Sympathy for the Devil

Starring:The Rolling Stones
Studio: Abkco
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

A Goddard classic
Amazing, too bad it's not original & it's not really for Stones fans.
the stones as workers?
Wow...amazing how all these "reviewers" missed the point
Be Prepared To Use The Remote

Sympathy for the Devil
Starring: The Rolling Stones
Manufacturer: Abkco
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

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( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter - Criterion Collection
The Rolling Stones - Rock and Roll Circus
Performance
The Rolling Stones - Bridges to Babylon
Being Mick

ASIN: B0000DC13U
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Customer Reviews:

A Goddard classic.......2006-07-18

An amazing depiction of the creative process in contrast to the "revolutionary" process. The Stones, working together, create a new piece of music, which is itself a commentary on political upheaval. At the same time, Goddard, pointing his finger at the true "devil" - i.e. the deadening impact of the media - playfully contrasts the Stone's creative process with the decidedly "uncreative" language and actions of the "revolutionary" forces of the time as well as the keepers of the status quo. As with all of Goddard's films, here too the media is indeed the message, but one that is in no way a massage; "revolutionaries" mouthing words that they hear played on a tape recorder, a book-store where you have to punch a hippy and give a Nazi salute before you can leave with copies of pornography - these are the images that Goddard assaults us with right outside of the studio where the Stones are doing their creative work.

All in all, a wonderful cinematic interpretation of the Stones' song, Sympathy for the Devil. Nor does Goddard exempt himself, or at least his own medium, from his critique of the deadening power of the media. Check out the last image of the film.

Amazing, too bad it's not original & it's not really for Stones fans........2006-03-13

First, let us be frank about the film's subject matter. It was not intended for Rolling Stones fans. It wasn't intended to act like a documentary. Hell, Goddard didn't even intend "The Rolling Stones" to be above the title of the film. That said, this is not for Rolling Stones fans and the only Rolling Stones fans that are going to appreciate this film are those interested in the '60s counter culture, revolutionary politics, French Anarchist/Marxist artistic-socio-political thought, or millitant fanatics (like Elvis Presley Fans) who have to own every image and piece of recording by the band.
This Film was made by Goddard (a somewhat avant-garde filmmaker) in the early '70s and as such is in the aftermath of the May '68 student-worker Parisian movement founded in the revolutionary cries of the Paris based, Situationist Internationale (including Guy Debord, Raoul Vaneigem, Michelle Berstein, etc.) For the record, the Situationists (whose ideas make up a significant chunk of the film when the film isn't influenced by them or focused on the The Stones) condemend and heavily criticized Goddard throughout the '60s. Funny, considering the last vignette is lifted straight from the '68 Situationist graffiti "Under the pavement, the beach." All that said, if you'r familiar with the work of the situationists or other French ancillary Marxist and Anarchist groups, you'll love the film. But even if your not, and you just have an open mind, the work stands on its own as a video testament to the ideas of the age, ideas that should still be spread, critiqued, and condemned. If you like this, go read "The Revolution of Everyday Life" by Raoul Vaneigem, "The Society of The Spectacle" by Guy Debord, "Days of War, Nights of Love" by The CrimethInc (ex)Workers Collective, and any bit of love and resistance you can get your hands on!

the stones as workers?.......2005-05-16

The coverage of the Rolling Stones in this movie is intentionally de-romanticized. We only see the Stones in the awkward process of making a song; we never hear the song finished, or even grooving--and we know that it did groove. Be warned: it's not pretty, nor do the Stones even seem especially cool. If you know what a rehearsing rock band usually looks/sounds like, you'll probably admit: my god, the Rolling Stones look like a band of young men putzing about and putting a song together--even as they made "Sympathy for the Devil." While the film isn't conventionally "exciting," it has some remarkable visual poetry in it. The dated rhetoric in the explicitly political bits seems not to be the point, but the film's "point" may lie beyond that rhetoric, as the "complete" version of the Stones song exists only beyond these rehearsals, after it gets its groove, after it hits radio, meets a mass audience, and takes on a pop-mythic life of its own. The Stones, though a big part of the film, seem finally to be a small element in a utopian meditation. The movie is finally hard to paraphrase or verbalize, and I think that is to its credit: shouldn't some films resist recondensation into words?

Wow...amazing how all these "reviewers" missed the point.......2004-12-28

I personally love The Stones and I also think that Godard is one of a handful of great directors. Godard has always been somewhat of a revolutionary, artistically and politcally.
Everybody who sees a Godard film walks away with something different. His films are complicated and not linear or straightforward.
I'm not going to get into the details because that would take too long. But, what I saw, was a sharp, biting social and political commentary of a film that was wrapped around one of the greatest songs (a song that had everything to do with what Godard was trying to get at) of all time. The song is the film and the film is the song. The song provided the film with an unusually emotionally charged atmosphere for Godard. One that, for the most part, he avoids in most of his work. This resulted, in my opinion, as one of his most watchable and entertaining works.
...and yes, the Stones developing their art, taken on its own, was ALSO quite fascinating.

Be Prepared To Use The Remote.......2004-10-03

I'm a really big Stones fan. Im actually wearing a Stones shirt as I write this. I've glanced at this on and on, until a few nights ago I was given a Gift Card and decided to buy it.

Well I started watching it and the whole process of developing this great classic song was awesome. But the Director's crap with the incoherent babbling of some man, weird scenes with a bunch of Black Panthers was completely pointless in my opinion. I had to skip these segments quite a bit to get to the hidden jems in this movie.

Again, I loved seeing the band develope the song, it was phenomenal to get that Insider's perspective, but the rest was crap. I was expecting something similar to The Who's Kids Are Alright, where they show scenes of them in the recording studio, with unadulterated footage, but Sympathy was something much different. This is worth renting to see the band, but I wouldn't suggest owning it.

The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (Region Free Import)

Average customer rating:

Stones shine amid the horror

The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (Region Free Import)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Music Video | Criterion Collection | Stores | DVD | Video
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Sympathy for the Devil
Woodstock - 3 Days of Peace & Music (The Director's Cut)
The Rolling Stones - Rock and Roll Circus
Performance
Message to Love - The Isle of Wight Festival

ASIN: B000CDWDN2

Product Description

In December of 1969, four months after Woodstock, the Rolling Stones and Jefferson Airplane gave a free concert in Northern California, east of Oakland at Altamont Speedway. About 300,000 people came, and the organizers put Hell's Angels in charge of security around the stage. Armed with pool cues and knifes, Angels spent the concert beating up spectators, killing at least one. The film intercuts performances, violence, Grace Slick and Mick Jagger's attempts to cool things down, close-ups of young listeners (dancing, drugged, or suffering Angel shock), and a look at the Stones later as they watch concert footage and reflect on what happened. ++++ DVD FEATURES: This officially licensed release from South Korea is All-Region NTSC Code 0 (playable worldwide) with Full Screen display and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound in ENGLISH with optional (removeable) English or Korean subtitles. EXTRA FEATURES: Interative Menu; Audio Commentary: Albert Maysles - Director, Charlotte Zwerin - Director, Stanley Goldstein - Collaborator; Additional Footage: Censored Footage; Additional Audio Material: Excerpts from KSAN radio's post-Altamont broadcast with introduction by DJ Stefan Ponek; Outtakes: Backstage Outtakes; Deleted Scenes(Songs): "Little Queenie," "Oh Carol," and "Prodigal Son"; Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer Bonus Original Theatrical Trailer - GREY GARDENS; Bonus Original Theatrical Trailer - SALESMAN; Bonus Original Theatrical Trailer - GIMME SHELTER (re-release); Documentary: Restoration Demonstration; Text/Photo Galleries; Stills/Photos: Altamont Stills (featuring photographs by Bill Owens and Beth Sunflower); Filmographies: Albert Maysles - Director, David Maysles - Director, Charlotte Zwerin - Director

Customer Reviews:

Stones shine amid the horror.......2005-12-01

Watching this after a screening of WOODSTOCK is a real study in contrast. ALTAMOUNT was always on my radar, growing up, and I had seen this in the theater back in the 70s, but revisiting it now ... what a revelation. There was a perception that WOODSTOCK had been an incredibly significant event in the counter-culture galaxy; a peace+love tribal congress. This concert came four months later, and because it was the west coast rebuttal to the upstate NY megafest, would be even better - better bands, better drugs, hipper hippies, freakier clothes, groovier vibes. The crowd shots are both revealing, and inevitably, terrifying as the claustraphobic crush tightens around the stage (crowd control plans, anyone?) and the HELLS ANGELS react like bears in cages being poked with sticks ... they erupt in an orgy of beatdowns and over-the-top violence. After all, that's what they do. Was anyone truly surprised? The various bands (Airplane, Santana, Dead, Stones) are merely ineffectual witnesses (with a good view) to what goes on, tho Marty Balin does get coldcocked during the Airplane set. I'm sure the musicians to this day feel fortunate that they did not get stomped on stage by the ever-growing legion of wild-eyed, wooly strangers standing nearby. (keep an eye out for the 300 lb. naked man careening through the crowd) If Woodstock gave us a pleasant marijuana buzz, Altamount grinds our collective molars with a bad blend of street meth and bootleg LSD. Man, am I glad I wasn't there.
All this being said, a good portion of this excellent documentary features the Stones backstage, in the recording studio, on the road, and performing with aplomb at a Madison Square Garden show. In '69, after all, they were in midseason form.

Average customer rating:

"Satisfaction" is easy with this historic event!
Two Highballs
Get a glimpse into the tumultuous times of the 60s

Rolling Stones - The Stones in the Park

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

The Rolling Stones - Rock and Roll Circus
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ASIN: B000BSN9YU

Product Description

DESCRIPTION: The Hyde Park Free Concerts are legendary, and none more so than when the Rolling Stones performed there two days after the death of former bandmate Brian Jones back in 1969. What was always planned as a major show turned into a memorial with 500,000 people in attendance. Mick Jagger opens reading an excerpt from Shelley's poem Adonais as a dedication to Jones and releases thousands of butterflies. The film sees the Stones at their most raw and emotional. TRACKS: 1) Midnight Rambler; 2) Satisfaction; 3) I'm Free; 4) I'm Yours, She's Mine; 5) Jumping Jack Flash; 6) Honky Tonk Woman; 7) Love In Vain; 8) Sympathy For The Devil. ++++ DVD FEATURES: This officially licensed release from South Korea is All-Region NTSC Code 0 (plays worldwide) with Full Screen display (in color) and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound in ENGLISH (includes optional English subtitles).

Customer Reviews:

"Satisfaction" is easy with this historic event!.......2007-06-15

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.

July 5, 1969 is one of the most historic days in rock and roll. The Stones concert in London's Hyde Park would pay homage to the late Brian Jones and usher in the new and extraordinary era of Mick Taylor (1969-74).

For those that have looked to fault every possible second of the event and judge the release on only the musical portion and not include "The Event" it is only right equal time is given to counter the unneccesary critisism the gig received.

The typical complaint about any music DVD not recorded with a 34 billion dollar budget to the sound snob is the fidelity doesn't meet the quality standard. In 1969 you were not dealing with digital technology and preserving the moment is worth more stars than how the mix is.

It has been discussed that newcomer Mick Taylor looks nervous. That is earth shattering news. He had less than 48 hours notice the permits were in place and they could perform. If your first show was in front of over 100,000 people and your bandmates lost somebody that they had often spent more time with than their own families, if there weren't butterflies he wouldn't have a heart or soul.

Keith's guitar is out of tune during "Satisfaction." There is a first. No musician has ever had this before. It is amazing that any of the Stones could get through the day knowing Brian's departure is now in a permanent sense.

The band isn't inspired. Then why did they play the longest version of "Sympathy For The Devil" (19:00) ever performed? If you look at the complete list of songs regardless if they are included or not, they could have easily made the show a hit factory. There are a myriad of tunes that only a hardcore Stones aficionado would be able to name correctly.

The only knock that is justifable (Surprisingly it is the one thing the Skeptic's hadn't been thrilled to inform every Amazon review reader) the playing time of the DVD does not encompass the entire set. I have listed the songs and next to the ones that aren't found on the DVD will be the letters NF (Not Found).

To Brian Jones thank you for your incredible contribution to the Stones and to Mick Taylor there wasn't a better man for the job.

1 EULOGY FOR BRIAN 2:42
2 I'M YOURS SHE'S MINE 2:12
3 JUMPING JACK FLASH 3:10
4 NO EXPECTATIONS 3:42 NF
5 MERCY, MERCY 3:13 NF
6 STRAY CAT BLUES 3:43 NF
7 I'M FREE 2:25 NF
8 DOWN HOME GIRL 5:22 NF
9 LOVE IN VAIN 4:39
10 LOVING CUP 5:38 NF
11 MIDNIGHT RAMBLER 8:09
12 SATISFACTION 4:24
13 HONKY TONK WOMEN 3:40
14 STREET FIGHTING MAN 3:42 NF
15 SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL 19:01

Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

Two Highballs.......2006-04-16

I received my copy of the Stones in the Park Friday night and it was great. I played it four times in a row and I was delighted by both the picture quality and the audio. My copy is Korean( I am Told ) and Iv'e been waiting 40 years for this one. The Stones are out of tune on "Satisfaction" and I didn't mind a bit, especially, after two or six Highballs.

Get a glimpse into the tumultuous times of the 60s.......2006-01-14

For historical purposes this film rates as a classic. Typical of a late 60s rock show, though, we have Keith's guitar terribly out of tunes at times; especially on "Satisfaction." These documents stand as more than just a record of a concert, they give us a small glimpse back at the culture of the late 60s. Very nice dress Mick!

The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil [Non-US Format, PAL, Region 2, Import]

Average customer rating:

Half good and half awful

The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil [Non-US Format, PAL, Region 2, Import]
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

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.

Customer Reviews:

Half good and half awful.......2007-06-04

This is an odd movie. Half of the movie is devoted to the recording of the Rolling Stones song Sympathy for the Devil and half is devoted to Jean Luc Goddard's silly surealistic social commentary masquarading as absurdist farce. Historically the Stones's section is incredible. What you see are the Stones writing Sympathy in the studio, rearranging the song, with the results being radically different from the songs' initial form. You also get to see the by that time pathetic and drugged out Brian Jones limply playing acoustic guitar so out of it he doesn't even realize he's not miked and therefore not being recorded. This part of the film is facinating and of real interest to any Stones or rock fan, even those just interested in the creative process. Unfortunately the Stones in the studio sections are interupted with brief and whimsically absurdist skits that range from mildly interesting at best to irritating and inconsequential. Goddard tries cheaply to weave some sort of surrealistic social commentary around the Stones song and fails miserably. Both the onscreen antics and the trite thought behind them are both amateurish and poorly executed and have nothing whatsoever to do with the Rolling Stones. Which of course means that I found half of the film to be of little interest. I'd skip this one.

Average customer rating:

Not what I thought

Sympathy for the Devil
Starring: Marilyn Manson
Manufacturer: United States Of Dist./Ka
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Customer Reviews:

Not what I thought.......2007-06-01

This is an unauthorized biography of Marilyn Manson's history through rare archival footage and interviews with friends, colleagues, and critics. Not a music video DVD...

Average customer rating:

Sympathy For The Devil
Rolling Stones
Manufacturer: Mercury
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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