This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Best movie ever!

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Glastonbury is seriously for fans only. One of Britain's best known music festival, if you don't dig the type of music played, or if you don't enjoy unleashing the party animal inside of you, then steer clear of this movie. Otherwise, you're in for one hell of a ride, presented in a very different way. The screening I was in obviously didn't have many fans. I think I'm the only one head bobbing and leg tapping throughout the movie, and I couldn't do more because of the restrictive overrated Picturehouse seats. The usual documentary will embark you on a journey from beginning to end, through the eyes of a regular festival goer. Alternatively, it might take on the theme from a festival organizer's point of view, giving you the low downs on the happenings to bring the festival to life. The other strategy will be to showcase the incredible performers lined up for the festival year in year out, and speak of their experiences in igniting the crowd to a dance fervour.But under the hands of director Julien Temple, Glastonbury becomes a mixed bag, a rojak of sorts combining the different narrative presentations possible, and it takes a while to get used to. You see plenty of festival goers, but the focus is on none. There are interviews galore, but in a rather haphazard manner. It's sex, drugs and rock and roll, and the movie neither glamourizes, nor condones vice. You have stoned people talking to the camera, and you have tired revellers sleeping and dancing naked. You don't get bombarded with facts and figures about the festival, but talks with the organizers become rather topical instead, especially the later part about the erection of a security fence.However, it's more than just the people, it's also about the music. While the visuals are beautifully combined with the aural, you don't get to hear much of the pieces performed as a whole. What you get instead is like a sampling of tracks, teasing you with classics like David Bowie (Heroes) to contemporaries like Brett Anderson (Common People), from alternative punk group Prodigy (Firestarter), to electronica kings Chemical Brothers (Hey Boy Hey Girl). Hey, if it features Massive Attack (Karmacoma), I'm already sold!It's a little less than conventional in its presentation by combining a series of clips from various festival years, in non chronological order. You can make out certain eras like the free loving 60s and the early years with the grainy quality of the picture, and distinguish the present day slicker shows in its trademarked pyramid stage. Just like the festival, you'll never know what you're gonna get at each turn, be it heavy downpour or mud baths, and that's how the narrative structure of Glastonbury takes.With ZoukOut around the corner, watching Glastonbury has triggered the party animal inside me, and I'm seriously considering going for this year's beach party at Siloso Beach Sentosa. Any fellow party goers game to join me?

If, like me you're aching for the start of the festival season, and mourning the fact that there isn't a Glastonbury this year; this DVD is a must to buy!!! Directed by Julien Temple, this film is one of the most absorbing and inspiring music films I've ever seen! I left the Cinema singing my favourite Morrissey songs, (Come on Mozza) missing the Mud, (did you loose your tent last year?) and looking forward to next year already.Although some of the content left me yearning for times gone by, (John Peel ROCKS).... Some of the music is just CLASS.. such as Coldplay, The Scissor Sisters, Radiohead, Blur, Foo Fighters, Fun Lovin' Criminals, David Bowie, Goldfrapp, Kaiser Chiefs, The Killers, Nick Cave, REM, The White Stripes, Velvet Underground, Quintessence, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Terry Riley, Morrissey, Faithless, Melanie, Prodigy, Toots an the Maytals, Primal Scream, Richie Havens, Alabama 3, Billy Bragg, Ernest Ranglin, Black Uhuru, Cypress Hill, The Skatalites, Babyshambles, The Levellers, David Gray, Bjork, Stereo MCs, Chemical Brothers, Dr.John, Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, , Pulp, Beck, Noel Gallagher, The Dandy Warhols, Moby, James Brown Watch this Documentary / Film to bring the memories flooding back, its the second best thing after going to Glastonbury!!!!!!

Glastonbury feels a lot like a home wedding video: If you were there, watching it back will probably be a fantastic experience. If not, expect to struggle in places.The movie is a mix of music, background events and smiley faces in silly costumes. While the smiley faces are important if you intend to create a sense of the atmosphere, two hours of this starts to drag. As you might expect, there is a fair bit of music, although inevitably only a tiny proportion of all the acts that have appeared at the festival over the years. Some clever production techniques are used, such as mixing performances from different years together, and using specific songs to provide a narrative to other festival scenes.But this subtle narrative is about all there is to guide the uninitiated through the movie. This might be acceptable for the music, but not the interviewees. The movie seems to revel in this to the point of arrogance: Early on, it includes a scene in which the organiser, Michael Eavis, is talking to festival goers who have no idea who he is - much like me at that point in the movie.Background events and history are covered, but not very well explored. Genuinely interesting themes, such as the involvement of travellers and the growing commercialisation of the festival, are dealt with rather too quickly. There is a lot of social history here, which could have made this quite a challenging documentary. But perhaps if Glastonbury had covered these fully, I would be bemoaning the lack of music or complaining it didn't convey a festival atmosphere?

A documentary (I suppose) about the Glastonbury Festival in England over its thirty years or so in existence.Well I suppose it is, in a sense, in the spirit of attending the festival being a jumbled sprawling mess of a movie. The good thing is that there are only snippets of the performers and the movie instead concentrates on footage of festival-goers from diverse sources, particularly amateur video footage. And everyone is bound to find something in it of interest (I enjoyed the travellers' contributions, and the Joe Strummer sequence). But at three hours and with no particular perspective it just becomes monotonous. And if you have been to Glastonbury or are interested in it I doubt whether it is showing you anything you didn't know already or can be bothered to sit through. Anybody want to see my holiday snaps...no ? Oh well...