Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006)

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Release Date:

11 May 2006 (Australia)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Tagline:

From the director of one of the greatest music movies ever - The Talking Heads' STOP MAKING SENSE

Plot:

A film shot over during a two-night performance by Neil Young at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. |

Plot Keywords:

Ryman Auditorium | Song | Singing | Country Music | Concert Film

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Neil Young	...	Himself
Emmylou Harris	...	Herself
Ben Keith	...	Himself
Spooner Oldham	...	Himself
Rick Rosas	...	Himself
Karl T. Himmel	...	Himself (as Karl Himmel)
Chad Cromwell	...	Himself
Wayne Jackson	...	Himself
Pegi Young	...	Herself
Grant Boatwright	...	Himself
Diana DeWitt	...	Herself
Gary W. Pigg	...	Himself (as Gary Pigg)
Anthony Crawford	...	Himself
Tom McGinley	...	Himself
Jimmy Sharp	...	Himself
Clinton Gregory	...	Himself
Larry Cragg	...	Himself
The Fisk University Jubilee Singers	...	Themselves (as Fisk University Jubilee Singers)
The Nashville String Machine	...	Themselves

Directed by
Jonathan Demme

Produced by
Paul Deason	....	co-producer
Jonathan Demme	....	producer
Gary Goetzman	....	executive producer
Tom Hanks	....	producer
Ilona Herzberg	....	producer
Mia Lee	....	associate producer
Elliot Rabinowitz	....	executive producer
Neil Young	....	executive producer (as Bernard Shakey)

Original Music by
Neil Young

Cinematography by
Ellen Kuras

Film Editing by
Andy Keir

Production Design by
Michael Zansky

Costume Design by
Manuel

Makeup Department
Linda Boykin-Williams	....	makeup artist
Linda Dees Briggs	....	makeup artist (as Linda Briggs)
Linda Demith	....	hair stylist (as Linda De Mith)
Georgia Dunn	....	makeup artist
Melinda Dunn	....	hair stylist
Sandy Jo Johnston	....	makeup artist
Anne Morgan	....	hair department head
Michelle Probst	....	makeup artist
Bron Roylance	....	makeup department head
Maria Verel	....	hair stylist: Ms. Harris
Maria Verel	....	makeup artist: Ms. Harris

Production Management
Christine Altomari	....	production supervisor: additional photography
Kelley Cribben	....	post-production supervisor
Paul Deason	....	unit production manager
Angela Heald	....	production supervisor
Greg Southard	....	production supervisor: Ryman Auditorium

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Greg Gilman	....	second assistant director
Anthony Hemingway	....	first assistant director (as Anthony M. Hemingway)

Art Department
Jackie Brooks	....	stagehand (as Jackie L. Brooks)
James Covington	....	master scenic artist
Jon Herd	....	stagehand
Cole Kiracofe	....	stagehand
Dennis S. Kusks	....	stagehand
Benjamin Qualls	....	stagehand
Robert E. Smith	....	stagehand

Sound Department
Les Banks	....	audio designer: Ryman Auditorium
Dave Bihldorff	....	sound re-recordist
Karen Brinton	....	studio manager
Tom Fleischman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Phil Gitomer	....	tape operator
David Hewitt	....	sound engineer (as Dave Hewitt)
Mark Humphreys	....	sound engineer
Dave Lohr	....	sound engineer (as David Lohr)
Sean McClintock	....	stage assistant
Christopher Newman	....	production sound mixer (as Chris Newman)
James Nichols	....	sound consultant: Dolby (as James P. Nicholas)
Igor Nikolic	....	assistant sound editor (as Igor Nikolic')
Rick Reith	....	audio engineer: Ryman Auditorium
J. Seeman	....	sound recordist
Paul Urmson	....	supervising sound editor
Allan Zaleski	....	sound editor (as Al Zaleski)
Mark Zimbicki	....	boom operator

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Agliata	....	camera operator
Terry Arthur	....	first company rigging grip
Bob Becchio	....	first assistant camera
Frank Bess	....	dolly grip operator
Jeffrey Blevins	....	lighting designer: Ryman Auditorium
Lawrence Boothby	....	camera operator: DV camera
David Butzler	....	electrician
Geb Byers	....	first assistant camera (as George Geb Byers)
Caesar Carnevale	....	second assistant camera (as Caesar S. Carnevale)
Fred Cooper	....	second company rigging grip
Gregg de Domenico	....	film loader (as Gregg De Domenico)
Jonathan Demme	....	camera operator: home movie footage
Jack Donnelly	....	camera operator
Tracy Facelli	....	film loader
Jay Feather	....	first assistant camera
Tonia Floyd	....	electrician
Richard Gioia	....	first assistant camera (as Rick Gioia)
Jeffry Gordon	....	grip
Beth Horton	....	film loader (as S. Beth Horton)
Kyle D. Hutson	....	electrician (as Kyle Hutson)
Milly Itzhak	....	camera loader
Mauriece Jacks Jr.	....	video assist operator
Bill Jackson	....	electrician
Tony C. Jannelli	....	camera operator (as Anthony Jannelli)
Daniel Keck	....	second assistant camera (as Dan Keck)
Alison Kelly	....	camera operator
Jerry D. Knight	....	electrician (as Jerry Knight)
Diane Koronkiewicz	....	first assistant camera (as Dianne Koronkiewicz)
Ellen Kuras	....	lighting designer
Steve Leiberman	....	lighting programmer
Charles Libin	....	camera operator (as Charlie Libin)
Michael Lyon	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Buford Manley	....	grip (as B. Manley)
Keith A. Markham	....	second company grip
John McAleer	....	first assistant camera
Kip McDonald	....	first assistant camera
David Mellow	....	first assistant camera
Mike Minor	....	grip
Peter Morello	....	first assistant camera
John C. Nadeau	....	chief lighting technician (as John Nadeau)
John C. Nadeau	....	lighting designer (as John Nadeau)
Ed Nessen	....	second assistant camera
Gino Nix	....	first company grip
Chris Norr	....	camera operator
Melissa O'Brien	....	second assistant camera (as Melissa C. O'Brien)
Christopher Patak	....	second assistant camera (as Chris Patak)
Declan Quinn	....	camera operator
Jeff Ravitz	....	lighting designer
Ken Regan	....	still photographer
Jimmy Joe Roche	....	camera operator: home movie footage
Kyle Rudolph	....	Steadicam operator
Daniel Sanders	....	video technician
Mark Schmidt	....	camera operator
Andrew Williamson	....	lighting technician: Vari*Lite
Keith Wissmar	....	lighting designer: concert lighting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joseph Cassell	....	costumer
Dianne Dunn	....	assistant costume designer
Rhonda Keaton	....	costumer
Amy Patterson	....	costumer
Kim Perrett	....	costumer (as Kimberly Rosen Perrett)
Kelly Anne Ross	....	costume supervisor (as Kelly Ross)

Editorial Department
Bill Baldwin	....	digital intermediate producer (as Billy Baldwin)
George Bunce	....	editor: IQ
Ethan Henerey	....	apprentice editor
Bert Hilaire	....	digital intermediate engineer
Jeff Huston	....	scanning and film recording
Beth Moran	....	assistant editor
Scot Olive	....	digital intermediate colorist
Matthew Reedy	....	digital intermediate producer
Corey Stewart	....	digital intermediate engineer
Bobbie Thomas	....	dailies colorist
Franklin Vargas	....	digital intermediate assistant (as Frankie Vargas)

Music Department
Nancy Allen	....	associate music editor
David Angel	....	musician: violin, The Nashville String Machine (as David Angell)
John Carbonara	....	assistant music editor
Rob Clark	....	associate music mixer
Charles Cochran	....	music arranger: The Nashville String Machine
Brandon Colvin	....	vocalist: bass, Fisk University Jubilee Singers
Larry Cragg	....	guitar tuner
Dave Davidson	....	musician: violin, The Nashville String Machine (as David Davidson)
Jermaine Dunn	....	vocalist: bass, Fisk University Jubilee Singers
Conni Ellisor	....	musician: violin, The Nashville String Machine
Carl Gorodetzky	....	contractor: The Nashville String Machine
Carl Gorodetzky	....	musician: violin, The Nashville String Machine
Jim Grosjean	....	musician: viola, The Nashville String Machine (as James Grosjean)
Chad Hailey	....	music mixer
John Hausmann	....	associate music mixer
Ben Keith	....	band leader
Jeremy Kelsey	....	vocalist: bass, Fisk University Jubilee Singers
Moiro Konchellah	....	vocalist: soprano, Fisk University Jubilee Singers
Paul T. Kwami	....	contractor: Fisk University Jubilee Singers (as Paul Kwami)
Paul T. Kwami	....	musical manager: Fisk University Jubilee Singers (as Paul Kwami)
Anthony La Marchina	....	musician: cello, The Nashville String Machine
Olivia Mack	....	vocalist: alto, Fisk University Jubilee Singers
Darwin Mason	....	vocalist: tenor, Fisk University Jubilee Singers
Tim Mulligan	....	associate music mixer
Carole Neuen-Rabinowitz	....	musician: cello, The Nashville String Machine
Suzana Peric	....	music editor (as Suzana Peric')
Hayley Reed	....	vocalist: alto, Fisk University Jubilee Singers
Craig Rocky Roberts	....	guitar tuner
Pam Sixfin	....	musician: violin, The Nashville String Machine (as Pamela Sixfin)
Angela Stockdale	....	vocalist: alto, Fisk University Jubilee Singers
Wesley Trigg	....	vocalist: tenor, Fisk University Jubilee Singers
Alan Umstead	....	musician: violin, The Nashville String Machine
Gary Vanosdale	....	musician: viola, The Nashville String Machine
Jantina Virgil	....	vocalist: soprano, Fisk University Jubilee Singers
Kristin Wilkinson	....	musician: viola, The Nashville String Machine

Transportation Department
Dave Hodgin Jr.	....	transportation co-captain
Harold Quillen	....	transportation captain
David Tinsley	....	supplier: classic cars

Other crew
Denny Adcock	....	researcher
Tara Anderson	....	photo assistant
Shari Sweet Audretch	....	office assistant
Shari Sweet Audretch	....	rehearsal assistant
Sean Bradley	....	production assistant
Keri Braswell	....	production assistant
Christopher Brown	....	production assistant
George Bunce	....	2K conform
Kelley Burlison	....	production assistant
Lisa Cofini	....	post-production auditor
Brenda Colladay	....	researcher
Christie Cox	....	production assistant
Lauren Dellolio	....	assistant: Mr. Demme
Brooklyn Demme	....	stage assistant
Josephine Demme	....	production associate
Ramona Demme	....	assistant: Ms. Herzberg
John Dowell	....	museum supervisor: Ryman Auditorium
Chris Silver Finigan	....	production auditor
Sarah Fleming	....	production assistant
Tim Foster	....	stage manager
Brian Gavron	....	events manager: Ryman Auditorium
George Gruhn	....	researcher
Courtney Ella Haley	....	runner: band
Jared Hardy	....	production assistant
Jared Hardy	....	stand-in
Richard Hoover	....	production assistant
Joanne Howard	....	production associate
Nathan Hughes	....	stage technician: Ryman Auditorium
Nick Jannelli	....	production assistant
Eric Johnson	....	tour manager
L.A. Johnson	....	visual coordinator (as Larry Johnson)
Shauna L. Kroen	....	first assistant auditor
Jerome Le Page	....	production associate
Chris Lesinski	....	production assistant
Bonnie Levetin	....	production associate
Amy Lewis	....	media coordinator: Ryman Auditorium
Edwin Lewis	....	stage technician: Ryman Auditorium
Sandy Liles	....	researcher (as Sandy Lile)
Holly Liter	....	accounting coordinator: Ryman Auditorium
Lucy Marshall	....	production assistant
Pam Matthews	....	general manager: Ryman Auditorium
Patrick McDonald	....	key set production assistant
Roxanne McIllwain	....	food and beverage manager: Ryman Auditorium
Roxanne McIllwain	....	retail manager: Ryman Auditorium
Bevin McNamara	....	title designer
Adam H. Miller	....	production assistant (as Adam Miller)
Wyatt Mims	....	stage technician: Ryman Auditorium
Jon Mire	....	manager: technical services: Ryman Auditorium
Cali Moore	....	production assistant
Regina Moore	....	production associate
Kenyon Noble	....	production assistant
John Nowland	....	studio manager
Erick Olmstead	....	production assistant
Bob O'Neal	....	operations manager: Ryman Auditorium
Erin O'Neill	....	talent coordinator
Wade Pinkston	....	box office supervisor: Ryman Auditorium
Mark Ragland	....	location manager
Steve Richard	....	stage technician: Ryman Auditorium
Todd Rowan	....	production assistant
Lindsey Scruggs	....	production assistant
George Smith	....	security supervisor: Ryman Auditorium
Thomas M. Somma	....	production assistant
Perry Sullivan	....	production assistant
Shannon Summers	....	production assistant
Sarah Beth Terry	....	production assistant
Bob Vergara	....	production associate
Peter Vogel	....	assistant production coordinator
Jayme Wagner	....	guest services assistant: Ryman Auditorium
G. Scott Walden	....	marketing manager: Ryman Auditorium
James Weems	....	production assistant
Meredith Weiss	....	production assistant
Sandra L. Yeary	....	payroll auditor
Lisa York	....	production assistant (as Lisa A. York)

Thanks
Ben Young	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Clinica Estetico
• Playtone (in association with)
• Shakey Pictures
• Shangri-La Entertainment

Distributors

• Paramount Vantage (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2006) (Finland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Alley Cats  craft service
• Armanda Costanza  cameras provided by
• Bandit Lites  cameras provided by
• Blackbird Studios  music mixed at
• C5  sound editorial services (as C5, Inc NY)
• Camera Service Center  cameras provided by
• Citation Film & Tape Support Inc.  cameras provided by (as Citation Support)
• DR&A  cameras provided by
• Kodak  motion picture film
• Postworks New York  dailies
• Postworks New York  digital intermediate facility (as Postworks, NY)
• Remote Recording Silver Truck  live music recording facilities
• Renaissance Nashville Hotel  special thanks
• Reprise Records  soundtrack
• Soundcheck  special thanks
• Soundtrack F/T  re-recorded at (as Soundtrack F/T NY)
• Tomkats Catering  catering (as Tomkats)
• Tootsie's Orchid Lounge  special thanks

Also Known As:

Prairie Wind (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some drug-related lyrics.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

UK:PG | Australia:G | Ireland:G | Sweden:Btl | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-3 | USA:PG (MPAA #42291)

Filming Locations:

Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Clinica Estetico

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Daily Show: (2006-03-08)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

It's A Dream

Sublime concert film

Neil Young turned 60 last year. It was not his easiest year. His father died, a man very dear to Young, the man who really started Young on his long musical career when he gave him an Arthur Godfrey ukulele when he was seven or so. To make a grievous year worse, Young was discovered to have a life threatening cerebral aneurysm and required two surgical procedures to correct it, operations that were sandwiched in between recording sessions for his newest album, "Prairie Wind." Nevertheless, he came back and, surrounded by his longtime favorite musician friends and others, gave a whale of a pair of concerts on August 18 and 19, 2005, at Nashville's fabled Ryman Auditorium, home to the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. Jonathan Demme and a first rate camera crew shot the show, and this film is the result.

Demme, better known to many for his narrative films, like "The Silence of the Lambs," "Philadelphia" and "Beloved," brings plenty of experience to making performance films as well. In 1984 he collaborated with David Byrne and Talking Heads to make the highly regarded concert film, "Stop Making Sense," and in 1998 he filmed a concert by Brit folk-soft rocker Robyn Hitchcock, "Storefront Hitchcock." He also filmed the late monologist Spalding Gray's "Swimming to Cambodia" in 1987, and has made short performance films and videos with Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. "Heart of Gold" opens with brief, informal interview segments with several of the band members and a few glimpses of Nashville in the vicinity of The Ryman. Then we cut to the chase, the concert itself, which has two segments.

In the first part, Young and his band perform all but one of the 10 numbers on the "Prairie Wind" album; after that, there's a series of Young's past hits. There's just one song written by somebody else, Young's fellow Canadian Ian Tyson's wistful 1963 ballad, "Four Strong Winds," which Young tells the audience was an inspiration to him when he was getting started in music at age 17 or so. The concert is beautiful in every respect. Young still can deliver in his distinctively soulful, mellow, plains roots manner, often shifting up an octave into falsetto, a trademark sound of his. The accompanying musical group and their arrangements are all marvelous.

The cinematography, a team effort led by DP Ellen Kuras ("I Shot Andy Warhol," "Bamboozled," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "No Direction Home - Bob Dylan"), is sublime. Camera angles are imaginative; the shots are simple and held long, never distracting the viewer's attention from the musicians; and the focus is always on the stage, no swoopy audience shots are allowed. The editing, by Andy Keir ("Mandela," Beloved," "The Secret Lives of Dentists," "Off the Map") is just as it should be for a musical performance film: not a single song is interrupted even once. Stage backdrops in lovely colors - muted yellows and ochres – enhance the visual effects.

The concert nicely balanced the new with the old in Young's music. If the fresh songs from "Prairie Wind" don't include any obvious blockbuster hits in the making, the uniform virtuosity with which they are written and delivered indicates that Young's talent is still very much intact. Before a song inspired by his 21 year old daughter, Young says he used to write numbers like this for women his own age when he was young, and "I've still got a few left in me." Maybe I'm starting a new genre now, though, one for "empty nester" songs, he goes on to say.

Young doesn't shy away from nostalgia here. And why should he? At 60, a survivor of a bad year, with a wondrous songbook behind him, it is that time in life for anyone to begin to be reflective. He talks about his much used guitar, which he bought from Grant Boatwright years ago. It once belonged to Hank Williams, who played it on the Ryman stage in his last appearance there in 1951.

For anyone whose formative or defining life experiences were, like mine, sometimes accompanied by Young's music – from his 1968 hit with Buffalo Springfield, "I Am a Child," and "Heart of Gold," in 1972, onward – this concert is sure to be emotionally compelling. For that matter, anyone who appreciates country-pop music, and the images of traditional Americana it evokes, cannot fail to find satisfaction watching this movie, satisfaction we also see in the faces of the players themselves, several of whom have worked with Young for 30 years or more, so glad to be back on stage with each other and with Young, their leader, feeling stronger again and healing.

With Emmylou Harris (vocals, guitar), Ben Keith (band leader, steel guitar), Spooner Oldham (keyboards), Rick Rosas (bass), Grant Boatwright (guitar), Karl T. Himmel and Chad Cromwell (drums), Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns (trumpet), Neil's wife Pegi Young (vocals, guitar), Anthony Crawford (vocals, guitar), Diana Dewitt (vocals), Gary Pigg (vocals), Tom McGinley (tenor sax), Jimmy Sharp (guitar, vocals), Clinton Gregory (fiddle), Larry Cragg (guitar, banjo, trombone, fiddle, vocals, broom), the Fisk University Singers and The Nashville String Machine. My grade: A 10/10.