When 300,000 members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hells Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, Direct Cinema pioneers David and Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin were there to immortalize the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams.

Much of the film chronicles the behind-the-scenes dealmaking that took place to make the free Altamont concert happen, including much footage of well-known attorney The action then turns to the 1969 concert itself at the The Stones are shown appearing onstage that evening and opening with "The credited camera operators for Altamont included a young This article is about the 1970 documentary film. Glad there are movies like this to make me feel a part of it. I do not remember hearing of this event and the unfortunate behaviors that occurred. After the concert, the Maysles brothers asked the Rolling Stones if they could film them on tour, and the band agreed. It also shows the Stones at work in Muscle Shoals, Alabama recording "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses", and footage of Ike and Tina Turneropening for the Stones at their Madison Square Gard…

Hard to know if this classic film reflected the era or defined it after-the-fact, but you'll rarely see a modern film that presents such an intimate portrait. Awesome footage.

A free concert, it is the Stones' idea and it was meant to be the Woodstock of the West (Woodstock having occurred four months earlier). You see a convergence of the calendar end if the 60’s, the end of the “hippie” era, and the Phoenix like rise of The Rolling Stones.

There probably hasn't been a more disruptive event in rock history. Watch it for the performances of the greatest band in the world and the parts that are actual footage which do give great insight.

The clothing and so on. Gimme Shelter (1970) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. For other uses, see Dave Saunders, Direct Cinema: Observational Documentary and the Politics of the Sixties, Wallflower Press, 2007
Fabulous documentary offering unique insight into the cultural moment of the time. Don't watch it thinking you’re seeing the whole 100% true story. I much enjoyed. Watch it for a moment in history that will never be fully understood -- this will give you some of the atmosphere. One of the great documentaries of that historical moment. Called the greatest rock film ever made, this landmark documentary follows the Rolling Stones on their notorious 1969 U.S. tour.

A good doc to watch. Gimme Shelter, a documentary on some of their 1969 concert material, interestingly weaves the concert footage with a little mayhem that was occurring at one of their concerts, that ultimately ended in tragedy.

It was an intersection of corporate America and some dream of countercultural freedom, which, if it ever did exist, happened in flashes here and there, and could not be corralled and presented. Having seen it many times, I watched it again after reading the new book just out on Altamont, which opened up a lot more information.

Due to their editing, and their attempts for form a narrative, what's actually happening and in what order is often either not clear or is entirely altered. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. Gimme Shelter Called the greatest rock film ever made, this landmark documentary follows the Rolling Stones on their notorious 1969 U.S. tour.
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016

This in my opinion is the crown jewel of rock documentaries. Not as Stones-centric as one might expect, but some very compelling behind the scenes glimpses...how could a super group like this succeed doing business they way they did? Awesome footage. Most of the film… There's more to this film than Altamont, due to the Maysles Brothers.

I am so sick of hearing that.