Gimme Shelter is a landmark portrait of a band – and a generation. What begins as a film of the Rolling Stones’ performances on their 1969 American tour switches to an inquiry into the devastating Altamont concert where Hell’s Angels — hired by the group itself to do security — stomped out the fading utopian dreams of the 60s.
Directors David Maysles, Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin captured the passion and brilliance of live Stones shows — particularly in songs like ‘Honky Tonk Women’ and ‘Street Fighting Man’. But they also happened to catch on film a fan being stabbed in a crowd, footage they then showed to singer Mick Jagger. This sequence also makes Gimme Shelter a cut above and beyond most other rock documentaries: Jagger’s expression as he shakes his head at his own arrogance and naivete is truly remarkable.