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Gimme Shelter(1970 film)

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This article is about the 1970 documentary film. For other uses, seeGimme Shelter (disambiguation).
Gimme Shelter
Original film poster
Directed byAlbert and David Maysles
Charlotte Zwerin
Produced byPorter Bibb
StarringThe Rolling Stones
CinematographyAlbert and David Maysles
Edited byEllen Hovde
Charlotte Zwerin
Production
companies
Maysles Films
Penforta
Distributed byCinema 5
Release date
  • December 6, 1970(1970-12-06)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.6 million[1]

Gimme Shelteris a 1970 Americandocumentary filmdirected byAlbert and David MayslesandCharlotte Zwerinchronicling the last weeks ofThe Rolling Stones'1969 US tourwhich culminated in the disastrousAltamont Free Concertand thekilling of Meredith Hunter.The film is named after "Gimme Shelter",the lead track from the group's 1969 albumLet It Bleed.Gimme Shelterwas screened out of competition as the opening film of the1971 Cannes Film Festival.[2]

Context

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Thiscounterculture eradocumentary is associated with theDirect Cinemamovement of the 1950s and 1960s. It was directed by the Maysles Brothers who are strong figures of the era, as well as Charlotte Zwerin.[3]The movement revolves around the philosophy of being a "reactive" filmmaker, recording events as they unfold naturally and spontaneously rather than investigating the subject matter through documentary techniques such asinterviews,reconstruction andvoiceover.

Production

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The film depicts some of theMadison Square Gardenconcert later featured on the 1970 live album,Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert,as well asCharlie Wattsand a donkey filmed on the M6 motorway near Birmingham during a photography session for the album cover. It also shows the Stones at work inMuscle Shoals, Alabamarecording "Brown Sugar"and"Wild Horses",and footage ofIke and Tina Turneropening for the Stones at their Madison Square Garden concert, toMick Jagger's comment, "It's nice to have a chick occasionally."

The Maysles brothers filmed the first concert of the tour at Madison Square Garden in New York City. After the concert, the Maysles brothers asked the Rolling Stones if they could film them on tour, and the band agreed.

Much of the film chronicles the behind-the-scenes deal-making that took place to make the free Altamont concert happen, including much footage of well-known attorneyMelvin Bellinegotiating by telephone with the management of theAltamont Speedway.The movie also includes a playback ofHells AngelsleaderRalph "Sonny" Barger's famous call-in to radio stationKSAN's "day after" program about the concert, wherein he recalls, "They told me if I could sit on the edge of the stage so nobody could climb over me, I could drink beer until the show was over."

Altamont Free Concert

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Further information:Altamont Free Concert

The focus then turns to the 1969 concert itself at theAltamont Speedway,the security for which was provided by theHells Angels(armed withpool cues). As the day progresses, with drug-taking and drinking by the Angels and members of the audience, the mood turns ugly. Fights break out during performances byThe Flying Burrito BrothersandJefferson Airplane;Grace Slickpleads with the crowd to settle down. WhenMick Jaggerarrives to the grounds via helicopter, he is punched in the face by an unruly fan while making his way to his trailer.

At one point, Jefferson Airplane lead male singerMarty Balinis knocked out by a Hells Angel;Paul Kantnerattempts to confront "the people who hit my lead singer" in response, announcing: "Hey, man, I'd like to mention that the Hells Angels just smashed Marty Balin in the face, and knocked him out for a bit. I'd like to thank you for that." Hells Angel "Sweet William" Fritsch, sitting on stage, grabs a microphone and replies: "You're talking to my people. Let me tell you what's happening.You,man, you are what's happening! "Slick herself warns the Angels after they continue hitting people:" You don't hassle with anybody in particular. You gotta keep your bodies off each other unless you intend love. People get weird, and you need people like the Angels to keep people in line. But the Angels also— You know, you don't bust people in the head for nothing. So both sides are fucking up temporarily; let's not keep fucking up! "Jerry GarciaandPhil Lesharrive, but TheGrateful Deadopt not to play after learning of the incident with Balin from Santana drummerMichael Shrieve.(SantanaandCrosby, Stills, Nash, and Youngalso performed at the concert but are not shown in the movie.)

The Stones are shown appearing onstage that evening and perform "Sympathy for the Devil"as the tension continues to build. During the next song,"Under My Thumb",a member of the audience, 18-year-old Meredith Hunter, attempted, with other crowd members, to force his way onto the stage, and as a result was struck by the Hells Angels guarding the band. Hunter then drew a revolver before being attacked by Hells Angel Alan Passaro and was killed by at least six stab wounds.Hunter's stabbingwas captured on film by at least one of the many camera operators filming the documentary, and appeared in the final cut of the film. According to Albert Maysles, the stabbing was filmed byBaird Bryant;other sources have also credited Eric Saarinen.[4][5]The film sequence clearly shows the dark silhouette of a handgun in Hunter's hand against the crocheted vest of his girlfriend, Patty Bredehoft, as Passaro enters from the right, grabs and raises Hunter's gun hand, turns Hunter around, and stabs him at least twice in the back before pushing Hunter off camera.

The credited camera operators for Altamont included a youngGeorge Lucas.[6]At the concert, Lucas' camera jammed after shooting about 100 feet (30 m) of film. None of his footage was incorporated into the final cut.[7]

Critical reception

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As of 2023, the film holds a score of 94% onRotten Tomatoesbased on 31 ratings, with an average rating of 9.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads "Equal parts essential and chilling,Gimme Shelterprovides a spine-tingling look at how the Rolling Stones' music paralleled the end of the counterculture movement. "On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 based on 12 critic reviews, indicating" universal acclaim ".[8]

In a 1971 review forThe Miami News,Susan Brink wrote that it was a "beautiful, honest film."[9]

Songs performed

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The Rolling Stones

Ike and Tina Turner

Jefferson Airplane

  • "The Other Side of This Life" (at Altamont)

Flying Burrito Brothers

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987).American film distribution: the changing marketplace.UMI Research Press. p. 296.Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  2. ^"Festival de Cannes: Gimme Shelter".festival-cannes.Retrieved2009-04-13.
  3. ^Dave Saunders, Direct Cinema: Observational Documentary and the Politics of the Sixties, Wallflower Press, 2007
  4. ^McCreadle, Marsha (2008).Documentary Superstars: How Today's Filmmakers Are Reinventing the Form.New York: Allworth Press. p. PT35.ISBN9781581157208.
  5. ^"Baird Bryant".The Los Angeles Times.16 November 2008.Retrieved3 January2010.
  6. ^Marc Myers (16 November 2010)."The Rolling Stones at the Altamont Speedway - WSJ".WSJ.
  7. ^Sabulis, Tom (5 November 1989). "Rock Nightmare Twenty Years Ago Altamont Marked the End of An Era".The Chicago Tribune.p. 5.
  8. ^"Gimme Shelter (1970)".Rotten Tomatoes.6 December 1970.RetrievedSeptember 10,2020.
  9. ^Brink, Susan (1971-01-19)."'Gimme Shelter'--a beautiful, honest film ".The Miami News.p. 17.Retrieved2021-07-11.

References

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