Last week the concert film Neil Young: Heart of Gold premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It received a standing ovation at the conclusion and the consensus reaction thus far is that it is "a lasting, sensational film that makes you feel like you’re sitting in a concert."
Actor Robert Redford, the Sundance Festival director, attended the premiere along with many other celebrities. The film is directed by Jonathan Demme and was shot in Nashville, TN last August. Demme introduced the film along with Neil Young, wife Pegi and son Ben who attended.
From Sundance Movie Reviews: "Being at the world premiere of Neil Young: Heart of Gold was almost like attending one of the concerts in the movie. The audience clapped and cheered riotously after every song, paying homage to Young, who was in attendance with his family and members of his band."
From the Los Angeles Times: "Director Jonathan Demme says he visualized 'Heart of Gold,' which includes such Young classics as 'I Am a Child,' 'Old Man' and 'Harvest Moon,' as 'a dream, an ongoing dream of country music. This concert is going on in Neil Young's head, it's his dream of his favorite places and songs.'"
From The Hollywood Reporter: "This smart, aesthetically understated concert film from Jonathan Demme will transport Young's legions of baby boomer fans back to the future, as 1969 re-invents itself in 2005 for Young."
Eric D. Snider’s Blog » Sundance Diary: Day 5: "Turns out it’s a pretty fantastic film. Demme’s style is unobtrusive: He lets Young and his band do their thing, and he stays out of the way. There are no tricky camera angles or cool editing tricks. It’s mostly long, unbroken takes and plenty of close-ups. The movie lets Young’s songs speak for themselves. And what songs they are! How have I not paid attention to this before? Some of the songs are angry; some are sad; some are wistful; one is even about an old hound dog he used to have. But he sings all of them with conviction and heart. The lyrics are often poetic but rarely pretentious. The musical performances are world-class but not showy."
The film is scheduled to open on February 10. More on the filming of "Prairie Wind", the film's namesake song "Heart of Gold" and other Neil Young movies.
Article comments
1 - Holly G.
I heard about these concerts and glad to hear they were filmed. Looking forward to seeing.