Customer Reviews

Stones in Exile

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a very good DVD release, although it doesn't seem like the Holy Grail of Glimmer Twins releases we fans have wished for all these years. It's interesting to see footage (and there's a lot of it) from this time period, with snippets of C-S Blues and more of Ladies and Gentlemen thrown in. I could have done without the interviews with Kings of Leon's Caleb Followill, Jack White, Liz Phair and probably Sheryl Crow. White's comments seem to repeat themselves, and while Crow and Phair are OK in the main movie, their cutting-room floor segments on the DVD's bonus features really starts to drag, especially Phair, who comes across as self-absorbed and almost desperate for attention.
On the plus side, the interview with Don Was is good, probably the best of the non-Stones interviews, and Black Eyed Peas' Will I. Am gives a decent interview. Much of Mick Taylor's and Bill Wyman's comments are relegated to the bonus features area, but they are seen and heard in the main film, also. And speaking of the main film, it's only 61 minutes in the length, unfortunately. The bonus features bump up the running time on this release. I was hoping for a 2-hour documentary, "25 X 5"-style, with maybe 30 or 40 minutes of bonus interviews. Not so. It is a short feature, but what is there is pretty cool. To hear Keith Richards reveal why he did heroin in that time period (and presumably for another five or six years) is a revelation, and Wyman's playful jibe at Taylor's comatose-like stage presence during the 1972 shows is hysterical and ironic. Wyman does finally utter something like, "I'm one to talk." "In 30 years with The Rolling Stones, I maybe took three steps on the stage," Wyman says while laughing.
"Stones in Exile" is a good release, but it falls just short of being an immaculate document of one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Maybe Eagle Rock's upcoming DVD release of "Ladies and Gentlemen ... The Rolling Stones" will be packed to the gills with extra goodies.

For the novice to intermediate enthusiast, this is a well constructed and fascinating overview of what life and artistic expression was like for the Stones in Spring 1971, which was it's intended purpose (inspire new or deeper fan-dom + renew interest in Exile = greater mythos and sales).

For the long time, obsessive enthusiast...who has either seen / heard or has every piece of audio or video media ever made available outside the Stones camp's private archive...there is still plenty of fun here. The interviews, wisely dubbed over period visuals, carry the story along vibrantly. If you pay attention there's lots of interesting insights...from the various horse's mouths...into their personalities, creative process, the Nellcote mythology (much of which isn't as decadent or mysterious as it has been embellished to be).

As for the footage, while germane to the period, album, and supporting tour the following year, there are only snippets here and there of 'original' or unseen footage (at least to the serious afficianado) with little thought to relevance or accurate chronology. That having been said, it is great to see clean, presumably first generation footage from 'CS Blues' and 'Ladies and Gentlemen' (which is FINALLY being cleaned up and officially released on DVD this fall). The grainy footage from Nellcote is mesmerizing, as are the cutting room floor audio sequences of previously unheard jamming and studio dialogue that accompany them.

A happy note too is the final credits soundtrack giving us 'Exile on Main Street Blues', a quick, piano accompanied track which was previously available only on bootleg since released as a 'flexi-disc' promo prior to the 1972 US Tour.

I enjoyed 'Stones in Exile', and...though, like any anticipated Stones release, it could never live up to the preconceived hopes I had for it...it was alot of fun to watch and I'm glad they did it. My only real criticism is the pointless interviews with the likes of Jack White, Benicio Del Toro, and Sheryl Crow...all nice people and interesting artists (no disrespect) but irrelevant. Fortunately very brief. Don Was was a sensible inclusion because a.) he has worked with them alot, and on 'Voodoo' tried to replicate / modernize the various dynamics that made Exile so great (this time at Ron Wood's house in Ireland). Scorsese, of course, appreciates the Stones intelligently and is always interesting to hear on any topic.

Finally, I'd like to point out that the Stones are now...after waiting almost 40 years...at the artistic status of their original idols who inspired them to play music in the first place (when they were 18 or 19): Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Robert Johnson, Chester Burnett, Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley. They have an archive that is truly a legendary musical legacy, and the wellspring of alot more other artist's work and performing style than they are given credit for.

On that note, Keith, how about an album of covers in 2011 (like 'The Rolling Stones' and 'The Rolling Stones No.2'?)

Secondly, while I hope they continue to write, record, and tour as well, I am thrilled that they are FINALLY starting to really open the archives and share the 'backdrop' (outtakes and demos)/missing pieces (extended Ya Yas) of all their renowned recordings and tours...that could carry them commercially for another 40 years if they never recorded another note or played live again! Keep it coming fellows.

FOOTNOTE: the bonus footage of Stargroves (particularly) and Olympic, accompanied by Jagger and Watts commentary, was worth the price of the DVD alone (for me anyway).

Watching this video was a bit of a letdown. The Stones' journey (what they're willing to share with the public) is well known, so there are few surprises here.

However, what's most irksome is the lack of any real video content. Much of the video includes a voice over narrative with the only "video" being still pictures (often black and white) of the band. The camera pans over the photos at some random angles, but there's no disguising the fact that you're not watching any actual footage.

Second, there is very little concert footage. There are a few seconds here and there of some song, with zero information about the specific concert or location. It almost feels like a teaser for yet another Stones video package, which will yet again feature nothing but watered down product including photo montages and snippets of musical performances.

The soundtrack (exile on main st.) is wonderful, and crystal clear, but hey, I already have that soundtrack.

Feel free to pass on this one. I wish I had watched this as a rental instead.

STONES IN EXILE could've been a lot better than it is. The package says the film runs 145 minutes with bonus features, but the main feature is just over an hour. It's a puff piece to promote the recent EXILE ON MAIN STREET CD. Very little depth. Of the bonus features, it's amusing to watch Bill Wyman talk about Keef. I wish I had more to say -- after all, it's a documentary concerning the Stones's most creative period -- but there's so little substance to the thing.

This DVD is an incredible inside look at the making of one of the greatest albums in rock and roll history. Watching this documentary will help you understand just why Exile On Main Street was such an important album, even if people at the time didn't quite see that right away. The biggest surprise of the DVD was the huge amount of "home movie" video that was shot in Nellcote, France. Coupled with the extensive narration from almost all of the participants, including all of the Stones, you can just about imagine what it was like to have been there.

Sure, it could have been longer, but at one hour, it NEVER drags. The (gratefully) brief interviews with current musicians are totally unnecessary, but made worthwhile just to hear Sheryl Crow unwittingly tell us how cool she thinks she is.

And regarding Gram Parsons lack of recognition in the film, he musically influenced Keith, and he WAS upstairs doing lots of drugs (which ultimately got him an invitation to leave), but beyond some uncredited backing vocals, he made no direct contribution to the album itself.

I agree with the previous reviewer -- at just about an hour, "Stones in Exile" seems to wrap up just as it's getting going, and as a consequence it leaves a lot of biographical territory unexplored ("Hello, Gram Parsons?").

And yet ... this is so much better than I was expecting. Aside from opening and closing segments featuring interviews with celebrity fans of "Exile on Main St.," the bulk of the movie is a well-choreographed montage of clips (footage from "C.S. Blues" and "Ladies & Gentleman..." plus home movies) and photographs (largely by Dominique Tarle, whose book "Exile" is about $1,000 beyond most fans' price ranges).

I had no idea there was so much period material out there, and the filmmakers structure it with the songs perfectly. The resulting whole does a great job of putting "Exile" into the context of the Stones' history as well as the era in which it was made. Interview audio from the band as well as producer Jimmy Miller, engineer Andy Johns, label head Marshall Chess, actor Jake Weber (who remarkably was, at the time, the son of a member of the Stones' entourage) and Bobby Keyes (who, decades after the fact, still sounds elated to have been there) round out the reporting. And the film also occasionally just sits back and lets songs play out.

I'm frequently disappointed in music docs, and as a longtime fan of "Exile" I was prepared to be let down (much as I was with the recently released "sweetened" extra tracks on the "Exile re-release). But this movie gets so much right, I can't begrudge its brevity. I've seen much longer documentaries that were a lot worse.

I suspect that if you like the Stones on the one hand you will love this look at one of their most important albums, however also of you love the Stones it will not show that much new stuff. If you rae unfamiliar or do not like the Stones, then this is nothing at all to lok at. Indeed, it is not really a documentary on the meking of exile since tehre is no real footage that makes sense about that in here. What it does is convey the athmosphere surrounding the making of the album in the South of France quite well. It also shows the state the Rolling Stones were in when they left for tax reasons in the early 70's. There is no clear breakdown of the songs. Some of the additional interviews are quite nice but do not ilustrate enough what is perhaps one of the pivotal albums of the 70's. It is n ot expensive but at the same time it does not really deliver what it promises.

I'm not sure why some people are never happy, but them's the facts. When I see negative reviews of this wonderful doc, I begin to wonder if they have seen another film.

Sure, the doc is 61 minutes and that leaves some people grumbling. If you cannot tell a story in an hour, then you either have no story or you have no editing skills. It's NOT the the length of the book, but the story. There's a clear narrative here told in incredible photos, film of course, and voice over commentary by all the key players.

Through photos, film and narration, we get a sense of what life at Nellcôte when Keith was master of the house. I was practically smiling the whole way through. Bobby Keyes is hilarious.

In short, don't listen to the negative Nellies. If you are a Stones fan, this is must-see, must-own.

I love the music of the Stones. But I found this documentary disappointing. As other reviewers have stated, not much here is new. Throughout the bulk of the movie, we get current voiceover interviews with old film footage playing. The Stones talk about their lifestyle and the atmosphere surrounding the making of this classic album. There may be one or two interesting film clips and Jagger and Watts returning to the mansion where they recorded much of the album is fun, but that's about it.

I would have enjoyed a more detailed discussion of the classic tracks of the album. I would have loved to hear more outtakes (some are carelessly scattered throughout the movie) or a breakdown of the instruments tracked on each song. I guess for me, this documentary didn't focus enough on the MUSIC!

Having said that, it's still the Stones, and it is fun to watch. If you are a diehard Stones fan, it's definitely worth seeing.

The interviews were great, of course Mick is typically 'being Mick' at times, his 'who cares about recording sessions', and gracious of Anita Pallenberg to take part in it, which was unexpected, but def. added to the story. Jake Weber aka Joe DuBois from "Medium" was a complete shock though... but not as shocking as the stories he told regarding why he was there.

If you want the Stones Story, you already have "25 x 5" even though it's not on DVD, and "Shine a Light".

I think for a fan that doesn't want to spend hours reading about the sessions, it's a good "Cliff Notes" version taking you from the reason why they became exiles to going out on the road.

As far as the interviews go, they decided to go with the band and people who have been influenced by this particular album. Maybe it should've been in a "listening party" format, and let them discuss and debate, as well as having some of them do the interviewing with the Stones? I would've had Scorsese do most of the questions directed towards the band, kind of a nod to "Shine a Light".

I've seen the Gram Parsons "Fallen Angel" documentary, and you would be doing yourself a favor and rent or buy that, right after seeing this. There's a few things covered there that were glossed over on this DVD, and Keith goes into detail over Gram's time at the villa, which annoyed Jagger to no end, on top of the other things going on at the time. The debate on GP's importance or influence around the "Exile" sessions is more or less resolved here.

Of course you're going to listen to "Exile" once you're done watching it!