When three hundred thousand members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hells Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams in... Read allWhen three hundred thousand members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hells Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams into disillusionment was immortalized on this film.When three hundred thousand members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hells Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams into disillusionment was immortalized on this film.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 1 nomination
- Self
- (as Keith Richard)
- Self
- (as Jefferson Airplane)
- Self
- (as Jefferson Airplane)
- Self
- (as The Flying Burrito Brothers)
- Self
- (as Jefferson Airplane)
- Self
- (as The Flying Burrito Brothers)
- Self
- (as Jefferson Airplane)
- Self
- (as Jefferson Airplane)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter viewing concert footage, police identified Alan Passaro, a local Hell's Angel, as the man who stabbed Meredith Hunter. He was arrested and charged him with murder. At his trial, closer examination of the footage showed that Hunter had pulled a gun before Passaro pulled his knife. Passaro was acquitted on grounds of self-defense.
- Quotes
Grace Slick: You don't hassle with anybody in particular. You gotta keep your bodies off each other unless you intend love. People get weird, and you need people like the Angels to keep people in line. But the Angels also - you know, you don't bust people in the head - for nothing. So both sides are fucking up temporarily; let's not keep FUCKING UP!
- Alternate versionsRe-released in 1992 with some uncensored dialog and some more brief nudity; this version is rated R.
The Stones were possibly the biggest band in the world at the time, so by today's standards it seems unbelievable they'd put on a free concert where the venue was changed at the last minute, the set was still being constructed as the 300,000 very fried looking hippies turned up, and there was no security for their satanic majesties except for the San Francisco Hell's Angels who were paid in beer and brought along pool cues with lead weights at the end for added security - as well as the standard knives and baseball bats. And they weren't afraid to use them, even on the bands, especially Jefferson Airplane's Marty Balin.
Throw in some of the original Satanic rock band's finest sinister creations and you get the real deal, not some pantomime metal/goth horror facsimile. At the time many people really did believe that they could change the world and looked to bands like the Stones as leaders of the counterculture, and you really get the impression things like this mattered a hell of a lot more, but after Altamont, well...
Nevertheless, the version of Under My Thumb that Jagger delivers as he's watching the terrible action unfold in front of him is, for whatever reason, devastatingly understated and desperate, compared to all the OTT cavorting earlier in the set. But it's the genuine craziness of the 'fans' that makes this film seem like it was shot on another planet. Gimme Shelter is the most rock'n'roll film ever made, for all the right and wrong reasons.
- bazibazbaz
- Apr 21, 2008
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- The Rolling Stones: Gimme Shelter
- Filming locations
- Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA(Playback of tracks in studio)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $252,570
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $18,576
- Aug 13, 2000
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1