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Festival Express
ThinkFilm Inc.


8.6

based on 26 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 5 votes
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MPAA RATING: R for some language

Starring Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, Jerry Garcia, and Bob Weir

A rousing record of a little-known, but monumental, moment in rock n roll history. Set in 1970, Festival Express was a multi-band, multi-day extravaganza that captured the spirit and imagination of a generation and a nation. (ThinkFilm)

GENRE(S):	Documentary \| Musical
DIRECTED BY:	Bob Smeaton
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: November 2, 2004 Theatrical: July 30, 2004
RUNNING TIME:	90 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	UK / Netherlands

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Film Threat Phil Hall

Rich with wonderful music and images.

100

The Hollywood Reporter Richard James Havis

Festival Express should rightfully take its place in rock history as one of the great performance films of all time.

100

San Francisco Chronicle Joel Selvin

Must-see cinema for any serious rock fan.

100

Variety Eddie Cockrell

An instant ancillary classic for music fan.

100

Village Voice J. Hoberman

Ultimate geezerfest and rock-doc holy grail.

100

Washington Post Richard Harrington

Most of Festival Express resonates with the power and passion, even the innocence, of the era.

100

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

The real attraction is watching all these guys and gals on the train, so young, so dedicated to their music, so unconcerned about almost everything else.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

A delirious piece of pop ephemera.

The New York Times Dave Kehr

To watch the biggest stars of their time in casual conversation, trading riffs and passing bottles, without benefit of publicists, handlers and security goons is to relive an innocent, anarchic time in the entertainment business when music, not marketing, was at the center of the enterprise.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray

The sociological angle of Festival Express is a narrow one--perhaps too narrow--and doesn't overwhelm the film's real selling point, which is some of the best-looking and best-sounding footage of counterculture icons ever screened.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

It was the greatest rock & roll party you never heard of.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

A raucous, riveting account of the greatest party you were never invited to.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

The results are spine-tingling. There's only one thing to say about this movie and its rescuers, recovered from the dead--and the Dead: Rock on.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

Slight on personality but long on music; Janis Joplin elevates it to near-great concert-film status.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

There were greater rock festivals and there are greater rock movies, but nothing existed quite like this mobile bacchanal, nicely preserved in Festival Express.

LA Weekly Hazel-Dawn Dumpert

To watch Joplin, Rick Danko, Jerry Garcia and Mickey Hart, all massively wasted, giggling and jamming, is a delight tempered by the knowledge that Joplin would be dead just months later, with the rest but one following after.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Full of bright colors, offbeat people, tuneful sounds.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

The film is not about the audience's shared experience, and a lot more about how cool it is to have a backstage pass.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Bill White

With the exception of some minor glitches in the sound synchronization and a nighttime performance of The Band's "The Weight" that is uncharacteristically grainy, the film looks and sounds great.

Miami Herald Glenn Garvin

A hard and hilariously ironic look at the bottom line. As it turns out, love was not all you needed; hard cash came in handy, too.

Boston Globe Steve Morse

Extraordinary.

New York Post Megan Lehmann

As this Woodstock-on-wheels careens through the countryside, stopping only to play for thousands of hirsute revelers -- and, once, to stock up on booze in Saskatoon -- its famous passengers celebrate with delirious joy the pure, unadulterated magic of music.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Both a concert film and a more intimate thing: a fascinating, fly-on-the-wall (or fly-in-the-dining-car) glimpse of some clearly blotto rock legends talking, singing, hanging out. The fact that a good number of them are now dead makes it doubly memorable.

Dallas Observer Melissa Levine

A piece of rock-and-roll history--but it isn't perfect.

Chicago Reader Hank Sartin

The concert footage is generally quite good, and Joplin is astonishing, but with so many hours of footage you'd think there would be more unexpected moments.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The result is a vivid record of live acts whose rough-edged immediacy is an integral part of their appeal.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dianne H. gave it a9:
What a great show! It was wonderful to go back in time. I felt like I was really there.

Michael L. gave it a10:
I loved this walk into the past. Seeing Janis, Jerry and Pigpen was like spending time with old friends. When it was over all I could do was "CRY BABY."

S gave it a 6:
Not sure why the critics are raving about this film. I'm actually old enough to remember the event, and love the music and the period. Yes, it's a nostalgia trip, and yes, some of the music is memorable and there are fun bar-car scenes. But I found the film curiously devoid of energy and very slow-paced. The main redeeming feature - Janis Joplin's performances. She is incendiary, and seems to almost explode off the screen and into the theatre. What a tragic loss her early death was.

M B gave it an 8:
Not nearly as good as Monterey Pop, or Woodstock, but, the film is enjoyable, as much for the "event", as the performances. When was the last time you thought of Ian & Sylvia. I thought it was a bit too much train/track/scenery footage, and could've used another couple performances. It's very like FESTIVAL-ISLE OF WIGHT. but, not as good. However, I highly recommend this, and am sure it's better then 100% of the stuff that's out, today.

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Festival Express ThinkFilm Inc.

Festival Express
ThinkFilm Inc.