Neil Young: Heart of Gold - Austin American-Statesman movie review

'Heart of Gold' puts the audience onstage with Neil Young

By TOM LABINSKI
Austin American-Statesman

After a serious health scare last year, Neil Young emerged with a new album filled with some of his most personal and autobiographical songs of his 40-plus year career. As is typical for Young, "Prairie Wind" is all over the emotional map: joyous, wistful, melancholy, playful, hopeful.

Paramount Classics

'Neil Young: Heart of Gold'

4 out of 5 stars

The verdict: Demme gets to the heart — and soul — of Young's music.

Director: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Neil Young, Emmylou Harris
Run time: 140 minutes
Release date: Feb. 10, 2006
Rating: PG for some drug-related lyrics.

Meet the director
Director Jonathan Demme describes his relationship with Neil Young as one of creative partners.

On the web
Official movie site

In filming "Neil Young: Heart Of Gold," director Jonathan Demme has matched his subject mood-for-mood, creating one of the most intimate concert movies imaginable. So much so, that it's not really a concert film.

You won't find the mandatory shots of crowd members singing along or swaying to the music. In fact, you never see the audience. Nor do you get the typical quick edits from musician to musician to hasten the pace when things languish on the stage.

Instead, Demme ("The Silence of the Lambs," "Philadelphia") practically puts his film audience on the stage. The camera captures mostly extreme closeups, and lingers on the musicians long past the point you're accustomed to seeing. It also catches knowing on-stage glances and details of picks-on-strings that even those in the front row would not be able to see.

And unlike a typical concert, each song features a different configuration of musicians, backdrops and lighting. During "It's a Dream," Demme focuses squarely on Young's face as he sits at the piano, with the silhouettes of violinists casting an ethereal backdrop to Neil's tale of scattered childhood memories.

The documentary was filmed in August at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium (formerly the Grand Ole Opry) shortly after Young was successfully treated for a potentially fatal brain aneurysm. He enlists many of his longtime musician friends — including wife Pegi, Ben Keith, Emmylou Harris and Spooner Oldham — to perform nine of the 10 "Prairie Wind" songs. The second half of the film is an extended encore of Young and friends performing a batch of his greatest acoustic hits, including standout versions of "Comes a Time," "Four Strong Winds," "One of These Days" and, of course, "Heart of Gold."

Fans who like their Neil Young electric and loud won't find much to cheer here, save for a reading of "No Wonder" that reaches some Crazy Horse-like intensity. But most fans will be thankful that despite his recent health scare, Young is not quite ready to fade away.