Celebration at Big Sur 1971. 88 minutes. 20th Century Fox Produced by Carl Gottlieb Directed by Baird Bryant and Johanna Dematrakas Filmed by Baird Bryant, Joan Churchill, Bill Kaplan, Peter Smokler, and Gary Weis. Music by Kit Kallonzes. Starring: Joan Baez, Carol Ann Cisneros, the Comb Sisters, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, the Edwin Hawkins Singers, Chris Ethridge, Mimi Fariņa, Flying Burrito Brothers, Joni Mitchell, Dorothy Morrison, Julie Payne, Greg Reeves, John Sebastian, Struggle Mountain Resistance Band, and Dallas Taylor. Reviewed in: New York Times, April 10, 1971. Los Angeles Times, May 4, 1971.

A musical documentary of the 1969 Big Sur Folk Festival. Producer Carl Gottlieb explained the film's aesthetic by saying Woodstock is like Ben Hur while Celebration at Big Sur is like Shoot the Piano Player. The former are spectacles, the latter are warmer and more intimate.

The only performance by Mimi is in a duet with fellow Committee comedienne Julie Payne as they sing "Tears of Fire." It's a beautiful song, but only about a minute of the performance is shown.

The film also includes home movie footage of Mimi frolicking in the grass in her wedding dress with her new husband, Milan Melvin. This footage is from the 1968 Big Sur Fest, when they were married, but over it we hear Joan singing "Sweet Sir Galahad" at the 1969 Big Sur Fest, and the effect of the two media together is like an early music video.

Aside from these two glimpses of Mimi, you can also see occasional flashes of her in the audience. She's wearing a red kimono matching Joan's, and she dances to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's performance of "Down By The River." It's unfortunate that the filmmakers accorded her such a minor role in this documentary.

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