In the autumn of 1969 the country was still feeling the contact high left over from Woodstock earlier that summer. Then along comes the worlds largest and most famous hard blues band The Rolling Stones. They pictured a west coast Woodstock. In some aspects they succeed. Unfortunately they were all the wrong aspects. First off there was a gross misunderstanding of how many people would be attending both festivals. The venue was expected to hold 50-100 thousand fans. Estimates are over 300 thousand attended. Traffic was backed up for miles. It is reported that it took almost a week to get the traffic flow back to normal after the show. Another more serious screw up was concerning security. Woodstock was a free-for-all. The local police, state, and federal agents tried at first to contain the madness, but ultimately succumbed to it. At Altamont the Hells Angels were brought in to police the crowd. The film shows the brutal beating they inflicted on those in attendance. Altamont recorded two births, 1 homicide (documented in the movie) and three accidental deaths. One of which drowned in a storm drain overfilled with human waste.
This film works on many different levels. It is absolutly a time capsule. I would love to sit down with the people being documented today and get their opinions now that over 30 years has past. The flower child movement was in full swing. Naked bodies were gyrating around everywhere you looked. And drugs. Oh the drugs. There were no shortages of every mind altering drug one could imagine. Nor were there a shortage of people willing to consume those drugs. This film has some of the most surreal moments I can think of. I laughed out loud at Jerry Garcia (the lead singer of The Great Full Dead) saying "This is weird". How screwed up is something when members of The Dead think that things are "weird"?
The film cuts in and out of a recording studio where members of the Rolling Stones are watching footage of the happenings from that night on stage. With in this, the Maysles present a brilliant documentary. They seem to have their cameras in just the right place at just the right time. If you have ever seen a Maysles brother film you know there is no narration or imposed story lines. They are not interested in getting a point across. They simply present the material. It is up to the viewer to construct whatever narrative you want. They are sorta the anti-Michael Moore. In this film they succeed in glorious fashion. This is now my favorite "Rock Doc". Sorry The Last Waltz.
The music in Gimme Shelter is good, but there are constant interruptions when fights break out in the crowd. If you are interested in a film solely for the music I suggest you check out Ladies and Gentlemen. The Stones Doc I reviewed last month. The music in that film is more solid and recorded better. If however you are interested in a full cinematic experience then this is the film for you. I enjoy documentaries and have tremendous respect for those who make them. In particular when you can express a personal style and artistic touches within a documentary without taking away from or imposing anything on your subject matter. The Maysles are masters of this. The film is shot beautifully. The camera work is loose but skillful. There is a constant feeling of chaos and uncertainty, all the while an undercurrent of control exists.
Gimme Shelter is close to being a perfect film. I would easily give it 4.5/5 stars. And I'll cross my fingers for the Criterion Collection DVD of this movie to be under my Christmas tree this year. For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPNeh4d9guk
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