This seminal docu of the Rolling Stones free concert, in which a black youth was stabbed by Hell's Angels, raises crucial questions about cinema verite style, moral ambiguity, complicity, and mass behavior.
Gimme Shelter (1970)
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Reviews Counted:18
Fresh:18
Rotten:0
Average Rating:9.2/10
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Synopsis: This documentary of the Rolling Stones' 1969 US tour has become a legendary, harrowing symbol of the tragic demise of the "Peace and Love" era. After a successful tour across the United States, the... This documentary of the Rolling Stones' 1969 US tour has become a legendary, harrowing symbol of the tragic demise of the "Peace and Love" era. After a successful tour across the United States, the Rolling Stones gave a free December concert at Altamont Speedway in California with the Grateful Dead (not seen performing), Ike and Tina Turner, Jefferson Airplane, and the Flying Burrito Brothers (all seen performing one song each). The poorly planned show was fraught with problems from its inception. The band unwisely selected the Hells Angels motorcycle club to provide security, and after the pre-existing chaos was fueled by very visible alcohol and drug abuse, the bikers resorted to violence to keep the stoned, restless, and often naked crowd in line. The result: dozens of injuries and the on-screen stabbing of a young African-American man (during "Sympathy for the Devil," no less) by one of the concert's "staff security." In a manipulative but effective move, the Maysles brothers and Charlotte Zwerin filmed Mick Jagger in the editing room witnessing the on-camera murder for the first time. But aside from that unexpected drama, the film also works as a rock-and-roll document, capturing the band at their most relaxed, intoxicating, and electrifying. [More]
Starring: Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Ike Turner, Tina Turner
Starring: Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Ike Turner, Tina Turner, Marty Balin, Melvin Belli, Paul Kantner, Grace Slick
Director: David Maysles, Albert Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin
Director: David Maysles, Albert Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin
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Reviews for Gimme Shelter
The most fascinating aspect about the film is how it traces the anatomy of the disaster that was Altamont.
Though upsetting, the film remains an eye-opening eyewitness report on the counterculture experience in its decline.
This look at the Rolling Stones' disastrous concert at Altamont is so chilling it will prevent anyone from ever looking back at the 1960s with rose-colored glasses.
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
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| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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