March 14, 2002

Posted March 14, 2002

The first version of an important new biographical film about Joni has been scheduled for broadcast in two weekly installments on the series Life and Times, on Canada's CBC-TV. Joni personally approved and was interviewed for the project and is currently viewing the latest edits of the two-hour program, titled "Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now, and Then." In addition to the interviews with Joni and her family, the exhaustively researched and thoughtfully produced bio features interviews with (among others) Elliott Roberts, David Geffen, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Neil Young and Joel Bernstein (who also contributed many of his photographs for use in the production). Instead of using a narrator, Joni's story will be told through the interviews.

If you're wondering when you'll get a chance to see the show, the timing's going to be a little tricky -- it all depends on where you are. If you're in Canada, you can see the first version on Life & Times in just two weeks; you'll see an expanded version later in the year (probably November) if you're in the States. Why is this happening? Well, the initial plan was for a two hour program that would air later this year, but when CBC-TV requested a one-hour edit of the show for March broadcast, the filmmakers stepped up the timetable to accommodate the network. When CBC-TV saw how well done the program was (and, of course, how compelling Joni's story is), they wanted to run two hours. Preparations for the Canadian telecast, expedited even when only one hour of programming had been requested, accelerated to breakneck speed in order to effectively service the network's planned March 26 broadcast date, and are still in process. After the Life & Times version is ready to go, work will continue on the slightly longer final version of the program.

CBC-TV's respected biography series Life & Times is now in its sixth season, focusing on the lives of famous Canadians. The CBC website says "Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now, and Then" will air in two episodes on the program: Part One on March 26, and Part Two on April 2, at 7 PM.

Life & Times is hosted by writer/actor Ann-Marie MacDonald, who was also a co-host at the "World Leaders Festival" Hommage program to Joni last October. "I'm a documentary junkie, and people's stories fascinate me, both because of what they choose to reveal and what they reveal quite unconsciously," says MacDonald on the CBC site. "I like being surprised by a story that I thought I knew - I like finding out that I didn't really know it after all."

An interesting footnote: Earlier on this year's Life & Times schedule, one of the profiles was of Toller Cranston, the figure skating champion who appears on the cover of Joni's Hejira album.

In the States, viewers have to wait until later in the year when the program airs on American Masters, the acclaimed PBS series created in 1984 as "both a celebration and an exploration of creativity in America." We'll hopefully get to see "Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now, and Then" in November. Patience brings rewards: Since PBS devotes 10-13 minutes more to programming per hour than CBC-TV, U.S. viewers can expect to see an expanded version of the Life & Times show. Instead of being split into one-hour installments, the American Masters version will be one continuous program, two hours in length. I'll post more information on the American Masters broadcast as the air date nears.

A DVD of the program is also expected, although a release date hasn't been announced. This should be welcome news for Joni's many fans who live in places other than North America, as no broadcast information for other parts of the world is available.

Whichever version you see, "Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now, and Then" is going to be a must for any Joni fan. The filmmakers genuinely care about the project, Joni's personally involved, and great care is being taken to create an informative, accurate and entertaining program. And needless to say, Joni's life tells an inspiring, thought-provoking story that is perfect subject matter for a film bio. I, for one, can't wait!