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The Rolling Stones, Iain Quarrier, Nike Arrighi, Joanna David, Frankie Dymon Jr. ... see more see more... , Sean Lynch , Françoise Pascal , Illario Pedro , Anne Wiazemsky , Danny D. Daniels , Glenna Forster-Jones , Bernard Boston , Roy Stewart , Mick Jagger , Keith Richards (II) , Brian Jones , Bill Wyman , Charlie Watts

Jean-Luc Godard's Sympathy for the Devil, also known as One Plus One, uses both documentary and staged sequences, alternating between an inside look at a rock band's recording process and reflections ... read more read more...on contemporary politics and aesthetics. One half of the film focuses on the Rolling Stones, as they rehearse and ultimately record the song that would become "Sympathy for the Devil." By presenting repeated takes of the entire composition, the film allows the viewer to witness the progressive evolution of the song from its original, slower conception to the more percussive version that became the final recording. The other half of the film -- which is occasionally accompanied by the song -- presents a series of sequences dealing with issues like black power, pornography, racism, and Marxism, amongst others. These sequences, which often focus on a group of revolutionary youth in Paris, provide a chance for Godard to inject political commentary and meta-fictional musings on the nature of cinema. These more cerebral scenes serve as counterpoint to the direct presentation of the creative process seen in the Stones' studio sessions, and provide oblique commentary on the political meanings of popular music. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Flixster Users

61% liked it

3,057 ratings

Critics

50% liked it

6 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: Jean-Luc Godard

Release Date: January 1, 1968

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DVD Release Date: October 21, 2003

Stats: 148 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (148)

  • robfearon
    March 1, 2009
    robfearon
    Godard intercuts the Stones sessions with endless scenes of revolutionaries in the streets. He aims for political context, but he mainly proves that it was the Sixties and nobody had invented the fast-forward button yet.
  • littlecharmer1959
    April 6, 2008
    littlecharmer1959
    The director's cut of this is called "One Plus One", which is exactly what it is, footage of the Rolling Stones recording plus footage of Godard's take on 1960's politics.
    If you are not interested in The Rolling Stones or are an avid Godard fan then I doubt this will be for yo... read moreu. Watching The Stones recording Sympathy For The Devil and seeing the track progress is interesting. Then you have the politically segments including The Black Panthers citing Black Power philosophy and shooting white women, an interview with "Eve Democracy", and finally workers of an adult bookshop whose customers leave by giving the Nazi salute.
    Overall this is quite a strange film.
  • JesusOnlyKnows19
    November 13, 2006
    JesusOnlyKnows19
    I don't even know why they would make a movie like this. Why would anybody have sympathey for the devil? This movie is obscene. It's prosperous, it is off the wall. The directer and producer and everybody else who helped with this movie im gonna pray for you.

View All Sympathy for the Devil (One Plus One) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Greenspun
May 9, 2005
Roger Greenspun, New York Times

Not only does the use of the song impose a sense of emotional fulfillment upon a conclusion that does not ask for it, but also the use of the song's title for the movie suggests a meaning that is less... Full Review

August 29, 2006
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The politics are as muddled as the art is (deliberately?) amateurish. Full Review

Kevin N. Laforest
January 4, 2003
Kevin N. Laforest, Montreal Film Journal

This was directed by Jean-Luc Godard, so can you really expect another "Live at the Max"?

Cole Smithey
November 14, 2005
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
June 27, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Thomas Delapa
April 13, 2005
Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly

No review available.

Leo Goldsmith
August 17, 2007
Leo Goldsmith, Not Coming to a Theater Near You

Click to read the article Full Review

August 25, 2006
Sydney Morning Herald

Click to read the article Full Review

January 26, 2006
Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

Click to read the article Full Review

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