There were two major films about music events in the ’60s, Woodstock and Monterey Pop, made one year apart. In “Monterey” (to the director’s credit, films about Bob Dylan, John Lennon and David Bowie) it is obvious that the “summer of love” crowd has not yet turned into a flood of undressed people dressed in hippie fashion. “Monterey Pop,” a festival attended primarily for the music and secondarily for the buzz and nature, registers a transition to another quality and a new scale of Janis Joplin, Ravi Shankar, The Who and Simon & Garfunkel. Sitting on chairs and cautiously dancing in a small square are young guys – primarily intellectuals and advanced fashionistas of their time, who bought tickets to launch their favorite subculture into space. As is often the case with archival footage, watching the makeup and hairstyles of ordinary festival guests is hardly more interesting than watching the stage convulsions of Townsend or the guitar of Jimi Hendrix. A timeless, energizing and 50 years later and a unique film from the heart of an interesting time.

One of the most interesting aspects of this film is that it captures performances by such legendary performers as Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin and The Who. Their performances were not only energetic and thrilling to watch throughout the concert, but also full of emotion and feeling.

Another interesting aspect of this film is its social significance. The festival took place at a time of an active civil rights movement and protests against the Vietnam War. Many of the performers used their platform to convey social messages to their audiences.

It was the first film to use the Dolby system to enhance sound quality and create the effect of being at the concert.

But that’s not the only thing that makes this film so interesting and meaningful. It is a reflection of a time when the world was changing before people’s eyes, art was becoming increasingly experimental and free, and new technologies were helping to expand the possibilities of filmmaking.

Monterey-Pop 1968 – is a beautiful example of documentary filmmaking that combines high quality sound and image with social significance. It left an unforgettable mark on the music industry and still serves as a model to follow. If you haven’t seen this film yet, I recommend it to all music and film lovers.