esrosedotblog

SEX, DRUGS, AND.....

I have never been much of a fan of the 'world's greatest rock and roll band" aka The Rolling Stones.

I didn't like their anarchy and violence thing.

Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was the Maysle Brothers'

Gimme Shelter (1970).

The Maysles had the good (or bad) luck to film the 1969 tour of the Stones in which the Altamont free concert disaster occurred. They center their documentary around the event; handed to them on a silver platter.

No horses are spared. No commentary is needed to see the atmosphere building.

They even give us the climactic murder of an 18 year old man by the out of control 'security' Hell's Angels in slow motion, several times.

Ahhhh. Those were the days.

The Angels violence is catching. Who ever thought of using them as a police force? It is a disaster.

Of course, the mix brews and builds with 300,000 people (?) and all that booze and dope. The Angels are the final mix and 'match' that sets off the explosion.

Viewed as a documentary, it is a pretty good record of the events but, somehow, one sided. The Stones lose.

I will give this a 4 out of Netflix5.

The end of the summer of love.

Here is a history of the film by Stanley Goldstein for anyone who wasn't there. He was. I guess he is telling the truth.