With hingisght, a lot of the counter-culture appears stupid and self-regarding, something that it's hard to believe its protagonists ever took seriously. Yet many still revere the music that accompanied it, and at that time, these two worlds had a very definite overlap. That Jimi Hendrix, rock god, starred in a film about young people attaining altered states of consciousness (partly, thought not exclusively, while listening to Jimi Hendrix) is maybe not so surprising, and potentially very interesting. But actually Hendrix played as part of a business deal. He played pretty good, as was his wont, but the maddest dreams of those whose project the film really was were not his. You watch this documentary, made with the assistance of the Hendrix family, and Jimi is cool, and some of those around him are crazy (although mostly we see old people talking to camera about the craziness of their youth); but those two worlds are more separate than one might have expected. A few months later, Hendrix was dead, and the film was released (after much cutting) to a decidedly mixed reception. Still, it must have been something to be there at the time.
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paul2001sw-19 December 2022
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tigerleo-856743 November 2022If you wish to watch a documentary about a whole heap of people you have never heard of before and likely never will again talk about other people you have never heard of before and likely never will again, then this is for you!
Very little footage of Jimi: it is predominantly about the movie "Rainbow Bridge" and those involved in the movie's development and their apparent experiences and recollections. Somehow or another, Jimi was roped into the movie - hence the title, no doubt...
So, if you were hoping to watch a live gig of Jimi performing in Maui then you will be left very disappointed.
However, perhaps you do wish to watch a whole heap of people you have never heard of before (and likely never will again) talk about other people you have never heard of before (and likely never will again). -
MichaelFab25 March 2024For those of you curious what "Rainbow Bridge" was, I was too. After learning it was the most ill-conceived, incoherent project, I advise you to use your time watching better documentaries of more significant events.
I used to see a Hendrix album "Rainbow Bridge-Original Motion Picture Soundtrack," and wondered what it was. Before internet, it took years to find out the album was a scam. It did not contain any performances from the event. It has unreleased tracks for his Cry Of Love album. They were released in 1997 as First Rays of the New Rising Sun, but it's not a soundtrack.
In the 90's I spotted a VHS of Rainbow Bridge at a video store and eagerly brought it home, only to waste 2 hours and end years of wondering. It is simply one of the worst documentaries ever made of a badly conceived, disorganized, incomprehensible waste of time, especially Jimi's.
My understanding is, in 1970 a few industry people Michael Jeffery & Chuck Wein talked Warner Bros. Into making a film combining the hippie-peace movement with the Hawaiian surfing culture, having Hendrix provide the music and perform at it.
They recruited Warhol actress Pat Hartley to walk around aimlessly, asking people their feelings of the world today before boarding a plane to Hawaii for the culmination of this unintelligible gathering.
Then you watch 90 minutes of stoned young people, wasted out of their minds, talking meaningless chatter they probably didn't remember the next day. Even a drunk Jimi Hendrix himself, shows up in an attic talking insensibly with several of these aspiring shamans.
The final and only redeeming part of this whole thing, had musical guests Hendrix, Cox and Mitchell trio performing on stage. It is a short portion of edited song clips, sync'ed over the film. Apparently, the recording was so bad with noise, it was not used in the film.
Rainbow Bridge is one of the worst documentaries ever made. It was horribly filmed, with no direction or purpose, as was the entire half-baked idea.
On a positive note, Eddie Kramer and a staff of technicians restored most of the audio and in Nov 2020 released Hendrix Live in Maui. The performance is great. As a Hendrix fan, I encourage you to instead enjoy this CD and First Rays of the New Rising Sun. -
It's one of my favourite movies of all times I am 100% in agreement with all that Chuck Wein Did here
- I am just really pissed off that they destroyed most of the footage I would love to see all four hours of it
- Basically he made a film about New-Age beliefs in 1970 and yes the gig Jimi did on the mountain the volcano is one of his best recorded concerts as everybody agrees in the film the fact that he was used by Michael Jeffery as a way to finance this movie I think is fine he had to otherwise it would not have been made and I would be very sad me and many others.
- Interesting to see all the meatheads in here in there Eddie Kramer the engineer has always annoyed me beyond belief does not get any of it Jimi's former girlfriend there seems to have the IQ of a duck and doesn't understand anything about it either in fact she doesn't seem to understand anything about anything ...
- And many of the other talking heads here apart from one who clearly got it and was part of it the two Merryweather sisters also obviously got it but a lot of the "pundits " seem to be unable to even comprehend what they are looking at this film is a masterpiece it shows The New Age 20 years before it blew up in California and then drifted eastwards
- Sometimes i dream they found the footage that was destroyed that there was a copy or two but unlikely as it was celluloid negs in those days.
- The surfer dudes interviewed here seem really cool.