Newport Folk Dream Shines at Venice
‘Newport and the Great Folk Dream’ Revives Festival’s Golden Era at Venice
Venice — A new documentary, Newport and the Great Folk Dream, premiered Friday at the Venice Film Festival, bringing to life the history of the Newport Folk Festival, a defining stage for American folk music in the 1960s.
Directed by Robert Gordon, the film draws from more than 90 hours of unseen black-and-white footage captured by filmmaker Murray Lerner, who originally released the 1967 documentary Festival. “It was a constant revelation of gems and treasures,” Gordon told reporters.
The documentary showcases electrifying performances from icons such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and Doc Watson. Viewers also witness a young John Lee Hooker performing Boom Boom, alongside other blues greats like Skip James, Taj Mahal, Muddy Waters, and the fierce electric sound of Howlin’ Wolf.
While the spotlight often shines on Dylan’s rocky relationship with the folk scene—culminating in his controversial electric set at Newport in 1965—the film also celebrates forgotten local acts, from gospel singers to working-class musicians, who shaped the festival’s unique identity.
“The film owes a big thank you to Timothée Chalamet and James Mangold,” Gordon noted, referring to their recent Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, which sparked renewed interest in the Newport story among younger audiences.
Beyond music, Gordon threads in the political currents of the time—the Vietnam War protests, the civil rights movement, and the legacy of President John F. Kennedy. Editor Laura Jean Hocking said the film carries a clear message for today’s artists: “Don’t be afraid to use your voice against war, racism, and injustice.”
The film is among several documentaries screening at Venice this year, including Werner Herzog’s Ghost Elephants, Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus’s Cover-Up, and Gianfranco Rosi’s Sotto le Nuvole, the only documentary competing for the Golden Lion.
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