The film: Just when you thought the concept-album movie that gave rise to The Who's Tommy and Pink Floyd's The Wall was dead and buried, legendary Canadian rocker Neil Young has resurrected the genre in a more

lucid fashion.

Greendale, based on last year's album of the same name, is a hybrid of the movie musical and music video, with each scene working as a companion piece to the CD tracks.

Owners of the album will be familiar with the story of Greendale, a fictional rural American town with a cast of seemingly everyday characters. At the heart of the story is the Green family. Matriarch Edith Green (played by the musician's wife, Peggi Young) and her husband, Earl (James Mazzeo), have a teenager daughter, Sun (Sarah White). When Sun's cousin Jed (Eric Johnson) commits a serious crime, it impacts on the lives of the Greens, having its biggest influence on Sun.

The cast consists mostly of friends and staff of Young, who has a brief but hilarious cameo as a washed-up Wayne Newton-type character.

Greendale doesn't stray far from familiar Young territory, touching on corporate greed, intrusive media, the futility of war, environmental issues, struggles of the common man, and how one misstep can change a life irrevocably.

As you'd expect from a maverick such as Young, the film is a low-budget, handheld affair shot mainly on grainy Super-8. Young took on the duties of cameraman and director, although the latter is officially credited to his occasional pseudonym 'Bernard Shakey' (Young/Shakey wrote and directed 1982's wacky Human Highway, which starred new wave heroes Devo).

Acted by amateurs, with no dialogue to speak of, Greendale is an enjoyable journey through America's twisted heartland. Young uses his slightly askew creative eye to spice up many scenes - Satan, for instance, is portrayed as a dancing, harmonica-playing scoundrel clad in a Panama hat and red sneakers.

The extras: A humorous 'making of' segment in which Young discusses in-depth how Greendale evolved from an idea, to songs, an album, and eventually a movie. Clips of Young and long-suffering backing band Crazy Horse laying down the tracks in the studio, in addition to concert footage from last year's world tour, are sure to please fans.

The verdict: A great accompaniment to a fine album. The liner notes - which feature Young's thoughts at the time

he wrote each track - enhance the

viewing experience.

As the man himself explains: 'Most movies you look at and listen to the music. This one here, you listen to the music and watch the movie.'