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Free documentary on the Grateful Dead on Amazon Prime. Rave reviews even from non-fans.
(Cross-post from the Lounge.)It's possible all the Grateful Dead fans here have already seen it, but I wanted to let them know about it just in case.
And I think it will answer a lot of questions for people who don't understand the band's music or why people like it.
Long Strange Trip is a 2017 documentary, nearly 4 hours long, broken into 6 parts on Amazon Prime.
It has a 100% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, 90% audience score.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/long_strange_trip_the_untold_story_of_the_grateful_dead
8.2/10 at IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4143508/
I'm going to excerpt the reviews Wikipedia posted. As I said in the thread title, these are raves even from film critics who don't like the band's music.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Strange_Trip
Critical reception
Owen Gleiberman wrote in Variety, "At three hours and 58 minutes, it has the sprawl and generosity of a good Dead show, yet there’s nothing indulgent about it – it's an ardent piece of documentary classicism.... Deadheads will drink it in and debate it, poring over every detail it works in and leaves out, yet the ultimate recommendation I can give the movie is this: I'm one of those people who can't stand the Grateful Dead... yet I found Long Strange Trip enthralling. For the first time, it made me see, and feel, and understand the slovenly glory of what they were up to, even if my ears still process their music as monotonous roots-rock wallpaper."[11]
Jordan Hoffman wrote in Vanity Fair, "The film's first half is a typical, though very well-polished rock doc: getting the band together, how they found their sound, their struggles and successes. After intermission, the narrative goes to unexpected and extremely emotional places: an examination of intense public adoration and the burdens of fame. For lack of a better term, it becomes a real movie.... But I do think that Bar-Lev has done the impossible: his film will make those who normally scoff at those patchouli-smelling ersatz flower children tap their feet, maybe even join them for a dance."[12]
In the Los Angeles Times, Robin Abcarian said, "I can’t imagine that anyone will walk away from Long Strange Trip, Amir Bar-Lev’s remarkable four-hour documentary about the Grateful Dead, without a newfound appreciation for the band’s music and its place in American popular culture."[13]
Owen Gleiberman wrote in Variety, "At three hours and 58 minutes, it has the sprawl and generosity of a good Dead show, yet there’s nothing indulgent about it – it's an ardent piece of documentary classicism.... Deadheads will drink it in and debate it, poring over every detail it works in and leaves out, yet the ultimate recommendation I can give the movie is this: I'm one of those people who can't stand the Grateful Dead... yet I found Long Strange Trip enthralling. For the first time, it made me see, and feel, and understand the slovenly glory of what they were up to, even if my ears still process their music as monotonous roots-rock wallpaper."[11]
Jordan Hoffman wrote in Vanity Fair, "The film's first half is a typical, though very well-polished rock doc: getting the band together, how they found their sound, their struggles and successes. After intermission, the narrative goes to unexpected and extremely emotional places: an examination of intense public adoration and the burdens of fame. For lack of a better term, it becomes a real movie.... But I do think that Bar-Lev has done the impossible: his film will make those who normally scoff at those patchouli-smelling ersatz flower children tap their feet, maybe even join them for a dance."[12]
In the Los Angeles Times, Robin Abcarian said, "I can’t imagine that anyone will walk away from Long Strange Trip, Amir Bar-Lev’s remarkable four-hour documentary about the Grateful Dead, without a newfound appreciation for the band’s music and its place in American popular culture."[13]
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Last edited Wed Jun 7, 2023, 09:18 PM - Edit history (1)
This can be arranged.
I keep getting dumped off after ten minutes or so.
Episodes 1 & 2 ESPN June 6 at 8 ET, now on YouTube.
Episodes 3 & 4 on June 13.
(I'd link if I could 
)
