Review of Gimme Shelter (2013) by Al M — 10 May 2013

We know what is going to happen during the Stones' infmaous 1969 free concert at Altamount, and Gimme Shelter becomes so powerful partly because this attempt to capture a band on tour become a documentary about something much more disturbing.

A film about a film, Gimme Shelter opens with the Stones watching the documentary that would have been released had events unfolded differently. We the viewers see two different things happening as we watch Gimme Shelter.

We see the actual events leading up to and comprising the Altamont concert, but we also see the Stones and the filmmakers trying to make sense of what they caught on camera. And, ultimately, Gimme Shelter's title is rather apropos because it concerns the desire to flee from the dark truths revealed to us by the camera's unflinching gaze.

We see the idealism of the 1960s die on camera as the day degenerates leading up to the final act of violence. Like watching a massive car crash with awesome music, Gimme Shelter is an unforgettable experience that reaveals not only the dark side of the 1960s ideology of free love and consciousness expansion but also the dark side of human nature.

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