D. A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, Nick Doob:
Down from the Mountain (USA, 2001)
98 min - Beta. English.
Everyone who liked the music of the Coen brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou? is sure to love this piece, too. It is a concert documentary that was shot already before the premiere of what later turned out a surprise success with a hit soundtrack, produced by Coen brothers like its fictional sister film.
T-Bone Burnett, a man familiar with the roots of modern popular music, produced the soundtrack of O Brother and also came up with the idea of gathering the film's musicians back together singing the songs from the film for one very special concert in Nashville, the heartlands of country music. The resulting evening is full of unique atmosphere – a pure nugget for all lovers of traditional music, skillful playing and, above all, bluegrass itself.
As the director of the documentary the Coen brothers wanted nobody else but D. A. Pennebaker, the legendary man behind such films as Don't Look Back, Monterey Pop, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and The War Room. Pennebaker, now in his seventies, was assisted by his long-time partner Chris Hegedus and a newcomer named Nick Doob. Down from the Mountain remains the most recent work by the veteran director who has open-mindedly embraced both rock music and politics ever since the beginning of his career in the Sixties.
Bluegrass as a style preceded both country and western and hillbilly and played an important role as making the way for later rock and pop music. It favours fiddles, banjos and mandolins along with guitars and polyphonic singing. The virtuous musicians in the film do not restrict themselves to just bluegrass, but embrace traditional music in an all-inclusive manner, playing also old country, blues and gospel songs.
The concert has been filmed on May 24th 2000 in Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee. The most famous stars of the evening are Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss as well as the host of the evening, the fiddle and banjo master John Hartford. At the time of the concert he was already seriously ill and perished from cancer before the premiere of the documentary. The kings and queens of the evening, however, are not the musicians, but the frill-free, emotional and vigorously played root songs. Thanks to O Brother, Where Art Thou?, bluegrass is again alive and kicking.
