IN TRIBUTE TO WOODSTOCK,
a plaque commemorates
the site (opposite), and the
Museum at Bethel Woods
(above) celebrates the 1969
festival and the culture
of the ’60s; in 2009, the
center played host to a 40th
anniversary concert. Still,
the artistic artifact that best
preserves the sound and the
spirit of Woodstock is Michael
Wadleigh’s documentary film
Woodstock (right, the poster),
released seven months after
the festival in March 1970—the
result of 120 miles of film shot
by 16 cameras. In his review of
the movie at the time, Roger
Ebert said, “It may be the
best documentary ever made
in America.” He went on in
praise: “The remarkable thing
about Wadleigh’s film is that
it succeeds so completely in
making us feel how it must have
been to be there.”
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