West Coast pride aside, Monterey Pop came first, having introduced Hendrix and The Who (not to mention Janis Joplin) to American audiences a good two years before Woodstock's four entrepreneurs floated the idea of having their own, East Coast version. But if you're a stickler for numbers, Woodstock was bigger, and the images — thanks to Michael Wadleigh's 1970 Oscar-winning documentary of the same name — of those 32 bands on that fateful three-day weekend are forever etched, from damn, dirty hippies standing knee-deep in mud and bathing in a lake to Hendrix's electrified “Star-Spangled Banner” at dawn. And let's not forget Santana's “Soul Sacrifice,” easily a festival highlight (West Coast!). With an introduction by Hal Lifson, author of 1966! The Coolest Year in Pop Culture History, the American Cinematheque screens a 40th anniversary director's cut of Woodstock, featuring more than 40 minutes of extended and never-before-seen performances by Canned Heat, Jefferson Airplane, Joplin and Hendrix.

Fri., Aug. 28, 7:30 p.m., 2009

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