Neil Young is kind of unreliable. His discography is littered with failures and confusing experiments, including an industrial album, 1983's "Trans." Young's music career, now in its fifth decade, has seen itself a lonely singer-songwriter, a rowdy fellow with an electric guitar and even a brief stint in rockabilly. The film "Neil Young: Heart of Gold" admirably captures the artist in his current mood - an aging folk-rocker with some stories to tell.
"Heart of Gold," a live concert film named for Young's 1972 number one hit song of the same name, was recorded in August 2005. Five months prior, Young discovered he had a brain aneurysm. Unaware whether he would live or die after surgery, he went to Nashville, Tenn., to record material for a new album, "Prairie Wind." The album, performed in "Heart of Gold," after Young recovered from surgery in April, is something of a retrospective, with Young singing about his youth and the rest of his 61 years.
Songs from "Prairie Wind" make up the first half of the film. Without extensive exposure to the album, it is still a joy to watch. Directed by Jonathan Demme, who also directed the Talking Heads' 1983 concert film "Stop Making Sense," the film forces itself onto the viewer. The eight cameras Demme set up around Nashville's Ryman Auditorium capture every bit of emotion fixed in Young's face. Young's nasal yet remarkably resilient vocals sound perfect against the un-abrasive instrumentation. Without prior knowledge of "Prairie Wind," it's easier to pay attention to the composition of the film.
With Young's linen suit and white hat, the western-style costumes of the background singers (Emmylou Harris and Young's wife, Pegi Young), and the ever-changing prairie-themed backdrops, it is easy to be transported to Young's "Canadian prairie home." However, the backdrops are occasionally changed mid-song, taking away from an otherwise flawless shot.
Young's brief but frequent bouts of storytelling are welcome. The music veteran speaks of his recently deceased father's dementia and the time he got his first guitar, sometimes in barely understandable half-sentences.
After completing his "Prairie Wind" set, Young turns to some old favorites. He stands alone onstage to play "I Am a Child," a song from his days with 1960s counterculture outfit Buffalo Springfield. Eventually the entire cast makes it back onstage for a cover of Ian Tyson's "Four Strong Winds" that includes about ten guitars and only slightly fewer vocalists.
As the credits run, Young sits on stage alone and begins playing "Old Laughing Lady" (from his self-titled 1969 solo debut). The theater audience is transfixed, save for the loud sighing of a man a few rows back. When he finishes, the Ryman Auditorium is completely quiet. Only the unplugging of Young's amplifier and his footsteps are audible, the markings of a man who has said his piece.
