BBC Music and BBC Arts present a Lafayette film production - The Stones and Brian Jones

Nick Broomfield’s new documentary uncovers the true story and legacy of Brian Jones, the founder and lost creative genius of The Rolling Stones

Published: 18 April 2023


Michael Ochs Archives

"The Rolling Stones were a major influence in my formative years. Brian and Mick were heroes of the day, their rebellion and breaking of the rules were a great inspiration to us. Making this film was an opportunity for me to look at that formative growing-up time until the shock of Brian’s death in 1969, the darkest moment in the history of The Stones, when things changed."
— Nick Broomfield, Director

The film will premiere on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in May as part of a new series of films for the flagship Arts strand, Arena.

As a 14 year-old schoolboy, Nick Broomfield met Brian Jones, by chance, on a train. Brian was at the height of his success, with the world at his feet, yet just six years later he would be dead.

The Stones and Brian Jones looks at the relationships and rivalries within The Rolling Stones in those formative years. It explores the iconoclastic freedom and exuberance of the 60s, a time of intergenerational conflict and sexual turmoil which reflects on where we are today.

Featuring revealing interviews with all the main players and unseen archive released for the first time, The Stones and Brian Jones explores the creative musical genius of Jones, key to the success of the band, and uncovers how the founder of what became the greatest rock'n'roll band in the world was left behind in the shadows of history.

Director Nick Broomfield says: “The Rolling Stones were a major influence in my formative years. Brian and Mick were heroes of the day, their rebellion and breaking of the rules were a great inspiration to us. Making this film was an opportunity for me to look at that formative growing-up time until the shock of Brian’s death in 1969, the darkest moment in the history of The Stones, when things changed.”

Mark Bell, Commissioning Editor, BBC Arts, says: “We’re proud to bring BBC viewers Nick’s powerful and personal film as part of the Arena strand; his new documentary sheds fresh light on a remarkable musician and his tumultuous times.”

For decades among the foremost names in documentary, more recently for My Father And Me; Marianne And Leonard: Words Of Love; Whitney: Can I Be Me; Tales Of The Grim Sleeper, director Nick Broomfield studied at the National Film School under Professor Colin Young, who had a great influence on his work, encouraging participant observation, as well as introducing him to filmmaker Joan Churchill. Together Nick and Joan made several films Juvenile Liaison, Tattooed Tears, Soldier Girls, Lily Tomlin as well as Aileen: Life And Death Of A Serial Killer.

Nick was originally influenced by the observational style of Fred Wiseman, Robert Leacock and Pennebaker, before moving on - largely by accident - to the more idiosyncratic style for which he is better known.

Nick Broomfield is the recipient of awards including Sundance First Prize, Bafta, Prix Italia, Dupont Peabody Award, Grierson Award, Hague Peace Prize and Amnesty International Doen Award.

Produced by Nick Broomfield, Shani Hinton, Marc Hoeferlin, Kyle Gibbon, The Stones and Brian Jones will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in May. It is a co-commission between BBC Arts and BBC Music and the commissioning edtors are Mark Bell and Jan Younghusband.

[www.bbc.com]
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[www.bbc.co.uk]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-05-07 13:49 by bye bye johnny.

Please be good.

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His Majesty
Please be good.

Indeed. "Revealing interviews by all the main players and unseen archive released for the first time"... I hope there is some actual substance behind those words.

It probably is way too idealistic and optimistic to hope, but it would be nice if there would be some Stones or/and ABKCO involvement, if for nothing else but actually hearing some real Stones music there.

- Doxa

About time !

I hope this film goes some way to redressing the balance.

What else is there to be said?

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His Majesty
Please be good.

Yes, please!

No trailer?

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Doxa

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His Majesty
Please be good.

Indeed. "Revealing interviews by all the main players and unseen archive released for the first time"... I hope there is some actual substance behind those words.

It probably is way too idealistic and optimistic to hope, but it would be nice if there would be some Stones or/and ABKCO involvement, if for nothing else but actually hearing some real Stones music there.

- Doxa

yes i'm really looking forward to this even without stones music included

just the possible inclusion of unseen footage of and interviews with brian from the bbc archives would be enough for me and if mick and keith are involved (which i doubt) it would be just to great for words

also it helps that this nick broomfield doesn't strike me as a member of the tin foil hat brigade so hopefully he won't entertain such fantastical ideas as mick and keith killing brian or mick sleeping with him etc. etc.

and hopefully he won't play on the idea that without brian the band was somehow a shadow of it's former self or some such nonsense

what i really crave and can't believe hasn't been done yet is documentary on brian that dosen't fawn all over him as some perfect infallible being or casts mick and keith as some sorta sinister villains plotting his downfall

just a good documentary that presents him as a real human being while celebrating the incredible genius he was and acknowledge and tries reconcile that with his considerable dark side

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His Majesty
Please be good.

Considering there’s BBC involvement, I think you’ll have to cross all your fingers and toes!

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Big Al

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His Majesty
Please be good.

Considering there’s BBC involvement, I think you’ll have to cross all your fingers and toes!

then does anyone have some extra fingers and toes to cross?

[www.bbc.com]

Looks like an interesting movie!

[iorr.org]

Oh brother, here we go again. Brian as genius saint, maligned and abandoned by those jealous, satanic Stones. No mention of what he did to slowly estrange himself from the others to the point they had no choice but to go on without him. Brian has become such a cult figure. It would be great to have a real, truthful documentary about him but we'll never get it. How a talented individual screwed his own career with the group he founded. The five known illegitimate children. His voluntary descent into a drug addled haze.

The topper would be for the documentary to go into the 'mysterious events' surrounding his death, with 'new' evidence. Just gimme some truth, all I want is the truth....

His musical talents make me forget about all the other crap you mentioned.

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24FPS
Oh brother, here we go again. Brian as genius saint, maligned and abandoned by those jealous, satanic Stones. No mention of what he did to slowly estrange himself from the others to the point they had no choice but to go on without him. Brian has become such a cult figure. It would be great to have a real, truthful documentary about him but we'll never get it. How a talented individual screwed his own career with the group he founded. The five known illegitimate children. His voluntary descent into a drug addled haze.

The topper would be for the documentary to go into the 'mysterious events' surrounding his death, with 'new' evidence. Just gimme some truth, all I want is the truth....

ROCKMAN

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Rockman

Off the hook!!

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georgemcdonnell314
His musical talents make me forget about all the other crap you mentioned.

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24FPS
Oh brother, here we go again. Brian as genius saint, maligned and abandoned by those jealous, satanic Stones. No mention of what he did to slowly estrange himself from the others to the point they had no choice but to go on without him. Brian has become such a cult figure. It would be great to have a real, truthful documentary about him but we'll never get it. How a talented individual screwed his own career with the group he founded. The five known illegitimate children. His voluntary descent into a drug addled haze.

The topper would be for the documentary to go into the 'mysterious events' surrounding his death, with 'new' evidence. Just gimme some truth, all I want is the truth....

But we know all about his musical talents. What don't we know about a guy that died at age 27 by now? That he had a smashing stamp collection?

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24FPS

But we know all about his musical talents. What don't we know about a guy that died at age 27 by now? That he had a smashing stamp collection?

Seems like this could be said about almost any figure who is the subject of a documentary.

I'd think if a proposed documentary is if no interest to me, I simply wouldn't watch it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-04-24 13:33 by Ps37.

It may be of interest to younger people and it also depends on the quality of the maker

The reality is we will never have 'the truth', all we have is fragments of memories affected by the fluctuating range of human emotions and the passing of time.

Brian's pov about all of the things said about him since 1969 is rather obviously missing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2023-04-24 14:23 by His Majesty.

The Stones and Brian Jones is on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on
15 May

[www.theguardian.com]

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Ps37

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24FPS

But we know all about his musical talents. What don't we know about a guy that died at age 27 by now? That he had a smashing stamp collection?

Seems like this could be said about almost any figure who is the subject of a documentary.

I'd think if a proposed documentary is if no interest to me, I simply wouldn't watch it.

Believe me, I would love a REAL documentary on Jones. Warts and all. The five illegitimate children. Real examples of what he did to piss each Stone off in the end. Plus all the good stuff. How he got them going in the beginning, and what superior in musicianship, but only in the beginning.

Deleted post!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2023-05-08 10:25 by Big Al.

I don't like the title
Brian Jones IS a Rolling Stone
He just left the band that he started and then shortly afterwards he died

I don’t expect much from the documentary. Just look at the “movie” they made about Freddy Mercury … Those document makers don’t take risks.
About Brian … after having read so many books about him (personally I still find Trinka’s book the best) and all those interviews with both band members and others to me Brian is an open book. I am iternally greatful for his passion and devotion that started The Rolling Stones, but also disappointed about how he eventually f*cked up his life. So many artists have everything to complete a great life but still manage to destroy themselves. Shame, shame, shame.

I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town

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georgie48
I don’t expect much from the documentary. Just look at the “movie” they made about Freddy Mercury … Those document makers don’t take risks.
About Brian … after having read so many books about him (personally I still find Trinka’s book the best) and all those interviews with both band members and others to me Brian is an open book. I am iternally greatful for his passion and devotion that started The Rolling Stones, but also disappointed about how he eventually f*cked up his life. So many artists have everything to complete a great life but still manage to destroy themselves. Shame, shame, shame.

Haven't seen «The Final Act». Was it that bad?

I've read some more from the director. I have a little more faith. A letter from Brian's father trying to mend fences. And absolutely no conspiracies surrounding his death. He said it would be a waste of time. Thank heavens for common sense.

Maybe the circumstances surrounding Brian’s death are left out because the talking heads in the doc very high up the r&r chain brought this to the table as a condition for their participation.

This is the letter from Brian's father, reprinted from Rolling Stones Data Group. It was in the possession of Linda Lawrence. It's not known whether Brian ever saw it, or responded to it.

“My dear Brian, we have had unhappy times and I have been a very poor and intolerant father in so many ways. You grew up in such a different way than I expected you to. I was quite out of my depth… I don’t suppose you will ever forgive me, but all I ask is for just a little of that affection you once had for me. This is a very private and personal note so don’t trouble to reply. Love, Dad.”

As for Brian's death, this is what he had to say about it in the same article:

The movie director, who first met Jones in 1963 while riding a train, claimed in an interview with The Guardian that his movie steered clear of the rumors that swirled around the musician’s passing in 1969, three weeks after the band had fired him.
Broomfield: “I felt they didn’t go anywhere,” the director said, “and, in terms of the story, I just thought: ‘What’s the point of me wasting a lot of time just to end up dismissing them?’”