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showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsSympathy for the Devil (1968) More at IMDbPro »
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Jean-Luc Godard (writer)
Release Date:
22 April 1969 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
Godard's documentation of late 1960's western counter-culture, examining the Black Panthers, referring to works by LeRoi Jones and Eldridge Cleaver... more | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(26 articles)
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User Comments:
Cynical, satirical collage of rock documentary and political commentary more (29 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 | (as Tommy Ansar) | ||
| Michael McKay |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
One Plus One (UK) (director's cut)
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
100 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
UK:15 (re-rating) (1997) | UK:X (original rating) | Australia:MA | Argentina:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1997) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The producer of the film added film of The Rolling Stones performing the completed version of "Sympathy for the Devil" at the end of the movie in an attempt to make it more commercial. Jean-Luc Godard was so incensed by this that he punched the producer during a talk at London's National Film Theatre. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Charmed: Sympathy for the Demon (#5.7)" (2002) more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (29 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Sympathy for the Devil (1968)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| one + one = suck | xnet95 |
| one of godard's more accessible films | teejay6682 |
| Voiceover | bingham_bryant |
| ROLLING STONES!!! | hockeynut16 |
| He’s Lost Control | latinovator |
| What the? | Mark-O-Solo |
Recommendations
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| Privilege | 24 Hour Party People | Stoned | My Own Private Idaho | Die Blechtrommel |
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One of Nouvelle Vague iconoclast Jean-Luc Godard's most engaging oddities, part music documentary of the Rolling Stones rehearsing and recording "Sympathy for the Devil", part a collage of sketches on modern-day revolution and the struggle of the minorities for freedom, punctuated by a number of double-entendre title cards. Generally ranged alongside Godard's political work of the late sixties, it's in fact a cynical and very twisted meditation on the politics of minorities, since the director equates women's lib, communism, fascism and the Black Panthers' radicalism at the same level, all while the Stones find a way to tell the Devil's take on the history of civilization. Mostly, it's questioning what real impact can theoretical concepts of revolution have in a world where language obscures as much as it shares, as is acutely pointed out in the Black Panther's interview where, once asked how are they going to communicate their aspirations to the white man, the black revolutionary replies he has no idea since black men and white men don't really speak the same language. Is music, then, the universal language that everyone speaks? Godard says nothing. He prefers to film, in very long and beautifully executed tracking one-takes, either the Stones rehearsing in a candid manner, or the various revolutionaries spouting their ideals out loud, while a cynical voiceover reads excerpts of pulp novels with the names replaced by those of post-war politicians. It is, in fact, "one plus one": one half rock documentary of interest to Stones fans, one half political satire and commentary. The beauty lies in mixing them together, but I'll admit that only a hardcore Godard fan can enjoy and make sense of the combination.