AnhartLinkin
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Voxitype
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Jakoba
True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.
kohntarkosz
The movie could theoretically be released on DVD, if someone can be bothered to work out all the legalities of getting the footage of all the different bands cleared.But an "expanded" edition is impossible. In one of the Grateful Dead books I have, it's said that the director had filmed entire performances by the various bands, and had always intended to make a sequel, but could never get funding to do so. He carried this footage around with him, every time he moved, but eventually reached a point during the 80's when he could no longer afford to pay for the storage fees. So he was forced to junk all of his outtake footage.
stephen-357
An excellent in your face documentary about 60's rock promoter Bill Graham that chronicles the last days of his Fillmore West which he closed in 1971 along with the Fillmore East a while later. FILLMORE gives us a no nonsense look at the music business after the nirvana of the 1960's had evaporated. The musical groups that flourished in the open San Francisco atmosphere and elsewhere during the mid to late 60's, became "authoritarian", corrupted by power bought with success and money. When love of music became secondary to egos and business interests, Graham decided to get out of the business. And so after watching the daily drudgery of Graham having to deal with prima Donnas, the threat of cancellations and broken agreements, it's easy to see why he wanted out. On the other hand, when talented musicians like Boz Scaggs, Carlos Santana, Elvin Bishop and Jerry Garcia take the stage to do their thing, it's easy to see why he got into the business in the first place.
lordguano
This movie is a precious time-capsule that is, unfortunately, out of print on home video. The terrific performances from the likes of Boz Scaggs, Santana, Jefferson Airplane and particularly the Grateful Dead each at their respective peaks, would be reason enough to celebrate this film... But they almost pale in comparison to the portrait of the magnetic pioneering rock impresario Bill Graham and his immortal magical San Fransiscan rock palace, the Fillmore West.In 1971, Graham decided the time had come to close the doors to the fabled concert hall (and it's NYC counterpart, The Fillmore East) due to what he candidly describes as the egos of the performers having run amuck. This now-rarely seen documentary gives us a glimpse into the hassles and headaches (and joy) Graham experiences while trying to put together the lineup of acts for this final week of shows at the Fillmore. Footage of Graham doing dances to accommodate the needs of this performer or meet the demands of that agent illustrate his sense of disillusionment with the "business" in fascinating detail.While the split screen techniques applied here are derivative of the ground breaking work by Mike Wadleigh and company on the Woodstock film project, the subject matter in Fillmore is sufficient to set this movie apart from most other such films of the time. The only question remains is, who owns the rights to this film and why hasn't it been mastered in wide screen for DVD and home video yet?
Nozz
The music of the Fillmore West closing concert is interspersed with a bit of documentary about Bill Graham. The music isn't reproduced too well (if I can judge by my cable-tv reception), and there is evidently a split screen that is lost (or more irritatingly, almost lost) in the video version. But Bill Graham is fascinating, there are some unjustly-forgotten musical groups such as Cold Blood, and we're reminded that once upon a time Jefferson Airplane did harmonies and Santana was a group, not a guru.
