crazy year, man. Neil Armstrong moon walked. The LGBT community rioted at Stonewall. The Mets won the World Series for the first time. The Beatles played together for the last time. And a half million young people descended on the town of Bethel, NY, to watch a three-day rock concert that changed the world. Woodstock wasn’t the first multi-day musical event, but it became something far beyond that. Much of it was captured on film — not just the music but interviews with attendees, musicians and filmmakers, candid footage of the goings on, and unhappy reactions from the locals. The resulting production, with a run-time over 3½ hours, is an extraordinary document that captures not only the concert, but the zeitgeist of that incredible era. The director’s cut, released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the concert, includes previously unseen footage and a much-improved soundtrack. — Craig Holden
