In-depth review of the Criterion Collection edition of this seminal rock-concert film:

Though it seems much farther away in time, 41 years ago on a soft day in June some 200,000 people arrived in Monterey, California, to experience the first and only Monterey International Pop Festival. Organized as a charity event, the festival brought together an eclectic mix of the hottest rock ‘n’ roll and R&B talent, of whom only a small portion would make the final cut of this film.

Festival producers Lou Adler (a music legend who worked with everyone from Sam Cooke to Led Zeppelin) and John Phillips (leader of the Mamas and Papas) were prescient enough to realize that the historical significance of this event demanded a recorded document. They hired documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker (fresh off his success with the Dylan chronicle Don’t Look Back), and secured production money from ABC Television. Yes, Monterrey Pop almost became a made-for-TV movie (more on that in a moment).

Read more:

http://cinemauprising.blogspot.com/2008/12/monterey-pop-at-41-from-criterion.html