KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

preppy-3 Here we see the Rolling Stones creating the song "Symapthy for the Devil" in the studio. That footage is entertaining and fascinating. If they had just stuck to that this could have been a fascinating documentary. Naturally director Jean-Luc Godard (who I despise) single-handedly screws it up. He has somebody talking over the footage--some philosophical garbage which (as far as I could tell) had nothing to do with the movie or the song! To make matters worse he cuts to skits done by the Black Panthers in a junkyard (?????) Godard is trying to make some point but damned if I know what it is. I saw this with a roommate of mine (who idolizes the Stones) and he was ready to kick the TV screen in by the end. He was sick of all the endless talking and pointless politics. This may have meant something in 1968 but it doesn't now! Mick Jagger was once asked in an interview if he had any idea himself what those skits were doing in the film. He made it clear that he didn't have a clue and the director added them without telling the Stones. He didn't like it at all. Next to "Let's Spend The Night Together" this is the worst Stones film ever. Avoid---or watch it for the Stones and skip over the parts without them.

andrabem "Sympathy for the Devil" is an excellent time capsule of the late 60s, and it's also a little cinematic gem. It's still actual today and the questions it poses were still not answered.The Stones are filmed rehearsing "Sympathy for the Devil" - the song is shown evolving from the raw draft to the accomplished end. Godard manages to show the Stones and their crew very much at ease. It's fascinating! Mick Jagger can be said to be the master of ceremonies that leads the show. Even for those that don't like the Rolling Stones it is very interesting to see how, slowly, the song becomes richer in sounds and nuances, till the band have managed to achieve what they wanted - the Stones are very satisfied and they groove."Sympathy for the Devil" is a song suited for what Godard wants to say - it tells the story of a gentleman (let me introduce myself. Im a man of wealth and taste). He has seen it all (I was around when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain), lived it all, understood it all. Crucifixion, revolution, war, prison etc.. Now he's singing this song to say something to the world. Maybe the Devil is God in exile (or the other way round).Godard mixes the Stones rehearsing "Sympathy for the Devil" with other episodes.1) A black revolutionary group in a car cemetery planning the revolution, checking their guns. Three white women wearing white dresses are led in at gunpoint (vestal virgins?) to be sacrificed for the revolution. Philosophy, revolutionary goals, anger, desires and hope. This is one of the episodes. One of the many faces of revolution.2) Anne Wiazemsky, wearing a light yellow dress, is interviewed in a kind of forest park. All she answers is Yes or No (the interviewer himself answers all the questions he asks). Through one of her answers we learn that her Name is Eve. All About Eve - another symbol.3) A magazine stand that sells magazines and pocket-books with lurid covers, where the owner delivers a very weird fascist speech. All the customers that buy something have still the right to slap two hippies that shout progressive slogans. The customers before leaving the store give the fascist salute.Sometimes there's also a voice in off making the silliest comments about world political leaders, describing their sexual romps etc..Take the Stones rehearsing again and again "Sympathy for the Devil" (the song's words serving as a commentary on the other episodes, and the other way round); mix it all together and you'll get an interesting portrait of the spirit of 68 . The times were changing fast, the hopes were high, and fear was present too. You can't take Godard completely seriously (he likes to make fun of everything, even the things he believes in), but he shows himself in "Sympathy for the Devil" as a sensitive and open-minded intellectual, conscious of his own limitations but in harmony with the times. He saw what was happening around him and wanted to take part in it. How? Simple! The only way he knew. To make a film. Sympathy for the Devil.The end of the film is an allegory. Revolution on the beach, shots, blood, his film crew.... A red and a black flag - both waving in the wind. Where is the yellow submarine?

jc-osms The 5 marks are for the Stones, caught candidly in the studio creating their definitive anthem "Sympathy for the Devil". Nothing out of ten for the pretentious rants and downright weird concoctions of the director presumably to juxtapose the rebellious anti - establishment stance of the Stones with such movements as the Black Panther and other anarchic cultural thinkers of the times. These vignettes, for want of a better word, with overlapping dialogue, slow moving camera - panning and confusing symbolism - from the dreary ranting monologues by the wrecking crew black brotherhood, over two white woman lying on the ground in blood - spattered dresses, to weird scenes in a small bookshop involving the customers seig-heiling the owner / ranter in between interminable close-ups of adult books on the wall, a politically banal yes / no interview with Eve Democracy - honestly, I'm getting bored just typing this stuff... That said, Godard fails even to capture the Stones properly, the camera again dawdling its way round the studio, focusing on nothing in particular, frequently leaving the main shot as the back of someone's head or languishing for minutes as the boys lounge around between takes. He even fails to emphasise the pivotal change in the song lyric from "Who killed Kennedy" to "the Kennedys" in the wake of the Bobby Kennedy assassination which occurred whilst the song was being put together. Stones fans like me will have to make do with the scraps that Godard throws at us. A pox on him for subsuming them to his pseudo existentialist / anarchic posturing. Thank God for the fast forward button.

stormruston Picked this up for 50 cents at the flea market, was pretty excited.I found it fascinating for about 15 min, then just repetitive and dull.It is neat seeing Mick and the gang in their prime, i wish there was not so much over dubbing of dialog so I could hear what there are saying and playing.The skits are politically dated and incredibly naive and simple, sort of poorly written Monty Python on acid. I spent more time looking at the late 60's England back drops rather then what was actually happening in the silly skits.This movie is a good reminder that times really change,and what was important quickly becomes just plain silly. Good song, but it has now been played to death by this DVD.