Sympathy for the Devil

Like Le Gai Savoir, though more extreme in its abandonment of narrative forms, one of Godard's attempts to 'start again at zero'. Originally conceived literally as one plus one: a theme of construction (the Rolling Stones rehearsing 'Sympathy for the Devil'), and one of destruction (the suicide of a white revolutionary when her boyfriend deserts to Black Power). Endless production problems and disgruntlement on Godard's part turned it into a random collage which the viewer is supposed to 'edit' himself. A daunting task, but the images are often riveting. In the version called 'Sympathy for the Devil', producer Iain Quarrier tacked the completed recording of the Stones' number on to the end of the film (and in an incident at the 1968 London Film Festival that has become legend, was assaulted by an infuriated Godard for his pains).