As The Rolling Stones evolved from blues purists and made a concerted attempt to commercialize themselves for the pop market, their manager Andrew Loog Oldham posited them as bad boy alternatives to the cuddly mop-tops that were The Beatles. It only makes sense then, that instead of the semi-fictionalized presentation of the latter with their first feature motion picture A Hard Day’s Night, Oldham would prefer a cinema verite alternative, which is exactly what Charlie Is My Darling represents.
Filmed in 1965, on tour in Ireland, just as The Stones were penetrating the mainstream most fully with the burgeoning success of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” the film was never widely distributed in any form theatrically or on the video front, so it’s debut on DVD and Blu-Ray (as well as a CD soundtrack version in a deluxe package also containing a book, poster and other memorabilia) makes a significant contribution to the celebration of the band’s 50 year anniversary in 2013.
Far from being a hastily produced attempt to cash in on that milestone, this constitutes a comprehensive look not just at The Rolling Stones, but this entire film project: the two previous versions of the film are included on the DVD and Blu-Ray discs as well as the newly-produced lengthier version. The bonus content depicting the restoration process reaffirms the care and insight, not to mention the technical expertise and loving labor devoted to Charlie Is My Darling.
The realism of the film is most palpable in the cumulative momentum generated through the carefully interwoven segments. Clips of the Stones backstage and in hotels, interspersed with footage of fans and those attendant interviews, as well as scenic footage of the Irish land and cityscape, conjures suspense that comes to climax with the introduction of the band for its performances (this content alone priceless as little other such recordings exist).
The Rolling Stones come across here remarkably precocious in their poise and professionalism on and off the stage, making their now lengthy career not that much of a surprise. It is, however, in stark contrast to the sensationalism that surrounded them then, staged or spontaneous, or in later years when they continued to consciously project their image as satanic majesties sympathetic to the devil.
The clarity of audio and video only occasionally distracts from perception of the quintet as a well-practiced unit on stage. Mick Jagger worked no less hard on stage then (though perhaps not so visibly) to maintain his physical domination of the stage. Keith Richards is almost as quietly centered on playing the music as the ever stoic-bassist Bill Wyman. Arguably the founder of the group in its blues-devoted roots, Brian Jones began to recede from prominence as Jagger and Richard cultivated their songwriting partnership, but his diminished presence here, even less than drummer Charlie Watts, who is at least seen on the fringes of impromptu songwriting sessions, begs the question of his role in the band (though he’s often credited for his instrumental versatility in the studio at this this time). That said, the sight of his blonde coif is repeatedly striking, as are his clear-eyed and headed observations on the phenomenon surrounding the band.
The other versions of Charlie Is My Darling vary in length from this hour-long cut, alternately focusing in on the various elements of the film, in the thirty-minute director’s cut or expanding upon those motifs in the eighty-minute producer’s cut. DVD/Bu-Ray technology is ideally suited to highlight the contrasting scenes which, taken in comparison, create alternate views of the ‘action’ in the foreground and background. Ultimately, the accessibility of all the different renderings fosters a consistent vision of the group. Any account of Charlie Is My Darling Ireland 1965 illuminates the how and the why of a five-decade long drama known as the Rolling Stones.
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