Gimme Shelter (1970) - 7/10

Say what you like about The Stones, still doddering around fifty odd years after this documentary was made, but they were bloody brilliant at the start. Sadly this documentary gets bloodier than any music documentary should. As Jagger works an America audience in the late sixties, it’s easy to get lost in Jumpin Jack Flash and the power of those riffs. The swagger, the danger… but as we jump to shots of them watching the edit process (very postmodern), we focus on the danger and the legendary stabbing at The Altamont Free Festival that ended the peace and love era. It’s quite heartbreaking really. The obvious excitement in the band as the concert is planned is hard to watch, knowing how things play out. It’s also obvious how in over their heads they were. They were 20-nothing, living in a bubble of their own making. Gimme Shelter is a 90 minute timelapse of the bubble bursting. It has a reputation as one of the best music documentaries ever made. I’m not sure about that. Yes it has a huge cultural event at its core, some great archive footage and of course some great music. It’s well put together and well paced, but it’s really not until halfway that we feel like we’re getting anywhere with the story. There’s a lot of footage of the band playing prior to Altamont, but it’s not until we get to the speedway itself, packed with people that the purpose of Gimme Shelter starts to make sense. The question that hangs in the air is who’s to blame for what happened. Was it the organisers fault? It was certainly not a safe space for that many people. Was it the band? They apparently were responsible for hiring Hell’s Angels as security. The truth is, I’d say it’s everyone, including a portion of the crowd. Put that many people together and you’ll have trouble. People can be violent and although it’s easier to say with hindsight, the peace movement seems naive to think it was sustainable. I know, bleak, sorry. The first 45 minutes are relevant to a point, but it’s slow, the calm before the storm. The storm being the final chaotic half hour, a fascinating, albeit troubling time capsule of a movement imploding. It is powerful. No interviews, no need, the archive speaks for itself, but it’s hard to be positive about such a document. People man. This is why we can’t have nice things.   

7/10