The Grateful Dead Movie

This 1977 concert film draws on the recording of the Grateful Dead's five-night run at Winterland in San Francisco in October 1974. The band had decided to stop touring at the time, and the shows carried the character of a closing. The film tries to be more than a concert recording. The audience appears almost as much as the band; the queues, the street outside, the dancing crowd and people looking for tickets are shot with the same attention. There is also a long animated opening section. Jerry Garcia worked directly on the production and the editing, and the film was completed after a long period in the cutting room. The sound mix is careful for its time and the pieces are given without shortening. Who it's for: those who know the band and like seventies live recordings. Who it's not for: viewers new to the group; the film introduces nothing, explains nothing and runs long.