Sympathy for the Devil

One plus One - Sympathy for the Devil by Jean-Luc Godard (1968)

Jean-Luc Godard

Godard's documentation of late 1960's western counter-culture, examining the Black Panthers, referring to works by LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka) and Eldridge Cleaver. Other notable subjects are the role of the media, the mediated image, A growing technocratic society, Womens Liberation, the May revolt in France and the power of language. Cutting between 3 major scenes, including the Rolling Stones in the studio, the film is visually inter cut with Eve Democracy (Wiazemsky) using graffiti which amalgamates organizations, corporations and ideologies. Godard also examines the role of the revolutionary within western culture. Although he believes western culture needs to be destroyed, it can only be done so by the rejection of intellectualism. "There is only one way to be an intellectual revolutionary, and that is to give up being an intellectual".

Mick Jagger ... Himself - The Rolling Stones
Brian Jones ... Himself - The Rolling Stones
Keith Richards ... Himself - The Rolling Stones (as Keith Richard)
Charlie Watts ... Himself - The Rolling Stones
Bill Wyman ... Himself - The Rolling Stones
Anne Wiazemsky ... Eve Democracy
Iain Quarrier ... Fascist porno book seller
Frankie Dymon ... Black power militant
Sean Lynch ... Commentary (voice)
Danny Daniels ... Black power militant
Illario Pedro
Roy Stewart ... Black power militant
Linbert Spencer
Tommy Ansah (as Tommy Ansar)
Michael McKay
and more