It is not often that I review documentaries on this site. Part of the reason for this is that I am not as well acquainted with this area of film. That being said, I recently got some tickets to the 2015 summer tour of the Rolling Stones so I thought I'd revisit this exceptional documentary of their ill-fated 1969 tour.
It began as a typical tour documentary of one of the greatest and most popular musical groups of all time, it turned into something much more powerful and disturbing. The raw power of Gimme Shelter is its greatest asset. One gets the feeling that one is watching history unedited. The film is about the end of an era, the 1960s, but it is also the journey of one man, Mick Jagger. It is clear that if this is a theatrical tragedy then Jagger is our protagonist. His journey begins on stage in front of adoring fans and ends in a chilling freeze frame. Likewise, the 1960s and the counter-culture movement begin the piece with enthusiasm, but it all ends as the camera captures the concert-goers leaving Altamont speedway after tragedy has occurred.
The film builds to that tragedy, that will effect both our protagonist and the world around him, expertly. It is foreshadowed right from the start and this creates an increasing sense of dread. This dread is not shared by our protagonist on stage, who is shown greeting the audience while saying "welcome to the breakfast show" before breaking into a spirited performance of "Jumpin' Jack Flash". Jagger looks untouchable in this performance with his dance moves and his oscillating vocals. It is when these stop during the performance at Altamont that we really know tragedy has struck both off the stage and on. We further see a juxtaposition between the beginning and end when we are shown how Jagger reacts while watching a rough cut of the documentary. the look on his face sums everything up perfectly but is impossible to describe.
The film's power comes from both what it captures, but also from how it captures it. It feels gritty and real. While watching the extended coverage of Altamont I felt like I had been there. This ability to witness history is powerful, and in this case disturbing. Gimme Shelter perfectly tells the story of a man and his group, Jagger and the Stones, but it also tells the story of the end of an era. The fact that it does both so well is reason enough to recommend that everyone sees this move. Add to this the wonderful music that is played and you have a powerful and disturbing winner on all counts! 5/5!
It began as a typical tour documentary of one of the greatest and most popular musical groups of all time, it turned into something much more powerful and disturbing. The raw power of Gimme Shelter is its greatest asset. One gets the feeling that one is watching history unedited. The film is about the end of an era, the 1960s, but it is also the journey of one man, Mick Jagger. It is clear that if this is a theatrical tragedy then Jagger is our protagonist. His journey begins on stage in front of adoring fans and ends in a chilling freeze frame. Likewise, the 1960s and the counter-culture movement begin the piece with enthusiasm, but it all ends as the camera captures the concert-goers leaving Altamont speedway after tragedy has occurred.
The film builds to that tragedy, that will effect both our protagonist and the world around him, expertly. It is foreshadowed right from the start and this creates an increasing sense of dread. This dread is not shared by our protagonist on stage, who is shown greeting the audience while saying "welcome to the breakfast show" before breaking into a spirited performance of "Jumpin' Jack Flash". Jagger looks untouchable in this performance with his dance moves and his oscillating vocals. It is when these stop during the performance at Altamont that we really know tragedy has struck both off the stage and on. We further see a juxtaposition between the beginning and end when we are shown how Jagger reacts while watching a rough cut of the documentary. the look on his face sums everything up perfectly but is impossible to describe.
The film's power comes from both what it captures, but also from how it captures it. It feels gritty and real. While watching the extended coverage of Altamont I felt like I had been there. This ability to witness history is powerful, and in this case disturbing. Gimme Shelter perfectly tells the story of a man and his group, Jagger and the Stones, but it also tells the story of the end of an era. The fact that it does both so well is reason enough to recommend that everyone sees this move. Add to this the wonderful music that is played and you have a powerful and disturbing winner on all counts! 5/5!
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