Movie/DVD Review

If you missed Neil Young’s tour last summer in support of Greendale and are looking for a way to catch up with his rock opera via the release of Greendale the movie, there are a few things you should know:

1) You can never catch up with Neil Young

2) Seeing Young in a live setting is the best way to begin to understand his art

3) They don’t call him “Shakey” for nothing.

Filmed almost entirely by Young with his own “shaky” Super 8 underwater camera, Greendale the movie, produces an amateur view of small town America; it is sometimes as interesting as the 3rd verse of Zuma’s “Cortez the Killer” and other times as boring as most of Young’s musical catalog in the 1980s. But let’s get one thing straight, the 58-year-old Canadian rocker had a lot of fun with the project, and that’s got to count for something.

So if you did miss the live version of Greendale (and you can’t really replace that experience with this film), be thankful—Young does give you a chance to fully understand the storyline. For all the concertgoers who complained that they didn’t hear enough “hits” on the road last summer, that Young sabotaged them into buying high priced tickets to see what was basically a low budget high school play, Young plays it straight down the line with the presentation of this DVD. Even before watching the movie, the viewer can educate him or herself with the “Greendale family tree” and even read character bios. My suggestion would be to spend the time to read through this material before hitting the “play movie” button. Studying the family tree and getting familiar with Sun, Earl, and Edith Green is a good way to break the ice with Young’s fictitious town.

Once you do begin watching the actual movie, you’ll have plenty of time to live with these characters, as they lip-synch Young’s lyrics. The film beings with Grandpa Green (Ben Keith) and Jed Green (Eric Johnson) sitting on the porch, reading the paper, and enjoying the simple things in life. It is here where Young captures the central theme of the movie in one scene—the wobbly camera focuses on Grandpa as he tells Jed and Sun Green (Sarah White) that “a little love and affection in everything you do can make the world a better place.” The world, as Young films it through a shaky, grainy picture, is seen in the beginning as a place where simplicity is king.

However, the world is not so simple in Greendale. Cops are shot, drugs are sold, and the devil roams the sidewalks. Lenore, a character not fully revealed in the album or in the live concert performance, is shown here as a slick art gallery owner who owns the spotlight, only to have many secrets herself. Young connects Lenore with Earl Green, who can’t seem to get Lenore to like one of his paintings, and Officer Carmichael, who, after his murder, is found to have made secret dealings with Lenore. Judging from the film, the devil (also played by Eric Johnson), is responsible for all the mischief that eventually unfolds.

The one character—and star of Greendale—who is able to leave the mess is Sun Green, daughter of Edith and Earl Green. Sun is an activist who is shown throughout the film studying a book titled How To Use the Media and taking notes on Alaska. We see her dancing, making anti-war statements out of hay, and calling out corporate greed; she is obviously one of Greendale’s and Young’s heroes. And as the film ends with the anthemic “Be The Rain,” we see her calling out for everyone’s help—something that seems to be on Young’s mind—that everyone must do their part.

If you did see Greendale on the road last summer, the film might seem somewhat of an afterthought. Sun Green just might not seem as vibrant on your TV screen as she did onstage with her megaphone. But the DVD does also feature a live video of “Be The Rain,” filmed at Red Rocks, and a “making of” segment that features Young’s wife, Pegi, his daughter, Amber, and many other members of the cast that get you behind the scenes. Most notably, you see Young, maybe as happy as you’ll ever see him. My guess is that if you already own Young’s other films, that you’ll definitely want this one on your shelf.