Sympathy For The Devil was made at a time when The Rolling Stones were at the peak of their creative powers and Jean-Luc Godard, who after making some of the great French New Wave cinema had taken a revolutionary political direction with his filmmaking.
Godard's documentation of late 1960's western counter-culture, examining the Black Panthers, referring to works by LeRoi Jones and Eldridge Cleaver. Other notable subjects are the role of the media, the mediated image, A growing technocratic society, Womens Liberation, the May revolt in France and the power of language. Cutting between 3 major scenes, including the Rolling Stones in the studio, the film is visually intercut with Eve Democracy (Wiazemsky) using graffiti which amalgamates organisations, corporations and ideologies. Godard also examines the role of the revolutionary within western culture. Although he believes western culture needs to be destroyed, it can only be done so by the rejection of intellectualisation. "There is only one way to be an intellectual revolutionary, and that is to give up being an intellectual" - IMDB
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Writer: Jean-Luc Godard
CAST
Sean Lynch ... Commentary (voice)
Mick Jagger ... Himself - The Rolling Stones
Brian Jones ... Himself - The Rolling Stones
Keith Richards ... Himself - The Rolling Stones (as Keith Richard)
Charlie Watts ... Himself - The Rolling Stones
Bill Wyman ... Himself - The Rolling Stones
Anne Wiazemsky ... Eve Democracy
Iain Quarrier ... Fascist porno book seller
Frankie Dymon ... Black power militant (as Frankie Dymon Jnr.)
Danny Daniels ... Black power militant
Illario Pedro
Roy Stewart ... Black power militant
Linbert Spencer
Tommy Ansah
Michael McKay
Country:UK
Language:English
Release Date:22 April 1969 (USA)
Also Known As: Sympathy for the Devil
Filming Locations:London, England, UK
Sound Mix:Mono
Color:Color (Eastmancolor)
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