For all of the mystery and legal controversy surrounding Robert Frank's
unstructured cinema verite Rolling Stones documentary, filmed during
their 1972 "Exile on Main Street" tour, the proof in the pudding is
fairly prosaic. Although the film was originally commissioned by the
Stones, the band took issue with its less than flattering image of its
backstage and hotel room shenanigans that famously included drug use
and sex. A court ruling decreed that the film could only be shown with
Robert Frank present, although it is–at the time of this
writing–available online. "Cocksucker Blues" takes its intentionally
profane title from the title of a final song that Mick Jagger wrote to
fulfill the band's contract to Decca Records. Sadly, the nasty little
ditty appears nowhere in the movie. The film's highlight occurs during
a live performance of "Satisfaction," with Stevie Wonder contributing
to a magnificent moment of concert inspiration. Another bit of charming
cool occurs with a shirtless Keith Richards playing boogie woogie on a
hotel room piano. Frank left various cameras around for anyone to pick
up and film whatever they wanted, and the result is a sloppy time
capsule of early '70s rock 'n' roll excess. "Cocksucker Blues" is
interesting from a time capsule point of view, but doesn't hold up as
much of a movie.
Not Rated. 93 mins. (C-) (Two Stars)
