Sympathy for the Devil (1968) on Netflix
NR19681h 55mDocumentaryMusic
In London, the Rolling Stones record "Sympathy for the Devil". Elsewhere come Black Panthers in a junkyard, a bookstore selling Nazi pamphlets, and a woman who answers only yes or no.
- Netflix2.8/5
- IMDb6.2/103,548 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes50%
Trailer
Plot summary
The film sets two kinds of footage against each other. In London, the Rolling Stones are at Olympic Studios, recording and re-recording parts of "Sympathy for the Devil" for their album Beggars Banquet. Alongside the studio sessions, Black Panthers gather in a junkyard heaped with rusting cars, read from revolutionary texts and toss rifles from man to man. A camera crew trails a woman in a yellow peasant dress through a wildlife setting and puts questions to her that she answers only yes or no; the chapter heading names her Eve Democracy. In another scene, customers in a store selling comic books, men's magazines and Nazi propaganda swap an item for a sheet of paper, slap two seated Maoist hostages, and leave with a Nazi salute while the owner reads aloud from Mein Kampf.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Sympathy for the Devil (1968)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- At the 1968 London Film Festival, Jean-Luc Godard punched producer Iain Quarrier in the face over changes to the film's ending, which included featuring the complete version of the song. Godard then showed his original version for free under a London bridge.
- Jean-Luc Godard moved to London in 1968 planning a film about abortion, but the 1967 Abortion Act had made it a stale subject. He agreed to shoot there only if he could work with the Beatles or the Rolling Stones; the Beatles refused, the Stones agreed.
- Cinematographer Tony Richmond said the parts of Sympathy for the Devil that did not involve the Rolling Stones were unscripted and filmed without permits.
