Directed by:
Murray LernerCast:
Kris Kristofferson, Leonard Cohen, Roger Daltrey, Tiny Tim, Paul Rodgers, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Cox, Keith Emerson, Pete Townshend, Joan Baez, Rory Gallagher (more)Plots(1)
MESSAGE TO LOVE: THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL is a vital historical document that depicts a climate in which the boundless hippie optimism of the 1960s was about to be chewed up and spit out by the materialistic capitalism of the 1970s. Poorly organized by three upstart concert promoters, the festival brought together 600,000 music fans for a star-studded five-day event. Unfortunately, not many of the festival attendees bothered to purchase tickets, and the resulting dramas kept the concert from becoming the free-and-easy event that people dreamed it would be. While the lineup reads like a who's who of the era's greatest artists--The Who, Free, Taste, Tiny Tim, John Sebastian, Donovan, Ten Years After, The Moody Blues, Kris Kristofferson, Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, Leonard Cohen, ELP, Joan Baez, Jethro Tull, The Doors, and more--the overlying tensions threatened to drown out the music itself. That said, the show had its standout moments, including what would turn out to be the final stage performance of Jimi Hendrix. Ultimately, director Murray Lerner was aiming for something greater than mere musical reverie, and the finished product reflects that, including several heated exchanges between the promoters and angry managers. The final Isle of Wight festival was not simply a financial fiasco. It spoke of a much greater loss, the loss of a generation's innocence. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Kris Kristofferson
USA
Best movies:
Payback (1999)
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)
We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash (2012) (concert)
Leonard Cohen
Canada
Roger Daltrey
UK
Best movies:
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert (1992) (concert)
The Who: At Kilburn 1977 (1977) (concert)
The Who: Tommy - Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2017) (concert)
Tiny Tim
USA
Best movies:
Private Parts (1997)
Blood Harvest (1987)
Paul Rodgers
UK
Jimi Hendrix
USA
Best movies:
Psych-Out (1968)
Pete Townshend
UK
Best movies:
The Who: At Kilburn 1977 (1977) (concert)
The Who: Tommy - Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2017) (concert)
The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979) (theatrical recording)
Joan Baez
USA
Best movies:
Taylor Swift: The 1989 World Tour Live (2015) (concert)
Rory Gallagher
Ireland
Keith Moon
UK
Best movies:
The Who: At Kilburn 1977 (1977) (concert)
Tommy (1975)
200 Motels (1971)
Robby Krieger
USA
Best movies:
The Doors (1991)
John Densmore
USA
Joni Mitchell
Canada
Ric Lee
UK
Martin Barre
UK
John Entwistle
UK
Best movies:
The Who: At Kilburn 1977 (1977) (concert)
The Concert for New York City (2001) (concert)
Tommy (1975)
Donovan
UK
Best movies: