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 "A Mighty Wind"
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The film “A Mighty Wind” has revived a lot of interest in the folk era. Comments about it are welcome here.
Karl Scott published the following review in the Santa Clara Weekly.
The Folk Music boom in the USA lasted from about 1958 to 1966 give or take a few "Green Leaves of Summer". Bud Dashiell and Travis Edmonson (aka Bud and Travis) were the best of the Folk era performers although never the most popular. Recording and performing together from 1959 to 1966 they broke up, got back together then broke up again. Separately they performed and recorded but were never able to achieve a fraction of what they could do together. Somehow when teamed up they produced a level of comedy and song rarely seen then or now. Their history ran the gamut from recording and performing large venues like the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to High School Graduation All Night Parties. I was there for the later at Stagg, HS in Stockton, CA in June of 1965. The Santa Monica Concert is available on CD.
Folk groups came in all sizes from solo performers like Burl Ives to the mass chorus' groups like The New Christy Minstrels and The Serendipity Singers. The craze hit its height with weekly TV shows like "Hootenanny" in the mid 60's before folk music overload kicked in and the singers began to wear out their welcomes. The new film "A Mighty Wind" is a mocumentary ala the dog show film, "Best in Show" and Rob Reiners rock group send up "Spinal Tap". If you liked either of those two films you will enjoy AMW. Starring a no- name group the casting is, never the less, perfect. The story concerns three folk groups from the sixties who get together for a PBS live TV reunion concert. They represent the folk spectrum. They also represent a wide spectrum of strange characters. The fictional "New Main Street Singers" represent the large groups listed above. The trio known in the film as "The Folksmen" is an undisguised attempt to be the real life group "The Limeliters". The last representatives are a two-member group known as "Mitch and Mickey" featuring a man and a woman with a single hit their whole career was built on. The film is told in documentary form. Flashing back and forth from the past to the present it takes us on a very funny roller coaster ride as it explores the lives of the groups then and now as they prepare for the big concert. The best-known actor of the cast is Michael McKean (Lenny on Lavern and Shirley) as one of the singers of The Folksmen. Bob Balaban and Ed Begley, Jr. are also along in good supporting roles.
The film is directed by Christopher Guest another "Folksman" and co written by CG and Eugene Levy (the dad in the "American Pie" films) who makes the male half of the duo "Mitch and Mickey". CG also wrote and directed "Best in Show" the other mocumentary about dog owners and their quest to win the BIG DOG SHOW. Most of the cast members in AMW were also in BIS. Like the Hercule Poirot films of the 70's, 80's and 90's were basically cast ensemble films with many of the same actors appearing over and over as suspects, victims or in other supporting roles. CG is attempting to use the ensemble format with his series (2 so far) of comedy mocumentaries. Over all AMW is quite entertaining and has some genuine big laughs. Especially the big surprise in the final scene. If you like oddball humor, good performances and folk music this film will be a treat. If you like any of the above three it will still be a good evenings entertainment.
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