Gimme Shelter (1970)

A harrowing documentary of the Stones' 1969 tour, with much of the focus on the tragic concert at Altamont.

Directors:

Albert Maysles, David Maysles

Stars:

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
The Rolling Stones	...	Themselves
Mick Jagger	...	Self
Charlie Watts	...	Self
Keith Richards	...	Self (as Keith Richard)
Mick Taylor	...	Self
Bill Wyman	...	Self
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marty Balin	...	Self (as Jefferson Airplane)
Sonny Barger	...	Self
Melvin Belli	...	Self
Dick Carter	...	Self
Jack Casady	...	Self (as Jefferson Airplane)
Mike Clarke	...	Self (as The Flying Burrito Brothers)
Sam Cutler	...	Self
Spencer Dryden	...	Self (as Jefferson Airplane)
Chris Hillman	...	Self (as The Flying Burrito Brothers)

Storyline

A documentary on the Rolling Stones' 1969 US tour and the tragic events that concluded it. We see footage of their concerts and of them making the Sticky Fingers album in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. However, the main focus of the film is on one concert - Altamont Speedway, outside San Francisco, 6 December 1969. A free concert, it is the Stones' idea and it was meant to be the Woodstock of the West (Woodstock having occurred four months earlier). Other bands performing included Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Ike and Tina Turner, Crosby Stills Nash and Young and Santana. However, it is far from being the peace and love of Woodstock. Part of the problem is that the Stones hired the Hells Angels as security. The other problem was that a large portion of the crowd were high on drugs. Friction ensues. During the Stones' set, Meredith Hunter, high on methamphetamine and armed with a gun, makes a lunge for the stage and is stabbed to death by the Hells Angels. The peace and ...

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Plot Keywords:

sound equipment | performance | hell's angels motorcycle club | rock 'n' roll | singing | 

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Taglines:

The Rolling Stones gave a concert in Altamont, Calif. The Hell's Angels policed it. Four people died. This is the Actual Film Story.

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Genres:

Documentary | Music | Thriller

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1970 (UK)

Also Known As:

Gimme Shelter

Filming Locations:

Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,576, 13 August 2000

Gross USA:

$252,570

Company Credits

Production Co:

Maysles Films, Penforta

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the film's opening credits, Keith Richards' name appears as "Keith Richard", not "Richards".

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Quotes

Mick Jagger: Thank you, kindly. I think I busted a button on my trousers. I hope they don't fall down. It's that jumpin' around, man... You don't want my trousers to fall down now, do you?

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Alternate Versions

2000 theatrical re-release version features two minutes of footage (including a shot of a topless woman) that were originally cut from the picture to ensure a PG rating. The DVD special edition has even more additional scenes, including studio footage from the mixing sessions of the Stones' "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out" live album and six extra songs from the 1969 Madison Square Garden show: "Stray Cat Blues", "Live With Me", "Sympathy for the Devil" and versions of Chuck Berry's "Carol" and Little Queenie and the Rev. Robert Wilkins' "Prodigal Son".

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Connections

Referenced in Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)

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Soundtracks

Brown Sugar
Written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
Performed by The Rolling Stones

User Reviews

Get the DVD

This sort of "artistic documentary" marks a milestone in our culture and it's really a must-see for people interested in history. The DVD version contains important additional features such as excerpts from a long KSAN call-in show the next day. Some of the callers were principals in this event and their commentary is valuable. In addition, there are some incredible still photo collections on the DVD that go even further to capture the climate at this event.

There is a lot of talk about "Hells Angels" this and that in the reviews here. The Hells Angels were not the primary problem - it was a terrible combination of sloppy organization, third parties who reneged on deals and contributed to the problem, and the concert-goers themselves. As some callers to the KSAN show commented, "I was at Woodstock, and Altamont was completely different. Nobody came together. We had no spirit of community. The whole thing was hurried and stayed tense throughout." So imagine 300,000 people working hard to get their groove on quickly - since the concert was only confirmed a day or two prior - using whatever they could roll up in a paper, stir into their cheap wine, or drop on a sugar cube. Then their heroes come up onto the 20'x20'x3'-high stage and viola, you have a massive problem on your hands whether security was Superman, Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner Bill Gannon, Acme Security out of Walla Walla, or the Hells Angels. There was going to be violence. It certainly didn't help that the organizers told the HA to park their bikes right next to the stage. With the crowd as it was, that was guaranteed disaster for a few people.

What a way to end the '60s flower power era.