Neil Young "Heart of Gold"

Jonathan Demme's film "Heart of Gold" is quite possibly the most intimate and emotionally moving portrait of any musical performance put to film. History, family, tradition, nature, god, time, death, life, love, and loss. If anyone could present all these ideas in a cohesive manner minus the usual cliche it's Neil Young. Demme's graceful direction compliments the deceptively simple song arrangements. With no unnecessary camera movements, no audience shots, the viewer is left to draw their own emotions out from the music first. The sound recording and mixing for this project is impeccable. Every nuance is perceptible with such subtlety and power that we were engaged to clap and cheer after a couple numbers. The first half of the set is particularly intense. Knowing that Neil managed to escape a near death aneurysm lends weight to his words. Recently, Neil's direct lyrics seemed almost naive. But this gentle descriptive song writing technique cuts right to the heart and soul. So much so that the older classics now seem hidden and shadowed. Sometimes somber, sometimes joyful, "Heart of Gold" should not be missed if in a theatre near you.--r.atkatsh