Big Sur is a rocky outcrop of the Pacific coastline, Esalen Institute was a failing tourist resort until two brothers transformed it into the culture leading hippy headshop.
Esalen wasn't a comparative religion centre, as another reviewer stated, it was about weed, LSD, free sex, sometimes in the sulphurous spa baths and the Human Potential movement, principally Gestalt Therapy with the irascible, resident and unwanted resident psychologist Fritz Perls who liked to have intimate encounters with the people who took part in his group therapy. The "me" generation was born there and what a mess they have made of our Society. The CIA partially funded Esalen and some of the people who would be President Gorbachev's advisors were given weed and LSD there, they went on to bring down the Iron Curtain.
As a social document it's funny and appealing, I laughed out loud at the hot long haired ladies doing the now well-known willow and 5 rhythms style dancing, let it all hang out baby. And at the teacher who had discovered LSD and wouldn't control his "freak", his own words, in the classroom - guess we are seeing a lot of that nowadays too. And the guy waving a silver star around with a blue face.....ah to be young.
Musically, the highlights were Joni Mitchell singing "Woodstock", her voice and beauty are still astonishing and undimmed with familiarity. Then the climax, unquestionably was a monster 3 way guitar jam with Stills, Crosby and Neil Young, with Graham Nash on keyboards and the Deja Vu backing band, of Greg Reeves and Dallas Taylor, thank goodness someone finally got down to some rocking - cut - their incendiary solo (seriously the only time things warmed up) was edited out and we went back to the Sister Act of Joan (what a warble) Baez, fronting a gospel choir wearing a purple tent-like dress.....like I know Positively 4th Street wasn't written by Dylan about her, but really if you watch the film you will feel these words:
"Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is to see you" Joan Baez. So after all that we get a gospel medley of Oh Happy Day which made me want to hurl, but where people look genuinely happy and I think, maybe they were onto something after all and it was pure and lovely. Maybe it was. Maybe I am bitter cos I missed it, but the hippies despite their hope and joy were insufferable weren't they? Anyway, Altamont happened at the end of 1969 and the beautiful part of the flower power era was already over.