Cinematography: Albert and David Maysles
Editing: Ellen Hovde, Charlotte Zwerin
Released: 6 December
“'It’s creating a sort of microcosmic society which sets an example for the rest of America as to how one can behave in large gatherings.' Altamont set an example, all right. As did Vietnam."
This is from an essay on the film at the Criterion Collection website. There are several essays on the film here; please read this one and this one as well.
Whether you believe it or not, and by the looks on some of your faces during the film, I'd bet on the non-belief, Gimme Shelter is a great and classic film, both as a rock movie and as an unsparing documentary of what happened to the sixties. It is not meant to be an easy film to watch. It doesn't turn its eye for one moment from the disturbing and frightening moments it captures: Mick Jagger's preening; the way the Stones let a bunch of business sharks and high priced lawyers in faux hip clothing and sideburns and big ties make the deal with a self-promoting speedway owner to "create a microcosmic society which sets an example for the rest of America as to how one can behave in large gatherings"; the young people messed up on drugs in all sorts of ugly ways (the large naked woman at the front of the stage that folks were laughing at? the shirtless man being passed over the heads of the crowd? Drugs, boys and girls: really bad drugs). The curly headed fella with the fringe jacket and the Englishman running the stage were both involved with Woodstock; but as they told the black man with the hat who asked for help, the way they had at Woodstock, they weren't giving any. What Sam Cutler, the Brit, did say was, "Get the fuck off my stage." The killing of Meredith Hunter. Think about this clip from Woodstock, of John Sebastian, tie-dyed and groovy...."Your kid's going to be far out. (watch it, please)
6 months later (please watch).
1. What was your reaction to the Woodstock clip?
3. What does Gimme Shelter say or imply went wrong at Altamont?
4. In a film full of striking images, what image particularly struck you in terms of how the film portrayed the counter culture–the hippies? And why?
Write a couple hundred words answering these questions.
1. What was your reaction to the Woodstock clip?
ReplyDeleteMy reaction was mainly surprise because I have never really thought about the past like people looking to the future for their children. And this is that future that we are living in today and it is kind of scary. The counterculture of the 70s, the hippies wanted peace and love and a good world to be made but that was not what happened. And that makes the Woodstock clip surprising because I never thought of it like that before. It brought a new perspective.
3. What does Gimme Shelter say or imply went wrong at Altamont?
Gimme Shelter implies that the number of people and their opposing ideas who came to Altamont and did violent and reckless things was not a good thing. It implies that the Hell’s Angels were wrong to try to control people with violence and it shows the bad consequences of drugs and how people abuse them. It shows that even though people can try to unite through one thing like music or a shared belief, it does not necessarily mean that there will be no violence or pain involved.
4. In a film full of striking images, what image particularly struck you in terms of how the film portrayed the counter culture–the hippies? And why?
I think that the repeated image of the half-naked man who was being passed over the heads of the crowd really showed how the hippies were portrayed in the movie. Instead of idealizing the counterculture and showing how the hippies wanted peace and love and supposedly good things, Gimme Shelter showed the more negative side of the equation: the drugs and the inevitable violence and how an ideal is not entirely possible to achieve. The shirtless man was a clear example of how drugs can debilitate someone and remove their senses and cause them to be completely out of the moment (part of the reason why people do drugs). This was really striking because the history that I have learned has idealized the idea of hippies being all “peace, not war” and tie-dye and long hair instead of the real negative moments that happened because of the counterculture.
1. I recently watched a documentary all about Woodstock, and it seems like this clip sums up the vibe of Woodstock generally. No better way to describe it than peace and love! My reaction is that I wish I could have gone to Woodstock, because such a peaceful and happy event was historical and rare. Of course it was not perfect, but Altamont shows how Woodstock was not able to be recreated, and there are so many things that could have gone wrong in trying to make a concert like this.
ReplyDelete3. It seems that Altamont represents the death of the 60’s or the world of “peace and love” like at Woodstock. Gimme Shelter portrays the “hippies” differently than the clip, and documentary, of Woodstock. It represents them in a terrifying way. Many of the people on drugs seem to have lost their minds, and they ultimately created a dangerous and scary environment. This is compared with the pleasant representation of hippies at Woodstock that were “walking around this beautiful green place, smoking, and not being afraid”.
4. The image of the naked woman stuck out to me. The image was concerning, as she seemed unable to even walk around, as there were people next to her leading her through. This image showed me that the counterculture movement could result in serious consequences. The images of the hippies seemed to say that this movement consisted of lunatics frying their brains and risking their lives by taking drugs and acting recklessly at events like Altamont.
1. I was surprised by the fact that children were brought to Woodstock, and I had a similar reaction about Altamont when watching the film today. I suppose that I have never thought about the youth of this era as being parents as well; I’ve always imagined this movement as it was explained in the articles, as a reaction of the youngest generation to those older than them- but not the reaction of a generation of people who were parents of children as well. When reading the first article, I was struck by the line, “...we had no firm ground to stand on, no one older than ourselves we could trust.” But I never considered that there may be people younger than them involved as well. (This is not to say that I think the people of the counterculture were not old enough or responsible enough to be parents- that is not my intent. These youth just seemed to have transcended the familial expectations of much of American culture.)
ReplyDelete2. What upset me most watching this film so far was the eagerness and passion of this era. The emphasis on love and dance and the ability to scream your emotions out into the world should not cause harm, but it was parallel to the action-without-thought of horrific violence. This is what I interpreted as what went wrong at Altamont. With so many people fueled up- even if it was for love and not hate- it was easier for those who did want to hurt people to create chaos and attack or murder innocent people. Someone mentioned at the end of class that they were surprised only four people died; I was shocked at the start of the film to learn that anyone had died, but there did seem to be an endless circle of chaos. Even when the bands were performing, there were scuffles- or worse- in the front row. And the cameras panned to this (in a way similar to the zoomed-in focus on children in “The Wild Bunch”). However, unlike the previous films, this documentary was not fiction, and even when edited, could not be over exaggerated in the way possible for “The Wild Bunch” and “Love Story.” The chaos at Altamont was real life, where real life was intense and crowded and dangerous.
3. When watching the film, I had already selected a scene that struck me in anticipation of a similar question on the blog. However, as I now sit down to write it, I have no idea of what scene I had planned to write. I may just have an awful memory, but I also think the action of the film has completely overwhelmed me- I hadn’t any idea of this event or the violent side of this movement prior to watching this in class today, and I still have not been able to come to terms with what we’ve watched. However, when watching the clip of “Under My Thumb,” I did have a moment that jumped out at me; the bassist withdrew his joint from the headstock of his instrument. smoked a bit, and then returned it before he commenced playing. After reading the articles, I understand a bit more about not only the event, but about the music itself. And this connection between the Rolling Stones’ music and the drugs of the 60s/70s is so clear in this clip- I suppose it interested me, but also upset me a bit. I was a similar reaction to the lines from “Younger Generation,” “My girlfriend’s only three/ she’s got her own videophone and she’s taking LSD.” As Max mentioned today at the end of class, there was danger and pain involved with the drugs. As seen in the counterculture on the stage- especially with the bassist in this scene- the event was, in part, a reaction of youth high on music and drugs.
1. I really enjoyed watching the Woodstock clip. It seemed very peaceful and filled with love, family, and even a sense of community as John Sebastian said, “Wow. It really is a city here.” This clip was very refreshing after watching the chaotic mess at Altamont in class. With the children running around and mothers breastfeeding, it also seemed very safe, unlike Altamont. It is also very interesting to compare the scene in Gimme Shelter when the man came to the stage saying that someone had just had a baby and the indifferent reaction from the men onstage with this clip where John Sebastain celebrates the birth of someone’s child, someone whose name he explicitly states he does not remember.
ReplyDelete3. Gimme Shelter implies that Hells Angels working as security played a huge role in what went wrong at Altamont. One of the first performers was struck by the mayhem and violence and told the crowd not to touch others unless the intention is love. If this free, outdoor festival intended to be similar to Woodstock, in which spreading peace, love, and music are the main goals of the event, then it seems completely illogical to hire a bike gang to help work the festival. Although it does not seem justified to place all of the blame on Hells Angels, their very aggressive and intimidating nature surely contributed to what went wrong at Altamont, especially considering that they killed Meredith Hunter.
4. The image of the shirtless man sort of crown surfing struck me. It was very disturbing to watch all of the people on drugs, specifically when compared to the clip of Woodstock where people were on drugs but were acting very peacefully. This image showed the potential for recklessness and even destructiveness that can come from taking these drugs. The man did not seem to notice or care that some of the people he was being supported by did not want him on top of them or that he was - likely accidentally - kicking people. It seemed to portray the counter culture/ the hippies in a negative light as it showed the possible negative sides of some of the things that the movement valued or stood for.
1. What was your reaction to the Woodstock clip?
ReplyDeleteI thought the clip was in a way very beautiful. It displayed a very raw form of innocence that is difficult to see in many things. There was a lot of nudity in the scene, which I think is an attempt to put an emphasis on this point. To me, it also seemed like a sort of a paradise where the children can run free and play with each other. In contrast to the free concert the stones gave that we saw today, it couldn’t have been different.
3. What does Gimme Shelter say or imply went wrong at Altamont?
The drugs seemed to be at the route of every issue. At first the clips showed people relaxing in the sun, sitting and talking with friends but it quickly elevated to LSD-induced zombies that seemed possessed. There were people getting injured, starting fights, and running around stark naked. It was a gross display of immaturity. The biggest quarrel was even started because one drug-induced person kicked the bike of a Hell’s Angel, which led to them beating some of the people in the crows.
4. In a film full of striking images, what image particularly struck you in terms of how the film portrayed the counter culture–the hippies? And why?
The image of hippies today is a person who is pro-peace and anti-violent but what we saw was very different. The “hippies” tended to be nearly passing out from all the various combinations of drugs and alcohol they were on, and there was a more negative connotation to the word hippie in this film. The scene that stuck out to me was the shirtless man getting passed around the crowd.
1. I would say that Im really surprised by the amount of really small children who went to Woodstock. I guess I would have expected the people who had kids to either be out of that counter culture hippie movement or decent enough parents to not bring their babies to these music festivals. I may be being a little bit harsh but I think while parents should be allowed to have fun, bringing your kid to music festivals where everyone around you is baked as hell is probably a bad idea. Basically while I get that the clip was supposed to be sweet and kids being a good thing, I was too focused on the fact that parents would bring their kids.
ReplyDelete3. I think that the documentary showed that the happy happy type of vibe at Woodstock was not going to be created again. There were too many people who were fighting it, such as the hells angels. Even all the hippies who were always trying to get onto the stage and climbing the scaffolding. I guess it was partly that people were having too much fun and also that groups like the hells angles would show up to start fights or do whatever they wanted too. All the fighting and chaos that surrounded the festival is what caused it to fail. With 4 people dead at the end of the festival a lot of people would probably not want to come back.
4. The scene with the naked people all stumbling around was one that surprised me quite a lot. Especially the one woman who was being escorted by two people everywhere. I saw it as the problem with the peace and love movement and the hippies, and proved that their movement wasnt harmless. The hippies pacifism to drugs likely caused this woman to go into a bad trip and she had to pay the price. That price was probably being permanently embarrassed, especially since you were later shown naked in a documentary. I then connected this scene with one where there were kids walking around. The kids how to be around a decent number of people who were in this mental state which their parents should never have put their kid into.
Initially, I was struck by the similarities Woodstock has with Altamont. Everyone was seemingly wandering around without any acknowledgment of life. The people were just as high, and had the same disregard for clothing. The first line struck me in the song: Why does every generation think their folks are square? This line speaks to the counterculture that we have mentioned in class. Events like Altamont and Woodstock give the younger generation the opportunity to feel like they are protesting and making a difference. Doing drugs and ignoring societal norms seemed to give the kids the idea that they were affecting change.
ReplyDeleteI thought Gimme Shelter conveyed the culpability of the kids in the audience more clearly than the Hell’s Angels. There were so many images of people tripping and generally acting insane, along with the people who repeatedly rushed the stage. Although Jefferson Airplane acknowledged the Hell’s Angels responsibility in the conflicts, the film spent more time on the uniqueness of the people in the audience.
The image that stuck with me was the guy on top of the scaffolding, jamming out to the music. I think it sums up the insanity of the chaos Altamont encouraged; A blatant disregard for safety and a refusal to listen to the performers asking for order. Ironically, it seemed as if the audience had tension with the bands: people who share the same ideals as them. It was almost portrayed as the counterculture had gone so far that they were fighting back against their own people.
1) My reaction when I watched the Woodstock video was honestly shock. I was so surprised at how at ease and calm everyone was. The calmness and peace almost seemed somewhat creepy. It all almost seemed staged or fake somehow. There was so many children just running around naked, enjoying themselves I am assuming. And all the adults also seemed to be enjoying themselves. The adults probably high, but nonetheless enjoying themselves. They all just seemed so happy. All of them having no care in the world.
ReplyDelete3) I think Altamont showed that something like Woodstock can’t be re-created. I’m honestly surprised it’s happened to begin with in its own. And something like that can’t just be made again. It also just shows what happens when people with drastically different views get together, not good can come from that. There was just so much conflict in Altamont especially with the Hell’s Angels. They seemed to be one of the main people causing the violence.
4) The scene that really struck me was the guy who was crowd surfing shirtless. He was obviously high and looked like he probably wasn’t fully aware of his surroundings. I feel like something could’ve really happened to him. Obviously we usually see hippies as high people with not a care in the world and all about love and peace. Yet, this documentary shows the counter-culture and how this might’ve not been such a good thing.
1. I was very surprised and almost in disbelief at how different society was back then. Not only was I shocked about the comments saying that everyone’s kids are gonna be doing LSD’s but also at the amount of naked children at the concert. I find it had to believe that their parents just wouldn’t put clothes on them. I wonder what the results would be if that happened in todays society.
ReplyDelete3. Gimme shelter implies the failure of Hell’s Angels to control the crowd through peace. A common theme throughout the movie is the promotion of love from the singers. The violent actions by the Angels in response to assault on the singers represents a loss of the fundamentals and values the band stands for.
4. In general the hippies were portrayed as stoned, chaotic, music-loving idiots. Throughout the movie that portrayal was pretty clear however the one scene that really showed that was when they were having the concert indoors and people kept going onto the stage. The fans were basically an assembly line, just one after the other jumping up onto the stage and getting escorted down seconds later. The fans seemed undaunted by the fact that security would always reach them before they got the the singers.
1. For me the imagery of naked children at this event is just shocking. I could maybe see one or two with some parents focused on other things but it was just excessive. It feels like they were just an afterthought to everyone while the parents we’re doing what they wanted to do instead.
ReplyDelete3. It implies that, even though the event was intended to be a good time for all and for people to have a fun day out, not all went as planned and some violence broke out that was unintended. In an environment as packed as the event appeared to be, a lot of people looked like they needed shelter from the people who were violent but it was difficult because of the nature of the event.
4. For me it is when the singers have to tell people to stop climbing the scaffolding, which seems to only lead to more Unauthorized behavior. The film makers portray the hippies as following almost no rules, even if these rules are set by those they adore. The way they are portrayed, the hippies will break rules just to spite those who are putting them in place, regardless of objective.