Sympathy for the Devil (1968)

Sympathy for the Devil (1968)
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Jean-Luc Godard's Sympathy for the Devil, also known as One Plus One, uses both documentary and staged sequences, alternating between an inside look at a rock band's recording process and reflections on contemporary politics and aesthetics. One half of the film focuses on the Rolling Stones, as they rehearse and ultimately record the song that would become "Sympathy for the Devil." By presenting repeated takes of the entire composition, the film allows the viewer to witness the progressive evolution of the song from its original, slower conception to the more percussive version that became the final recording. The other half of the film -- which is occasionally accompanied by the song -- presents a series of sequences dealing with issues like black power, pornography, racism, and Marxism, amongst others. These sequences, which often focus on a group of revolutionary youth in Paris, provide a chance for Godard to inject political commentary and meta-fictional musings on the nature of cinema. These more cerebral scenes serve as counterpoint to the direct presentation of the creative process seen in the Stones' studio sessions, and provide oblique commentary on the political meanings of popular music. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

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Starring:
The Rolling StonesIain Quarrier, (more)
Director(s):
Jean-Luc Godard
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of Sympathy for the Devil

Jean-Luc Godard's Sympathy for the Devil, also known as One Plus One, uses both documentary and staged sequences, alternating between an inside look at a rock band's recording process and reflections on contemporary politics and aesthetics. One half of the film focuses on the Rolling Stones, as they rehearse and ultimately record the song that would become "Sympathy for the Devil." By presenting repeated takes of the entire composition, the film allows the viewer to witness the progressive evolution of the song from its original, slower conception to the more percussive version that became the final recording. The other half of the film -- which is occasionally accompanied by the song -- presents a series of sequences dealing with issues like black power, pornography, racism, and Marxism, amongst others. These sequences, which often focus on a group of revolutionary youth in Paris, provide a chance for Godard to inject political commentary and meta-fictional musings on the nature of cinema. These more cerebral scenes serve as counterpoint to the direct presentation of the creative process seen in the Stones' studio sessions, and provide oblique commentary on the political meanings of popular music. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
101 mins

Complete Cast of Sympathy for the Devil


Director(s):
Jean-Luc Godard
Writer(s):
Jean-Luc Godard
Producer(s):
Michael PearsonIain Quarrier
Categories:
DocumentarySpecial Interest
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    Wayne L.

    The photography of the studio sequences is very gritty and raw which makes the viewer feel as if they're there with the Stones during the creation of one of their most classic songs. The film is a great artifact of how the recording process took place at the time. I could have done without some of the more "Godardish" scenes between the studio stuff. Sometimes less is more.

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    Guy L.

    This is an interesting ~30 minute documentary about the creative recording process used by the late '60s era Stones which is interlaced with an hour of over the top '60s "avant garde" filmmaking which is mired in the politics of the time. It is wild to see Keith switch amps for sound, see Brian trying to learn a song, see Wyman stuck playing percussion while Keith plays bass, and Jagger wrestle with lyrics. I'd much rather watch that than the "oooh look we said dirty things and smeared girls with ketchup and wander through the woods" nonsense that is interesting only if you are a self absorbed undergraduate filmmaker. Brian Jones strums away at a guitar no one can hear and the engineer tells Keith to turn down. Great stuff!

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    Allie L.

    I love The Rolling Stones, but I wouldn't really recommend this. Their footage was pretty interesting but there wasn't nearly enough of it, and the ridiculous voiceover was annoying and distracting. The rest of the film was absolutely worthless and I wound up speeding through it to reach more Stones footage.

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