Glastonbury Fayre - Glastonbury Documentary [DVD]

Odeon Entertainment

June 23, 2009, 02:59 PM

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Glastonbury- a massive festival attracting millions of people from across the world, a 3 day festival playing host to some of the best artists and bands from a host of genres, a very different entity then what is presented to the viewer in Glastonbury Fayre.

The chances of you having ever seen this film are very slim; it was released in 1971, and then quickly forgotten about, unseen for over 30 years. Digitally restored and looking better then ever the film works not only as a document of an early Glastonbury, but also as a brilliant social commentary of the time.
In a similar vein to that of the Woodstock film, film-maker Nic Roeg (Who went onto make Don’t look now) focuses as much on the audience as he does on the artist’s performances, the film is worth the price tag simply for it’s early images of the now iconic Pyramid stage (a stage that is beyond me how anyone could see anything from).

What is most interesting about Nic Roeg’s directing is the way he makes the whole event seem almost mythical and dream like, a surreal experience. The crowd itself seems relatively sparse, and this only helps to enhance the mythical quality of the event. Roeg also presents the audience in all their glory, smoking bongs, playing the drums and generally revelling in their own naked glory.

In terms of performances the film features some truly fantastic moments (though nothing rather interestingly from David Bowie) that some up the festival perfectly.

A dazed looking Arthur Brown and Kingdom Come jam working the crowd up into a frenzy as their start with some very avant garde stylings before ending in a theatrically over-the-top crescendo.

The highlight of the entire film has to be though the jaw-dropping performance by Terry Reid who takes full control of the Pyramid stage with his re-working of his song ‘Dean’- A song that sums up the spirit and the mood of the time perfectly.

The film is a brilliant account of the early days of a festival that is now internationally respected festival, through its highs and lows, Glastonbury Fayre shows it all- perfect way to spend an afternoon over the summer.

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