Main Cast: The Rolling Stones, Marshall Chess, Stevie Wonder, Andy Warhol, Truman Capote
Release Year: 1972
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
Plot
The behind-the-scenes activities of the Rolling Stones on their 1972 American tour are the focus of this quasi-documentary film which has had limited showings due to a lawsuit brought by the band, doubtlessly on the advice of their lawyers. Thus, its official release date (if any) is open to question. While some concert footage is included, it mostly focuses on the backstage and offstage behavior (and misbehavior) of the band and its road crew. Despite the film's cinéma vérité tone, some of the events filmed are clearly staged by the groupies, road crew, and band just for the benefit of the cameras. For that reason, it is difficult to tell how accurate a depiction of the Stones' mid '70s on-tour behavior this is. Among the misbehaviors chronicled are hotel room trashings, and the airplane abduction of giggling, screaming and naked groupies for carnal purposes, as well as assorted drug scenes. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Review
While CS Blues, Robert Frank's justifiably infamous documentary about the Rolling Stones' 1972 American tour, has never received a proper release, either theatrically or on video (Frank does screen the film periodically at museums and festivals under an agreement he reached with the Stones), a few brave and nameless souls have circulated bootleg versions of the film on VHS (and later on DVD), and the film's under-the-counter availability seems to suit it quite well -- this is one movie that just feels as if it ought to be treated as contraband. If CS Blues doesn't quite live up to its highly scabrous reputation, anyone looking for top-shelf rock-star decadence early-'70s style will certainly find what they seek. Guzzling booze, snorting coke, shooting smack, sharing needles, trashing hotel rooms, partying with celebrities, frolicking with naked groupies, hosting orgies, and occasionally stopping for sandwiches, CS Blues confirms every dark fear your parents ever had about how long-haired rock musicians spend their spare time. (It is worth mentioning, however, that the nastiest behavior belongs to the roadies; Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had the good sense to avoid being photographed administering opiates or doing the nasty, but they do stand by and offer encouragement as their crew ravishes two marginally willing women aboard their private jet.) However, there's precious little joy to be seen in the Stones' ongoing parade of hedonism; much of the time, the band's mood doesn't seem jaded so much as simply bored, and for every moment in which Mick and Keith snort coke or toss televisions out the window, there's another in which the guys struggle to order fruit from room service, ponder rough mixes of their next album after a show, or simply sit around waiting to go on-stage. In CS Blues, life for the Rolling Stones either goes in first gear or fifth, and what makes it one of the truest films about life for a band on the road isn't the sex and drugs, but the pervasive ennui which seems to fully break only when they're playing on-stage (and the concert sequences do capture the band at a time when they still had some business calling themselves the world's greatest rock & roll band). It's almost enough to make you glad that band you played with in college never got past playing the corner bar on Monday nights. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
There was much anticipation for the band's arrival, with them having not visited the United States since the 1969 disaster at Altamont Free Concert, in which a fan, Meredith Hunter, was stabbed and beaten to death by Hells Angels. The tour fulfilled its promise of tremendous rock and roll performances on stage. Behind the scenes, the tour embodied debauchery, lewdness and hedonism.
The film was shot cinéma vérité, with several cameras with plenty of film left lying around for anyone in the entourage to pick up and start shooting. This allowed the film's audience to witness backstage parties, drug use (Mick Jagger is seen snorting cocaine backstage), roadie antics, and the Stones with their defenses down.
"Cocksucker Blues" was also the title of a Rolling Stones song, recorded in 1970, that Mick Jagger wrote to be the Stones' final single for Decca Records as per their contract. Its context and language was chosen specifically to anger Decca executives. The track was refused by Decca, although promotional 12" singles of it were pressed in the US, and was only officially released later on a West German compilation in 1983, although the compilation was discontinued and since re-released without the song.[1]
The film itself is under a court order which forbids it from being shown unless the director is physically present. This ruling stems from the conflict that arose when the band, who had commissioned the film, decided that its content was inappropriate and didn't want it shown. The director felt otherwise and thus the ruling. However, bootleg copies of the film are available. It has somewhat of a popular aura surrounding it around fellow rockers, such as Marilyn Manson, who mentioned viewing it and seeing his living room in it (parts of it were filmed at the Mary Astor House, on Appian Way in Laurel Canyon where Manson has resided since late 1997).[citation needed]
