If you love the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, and Nick Doob's exhilarating concert film Down from the Mountain will be sheer heaven. And if you're new to bluegrass and "old-time mountain-style" music, the performances (also on CD) will be a revelation. John Hartford, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, the Cox family, the venerable Ralph Stanley, and other traditional and alt-country artists who contributed the music to the Coen brothers' spaced odyssey gathered onstage in May 2000 at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium to benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame. Interviews and rehearsal footage set the stage for this stupendous concert, highlights of which include "(Didn't Leave) Nobody but the Baby" by the sirens Harris, Welch, and Krauss; the Coxes' "(Will There Be) Any Stars in My Crown"; and Stanley's haunting "O Death." As one performer recommends, "Just ease in, sit down, and listen." It could be your salvation. --Donald Liebenson
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The musicians behind the Soggy Bottom Boys, which is the name of the fictional bluegrass band in the Coen brothers's movie O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?, are featured in this documentary, which centers on a bluegrass concert in Nashville, Tennessee given by the bands that contributed to O BROTHER's soundtrack, and provides a brief history of folk and bluegrass music.
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A film celebrating the music from the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
On May 24, 2000 the historic Ryman Auditorium was booked to offer Nashvillians an evening of sublime beauty. Label executives and soundtrack producers so loved the music of O Brother, Where Art Thou? that they brought it to life as a benefit concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame. Filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen loved it so much that they hired famed documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker to record the show for posterity. The Concert that unfolded that night was one of the greatest musical moments in the annals of Music City.
With performances by: The Cox Family, Fairfield Four, John Hartford, Emmylou Harris, Chris Thomas King, Alison Krauss, Union Station, Colin Linden, The Nashville Bluegrass Band, The Peasall Sisters, Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, and The Whites.
Filmed by the academy Award nominated creators of The War Room, this fascinating documentary features behind-the-scenes encounters and dazzling performances in a once-in-a-lifetime concert event!
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Down from the Mountain is a treasurable record of a unique event: a live concert from Nashville featuring the artists and songs from the Coen Brothers' film O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Anyone who was delighted by that enchanting film and its traditional Americana soundtrack will find this concert an irresistible delight. It's not just a rehashing of the songs from the film, however, but an opportunity for some of the finest names in Bluegrass to perform a variety of traditional songs. Here we have Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch and Emmylou Harris playing separately before coming together for an a cappella rendition of "(Didn't Leave) Nobody but the Baby". Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley chills the spine with his lonesome "O Death", while bluesman Chris Thomas King wails "John Law Burned Down the Liquor Sto'". There are other marvellous performances from old-timey stalwarts The Cox Family and The Whites, more Gospel-infused singing from the Fairfield Four, and impressively authentic fiddling from John Hartford. Oddly, the only song not to be heard is the original film's standout item, "Man of Constant Sorrow". The concert is also available on CD.
On the DVD: The disc's packaging is misleading, as it only lists 12 songs when there are several more in the concert, all of which are listed and can be accessed from the menu. There's a good 25-minute backstage documentary also included, plus some liner notes from the Coens. --Mark Walker
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