DVD Review: Neil Young: Heart of Gold

Neil Young: Heart of Gold is almost as perfect as any concert film can be. With recent films such as The Truth About Charlie (based on Charade) and a remake of The Manchurian Candidate, Heart of Gold director Jonathan Demme had been teetering on the edge of irrelevance for awhile. Neil Young: Heart of Gold reminds us once again of Demme’s directing skills and in this age of market-driven pop stars, Young’s tremendous talents as a musician, singer, songwriter, and storyteller.

In March of 2005, the then-59-year-old Young was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, which was successfully removed at a New York hospital. Between the diagnosis and the operation, Neil went to Nashville studio with some of the best musicians around and produced the bulk of the songs that would become his 2005 album, Prairie Wind.

Young Debuted Prairie Wind in two shows at Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. Demme filmed both shows. The result is a wonderfully cohesive live performance.

Demme used eight cameras with long-range lenses and one steady cam to shoot the show. The goal was to shoot what would be Neil’s dream concert. Because Young doesn’t like cameras in his face while he’s performing, the band rehearsed with the steady cam. That way, Neil and the musicians were prepared each time the camera came across the stage. Unlike most concert documentaries produced today, Neil Young: Heart of Gold has no quick cuts; the camera holds the shots squarely on Neil and the other band members. The audience is never seen; they are only heard applauding after each song. Given the very personal nature of the songs in the concert, the cameras total focus on Neil and the band members feels revelatory.

There are three back-up singers (including Young's wife, Pegi and the legendary Emmylou Harris), three horn players, an incredible string section, a gospel choir, and the Fisk University Jubilee Singers. However, it is Young’s band of talented musicians who really keep things at a tremendously high level. All of these great musicians seem to be feeding off of each other, making it all look so effortless.

Article Author: Rebecca Wright

Rebecca is a freelance writer, concentrating in the areas of film, television and music criticism. Her B.A. is in the Humanities with an emphasis in film and writing.She holds an M.A. in American and British literature with an emphasis in dystopian …

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