erstokke To make a concert in addition of the usual soundtrack cd was a good idea. But this film doesn´t make it. It is a cheap, low quality attempt to squeeze more money out of "O Brother Where Art Thou".I like old time music and several of the artist in this concert are among my favorites. But the this concert on DVD is a big disappointment: - Picture: Hand-held cameras with a lot of camera shake and video-noise. And the cameramen doesn´t react to the music. For example when there is a solo by the great dobro-player Jerry Douglas, the camera is still focused on the singer for a while. - Sound: Sound is terrible. It is mostly done with two microphones on stage, which make the sound of many musicians disappear. The sound is harsh and sharp, and bass-notes cannot be heard. A year 2000 concert DVD with only 2 channel sound. - The music and the musicians: There are some great performances here, but mostly the concert is let down by the fact that the artists barely had any rehearsal.If you want to see what a good concert film should look and sound like, see James Taylor´s concert at the Beacon Theatre.

stalkofs I am watching this on DVD for the 5th time. I usually don't watch movies over and over again in a stretch, but this is a video album. This is down to earth video, introducing stars as people who become stars on stage but a bunch of talented people who give you a feeling they are you next door neighbors, approachable. The music is superb!I just feel there should have been more music on this though, but heck, it is great. Perhaps we can get more stuff like this. I like listening to CDs but I do like being brought close to the show, which is possible with todays set ups.

RHurley It's almost impossible to describe the colourful quality of this film, not because it has or lacks special merit in the normal measures of cinema, nor should it be so evaluated, but because it comes out of nowhere to reach parts of you that you don't expect a movie to reach.Co-incidentally, last June I drove to Charlottesville, VA to visit Monticello and see UVA. On that evening I stumbled into a performance of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at a local brewpub and had a very similar experience to that of the film. The music was just so good that it almost brought tears to my eyes. Like the firsthand joy of getting a glimpse into the souls of Welch and Rawlings, the footage of Down from the Mountain, especially the unpretentious commentary and dialogue between the performers, both onstage and behind the curtains, revealed their genuinely good nature. This greatly enhanced the earthy loveliness of some brilliant bluegrass.I would love to have been at this stunning concert, but sadly was not. Having missed it, I can perhaps take some comfort in the film's additional insights and experience that the live audience did not have. The camera work backstage might not win an Oscar, but accomplished much in capturing some of the character of its subjects. This added dimensions of warmth and appreciation to their performances which would be difficult to imagine that the audience could have shared.This is a film for music aficionados, not cinema buffs. Doubtless a film critic could find some artistic merit in the work, but it seems much safer to simply wholeheartedly recommend it as pure musical ecstasy.

Ell10tt Unfortunately, I missed the actual concert at the Ryman, despite the fact that I live in Nashville. My young son is a Coen Brothers fanatic, I always found their work to be slightly off target with respect to my own tastes.That was, until, I saw "O Brother..." which I saw several times. When "Down from the Mountain" was shown here in Nashville I also visited it several times.What music is shown is excellent, I'm a big fan of watching music being created-- I believe that seeing the performers interact adds a depth of understanding of the music. Unfortunately, not every song presented during the concert is in the film, but what's there was very satisfying.It looked like the film was shot on Digital Beta, or some video format and then transferred to film. As such, it looked a little flat, but the photography itself and the sound recording were both beyond reproach. I'm hoping when I get the DVD release of this film that they've skipped the film transfer and given me the pure video version.