I'm slowly making my way through Hal Ashby's filmography, shaking my head and wondering what could have been if this genius had lived a little longer. This film is based on the protest singer Woody Guthrie's autobiography. It shows his life in middle America before he was known, his struggle to reach California, his early musical career, his support of the workers and the unions (a commie bastard in many people's eyes.) Some scenes of migrant workers arriving in California, and the treatment they received, are very reminiscent of the arrival of jews at concentration camps. Scenes of Woody playing music with his friends, of young women strumming their guitars in the migrant worker camps, catch the viewer by surprise with their simple beauty. Ashby told stories that he cared about, about people who were unique and otherworldly. Although this film lacks a strong plotline, it's never boring; and some scenes, especially the ones involving music, are gorgeous.