Charlie Is My Darling

I viewed a bootleg copy of "Charlie Is My Darling" forty five years after it was originally filmed. As much as Brian Epstein was the fifth Beatle, Andrew Loog Oldham was the sixth Stone. Andrew Loog, in 1965 liner notes heralded this music as "New groovies...abound to the sound of the Rolling Stones." Whereas fifth Beatle Brian Epstein was, brilliant/erudite/invisible, sixth Stone Andrew was a pure jabberwocky genius. "Charlie Is My Darling" is the anti-Christing of "Hard Day's Night." Pardon my excessive numeralizing, but, in 1966, Andrew Loog prominently featured First Stone Brian Jones when he/Charlie/Bill/Keith/Mick –collectively the Rolling Stones–were mere Rolling Pebbles. For any Stone fan who was their from that infancy...This rockumentary is a must see!

An illuminating and entertaining music documentary.

Covers the Rolling Stones' 1965 tour of Ireland. Features concert footage, backstage and hotel scenes and interviews with the band. At the time the Stones were still more a blues/R&B band, rather than the rock superstars they would later become. All other Stones films I have seen were in the rock days, and there's a difference.

Here the Stones, though obviously big in the music world - just see the fans adoration, especially from the young girls - seem to still have a degree of innocence and are almost shocked at how popular they are. They still don't really think their fame and popularity are permanent. There's almost a lack of self-confidence on their part, especially from Charlie Watts.

Also interesting to see that some of the standout Stones features are already there. Most particularly, Jagger's stage performance is all movement, swagger and bravado - that came early. Plus you see the natural musical ability of Keith Richard(s) and the shyness of Charlie Watts.

The interviews, particularly with Jagger, are quite illuminating. You can see they are not addle-brained louts, but young men who think about their art, what has come before and where it is going.

A relatively unique Stones experience.

Charming real-life footage of the Stones when they were a working band. They act like young men in their early 20's experiencing the first flush of fame: impersonating Elvis, running from fans, endless travel. It's not meant to be prophetic but rather, a contemporary look at a phenomenon. A band would be too wise (or too well advised) to be so open now concerning doubt over their abilities or being exposed for their pretensions. Brian Jones is particularly vulnerable to having lofty artistic ideas which he doesn't really understand. This is a fantastic snapshot of rock before cynicism, drugs, police busts, corporate machinery and political sloganeering ushered in the hippy dream and the dark side of the sixties. Rock before overdoses, festivals and manipulative guile.

Stands alongside Pennebaker's 'Don't Look Back' as pioneering 60's verite rockumentary. By turns funny, touching, exciting & revealing. Whitehead manages to create an astonishing level of intimacy with the world's premier rock band which would be unthinkable these days. Even the taciturn Charlie Watts is coaxed out of his shell and shares his feelings and philosophy (for perhaps the only time on film). Brian Jones's narcissism is palpable; A topless Keef displays his early mastery of the guitar jamming on 'Salty Dog'. The scenes of fan craziness in the pressure cooker fame game of the early 60's are viewed ironically from a distance like 'A Hard Day's Night' directed by Godard. The film also works now as a sort of social history of Ireland in the evocative detail of a vanished era. The occasional melancholy tone is one of the idiosyncratic touches that sets the film apart from any other pop doc. before or since.

A personal highlight is the hilarious scene where Watts tries to take a cigarette from Wyman but is repeatedly outwitted by some painfully simple sleight of hand.

The 1 hour show was put together in January 1966 by the Stones' manager Andrew Oldham from a combination of concert footage taken during the tour of Ireland in autumn 1965 and backstage interviews, during which Brian Jones discusses his fear of marriage, Charlie Watts his limitations as a musician and Mick Jagger impersonates Elvis!