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FESTIVAL EXPRESS
Directed by: Bob Smeaton.
Produced by: Gavin Poolman & John D. Trapman.
Director of Photography: Peter Biziou & Bob Fiore.
Edited by: Eamonn Power.
Released by: THINKFilm.
Language: English.
Country of Origin: UK/Netherlands. 90 min. Rated: R.
With: Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, & The Band.

Unlike Monterey Pop, Woodstock, or The Last Waltz, this mega-concert documentary moves. In 1970, an enterprising promoter persuaded Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, the Band, and the Flying Burrito Brothers - among other bands - to perform in Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary, and to travel to each by train.

Ultimately, it's Joplin's film. Only three months before her death, she appears here overflowing with vitality. For her first performance, the camera moves in and stays there, focusing on her face as she delivers a shiver-inducing performance of "Cry Baby." Her numbers are the only ones that really shine. The rest are creditable, if uninspired.

The real treat here isn't the concert footage, but the scenes on the train, in particular the jams among performers and the spontaneous moments fortuitously caught on camera. When the alcohol supply runs dry, the train makes an unscheduled stop so the promoters can restock the bar. The ensuing party provides a joyous climax to the journey, as Joplin, Rick Danko (of The Band), and Jerry Garcia jam on a boozy rendition of "Ain't No More Cane."

The film judiciously uses the split screen. Like in previous documentaries, where it allows simultaneous views of the crowd, or the performers and the immediate audience reaction, it functions the same here, but adds a benefit of hindsight. Since the film has been assembled decades after the performances, recently-interviewed participants share their memories without interrupting the flow of events. Adding necessary perspective to the film, these interviews are used sparingly, so the feeling of immediacy never ends.

Festival Express works, in part, because no one is pretending that this is a momentous event in musical history. Few will have even heard of this tour before seeing the film. Because of this, it's possible to relax and watch an artifact unencumbered by cultural associations. It's a fresh perspective on an over-exposed era. What it lacks in magnitude it makes up for in simple entertainment. Arthur Vaughan
July 29, 2004