Down from the Mountain
Down from the Mountain
NR | 05 June 2001 (USA)
Down from the Mountain Trailers

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. Performers: John Hartford, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Chris Thomas King, The Cox Family, Fairfield Four, Union Station, Colin Linden, The Nashville Bluegrass Band, The Peasall Sisters, Ralph Stanley, David Rawlings, The Whites.

Reviews
Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing
Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.
Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
thetrev For what it is this is pretty good. It has musicians playing and audience enjoying with no film-trickery or SFX. I was a bit disappointed that the song "I'll Fly Away" wasn't shown complete but as a track over the credits.The documentary section could have been way better, perhaps with more history of the songs and musicians for them folks of us who don't know nobetter! The bits about how they learned to sing and play were very interesting and more would have been appreciated.However, as a record of some fine, ole time music it hits the spot nicely.
erstokke To make a concert in addition of the usual soundtrack cd was a good idea. But this film doesn´t make it. It is a cheap, low quality attempt to squeeze more money out of "O Brother Where Art Thou".I like old time music and several of the artist in this concert are among my favorites. But the this concert on DVD is a big disappointment: - Picture: Hand-held cameras with a lot of camera shake and video-noise. And the cameramen doesn´t react to the music. For example when there is a solo by the great dobro-player Jerry Douglas, the camera is still focused on the singer for a while. - Sound: Sound is terrible. It is mostly done with two microphones on stage, which make the sound of many musicians disappear. The sound is harsh and sharp, and bass-notes cannot be heard. A year 2000 concert DVD with only 2 channel sound. - The music and the musicians: There are some great performances here, but mostly the concert is let down by the fact that the artists barely had any rehearsal.If you want to see what a good concert film should look and sound like, see James Taylor´s concert at the Beacon Theatre.
PDS-11 As concert films go, "Down from the Mountain" is neither the most stunning nor the most creative. Other filmmakers, surely with more time to prepare and film, have captured musical performances with more flair. Nevertheless, "Down from the Mountain" is an exceptional film, a complete joy for those of us who loved "O Brother Where Art Thou?" and the "old-timey" music it showcased. Without exception, the artists participating in this Nashville concert last year are shown to be kind, good-natured, and incredibly talented. How unusual to see on film a group of artists, characters all of them, who have limitless talent, and yet are not shown to be arrogant or overpaid. Emmylou Harris, Chris Thomas King, and Ralph Stanley in particular shine like the stars they are.
Chris_Docker Concert movie focussing on the `bluegrass' songs of the Coens film `O Brother Where Art Thou?' EmmyLou Harris and other perform in a feast of music that washes over you from start to finish. Sadly it doesn't include the main song that George Clooney lip-synched too. At the Edinburgh film festival, where the movie got its international premiere, legendary music documentary maker D.A. Pennebaker (Don't Look Back) explained that they had tried to get the guy to sing it about six times but he always sang different words; as a `definitive' version had already been released on the `O Brother' soundtrack, they decided, after talking to the Coens, that the number should be dropped from `Down from the Mountain.'