‘Catching Fire’ Review: How the Stones’ Muse Rolled

Subtitled “The Story of Anita Pallenberg,” this documentary gives the life of the actress and model a thorough downer of a treatment.

By Ben Kenigsberg
May 2, 2024

[www.nytimes.com]

[archive.ph]
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Catching Fire: The Story Of Anita Pallenberg Review: Scarlett Johansson Gives Voice To Redemption Story

Christopher Schobert
May 2, 2024

[thefilmstage.com]
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‘Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg’ Filmmakers on Working With Her Son to Capture His Complicated Mother’s Life: ‘Marlon Encouraged Us to Go Deep and to Go Dark’

By Pat Saperstein
May 3, 2024

[variety.com]
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'Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg' emphasizes the importance of the Stones muse

To sum up who and what Pallenberg’s role in the development of The Rolling Stones exactly was is a daunting task. But the documentary 'Catching Fire’ tends to solidify history.

Ivor Levene
May 3, 2024

[www.goldminemag.com]

Watched last night, incredible home movies from the late 60's. The trip to Brazil and Switzerland home movies were awesome. Five star documentary.

Highly recommended. Very comprehensive, warts and all. Great pics and footage, with occasional voice-overs by Keith that tie it all together.

ww16.0123movie.net]

Finally found the film last night. Gotta say, it was super COOL to see the Brazil footage - who would've ever thought something like that even existed!

Yeah parts of it were difficult to watch... you can really appreciate how big the monster is. (not heroin, I mean the Stones Inc.!!}

The personnel and the personal, all intertwined, blurred lines of what's real, what's not.

I highly recommend the film. Def. a re-watch!

Very interesting movie with great interviews by Marlon and Angela, a few random comments :

1. No mention of Keylock for the trip to Morocco, a casual fan would think Keith was doing the driving. Not sure why they did that...maybe they didn't want to "discuss" Keylock ? It would have made it more "realistic" though.

2. To illustrate a frustrated Keith writing/recording Gimme Shelter during the filming of Performance they used footage from 1972 at the Rialto in Montreux where they didn't even play GS...Not Good !

3. It was "stunning" to see the Jake Webber interview who'd always been the blonde kid in the Tarlé pics...also hearing him talk of his dad as being a "drug smuggler" who "lost it" when his mom died, wow...

4. I'd never heard of these "rich Swiss friends from Geneva", it was quite something to hear their memories, especially in relation to Tara's death.

5. I'd heard the "Russian roulette" story of course but didn't realize they were actually watching a movie showing a Russian roulette scene when Scott Cantrell killed himself. The background on Cantrell was new to me too.

6. Didn't know she'd earned a Diploma ! Looked it up and it was at "Central Saint Martins in London in 1994 with a fashion and textile degree"

7. Anita thought "plastic surgery was naff" but just after they say that they show her flashing her "fake teeth" ;-)

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IORR Links : Essential Studio Outtakes CDs : Audio - History of Rarest Outtakes : Audio

Gotdablouse
Where did you see the movie in France ?

I finally got around to watching the Anita documentary and I really enjoyed it. Some of that home movie footage from the voyage Mick and Keith and Anita and Marianne took is mind-blowing. I always thought they were on some luxury ship but it looks like an old freighter. So crazy the lives these folks lead. What really jumped out at me was the woman whom Anita hired as the nanny in Westchester County from 1977 to 1979. She’s the one who would always answer the door when we constantly knocked and tried and see if Keith was home. She could not have been any nicer or more patient with us goofy high school kids. Twice I actually dragged my younger sister there to sell Girl Scout cookies and she bought like 10 boxes for Marlon who was standing right there. We met Scott Cantrell the young man who tragically took his own life and we also spotted Anita one night at the Cross River movie theater. We had all gone to see a midnight showing of Ladies and Gentlemen the Rolling Stones and there she was in the lobby, this is about 1979, looking very high, all by herself.

Great stories, hbwriter!

Fantastic film.
Anita was definetly a force to be reckoned with and her influence is quite apparent.
Big respect for Marlon!
A must watch for any Stones fan.

Stream here (free)

Catching Fire

I have a ticket to the screening on Friday with the Q&A with Marlon and Angela

Me too!

I have the same reservations as Bliss about Scarlett Johannsson being the voice of Anita, who I ran into three or four times over the years. Her accent was not like that!

One of those times was at a Marianne Faithfull concert - or rather just outside, where she was hanging out during the interval having a few sneaky puffs on a fag. She was dressed all in black but was wearing the coolest ever pair of silver ankle boots that I can still picture even now. She was always very gracious and friendly.

Expecting a full report on the Q&A from you both - lucky ducks!

I'd say this film is a must watch for Stones fans. What an insane life Anita had. It is really amazing how she lasted as long as she did considering the lifestyle she and Keith shared for so many years. Since I am roughly 10 years younger than Anita and Keith, I grew up a Stones fan since I was 11. The Stones were bigger than life, and the people in their lives like Anita and Marianne were somewhat mythical to me. Anita was in films like the crazy and strange Barbarella, as well of course Performance. Anita came off as beautiful, intelligent, and dangerous. While the film inserted some video clips that didn't pertain to points being made, the home video footage was very cool to see. Marlon really is the glue that holds the documentary together. I wish he had added more commentary. What a strange and chaotic life he led as a young boy, and yet he has emerged as a thoughtful, well spoken, and intelligent man. Anita's influence on Brian, Keith and the Stones was an important part of their creative development imo, for better or worse. Many can say she was a toxic influence on Brian and then Keith. Life swirled around her energy. While I have read a lot about life at Nellcote when she and Keith lived there with Marlon, somehow she helped keep that place functioning with all sorts of people just hanging out. Talk about challenging. At some point of course films like this that try and put a life in perspective can get depressing, but that was how Anita's life evolved. I'm glad that her later years were a better and fulfilling time for her. I'm glad this documentary was made and now widely available for people to watch.

a great watch. the film footage is breathtaking at times (Anita dancing on the terrace at dusk, the parts on tha ship to Brazil, Nellcote) and heartbreaking (the Swiss part)

Kudos to Marlon, thanks to him who is "outside" the "Stones Inc" enough to have room for maneuver but close enough to get access to this wonderful material we have a very beautiful pic on Anita and a great, unusually authentic perspective on the band's life.

great narration from Keith (and Marianne too)

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SomeTorontoGirl
Expecting a full report on the Q&A from you both - lucky ducks!

I'll to get some pictures of the Q&A if allowed.

Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg review – rockn’roll ‘muse’ in the spotlight


Documentary tells the melancholy story of the model and actor at the centre of the 60s music industry but also weirdly peripheral to it



Peter Bradshaw
Wed 15 May 2024

[www.theguardian.com]

Quote
Beast
Me too!

I have the same reservations as Bliss about Scarlett Johannsson being the voice of Anita, who I ran into three or four times over the years. Her accent was not like that!

One of those times was at a Marianne Faithfull concert - or rather just outside, where she was hanging out during the interval having a few sneaky puffs on a fag. She was dressed all in black but was wearing the coolest ever pair of silver ankle boots that I can still picture even now. She was always very gracious and friendly.

Very true, Beast, I remember seeing her at one of the Buenos Aires shows on the Ole Tour having a drink in the bar before the show. People were having photos taken with her, about which she was very cool, and upon seeing me she said "you're staying in our hotel aren't you?". She probably recognised me from the pre-breakfast swim in the pool that day, there were only 3 of us in the pool!

Anyway, BarRoomQueen and I will see you at the screening on Friday.

It struck me how Keith's children with Patti inherited her model looks, but neither of his children with Anita inherited hers.

The film glossed over how destructive she was apart from the death of Scott Cantrell. She initiated a number of people into heroin use, and enabled others as well. It's worth reading Barbara Charone's and Spanish Tony's books to get another side.

Patti was generous enough to include Anita in some family holidays.It would have been great to see some footage of that. It's very clear that she rehabilitated herself later in life. Graduating from Central St.Martins was quite an achievement.

This made me dislike Keith. He just can't stop with the rock n' roll bullshit. I found this movie thoroughly depressing. Different times I know but they (KR+AP)were just so swarthy, vain, selfish and reckless. There's nothing romantic or appealing about any of it.

Can someone please tell me where to see the film online?

Also I wanted to say that one of the, if not the most, powerful things I have read this year was Marlon's comment about the deep regret his parents shared about what they put their children through.

How many of us on this page grew up idolising Keith and his way of life? It sounds as though this docu really shows the other side of all that - and of course Marlon and Angela suffered the most.

Those comments reminded me of Angus Young's words that everyone off stage sees the money and the cars and the fame - but don't see the lives ruined, dead bodies and other tragedies that they endured along the way.

thanks -

LoveInVain69

Any regular showings in NYC during that Stones week?

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LoveInVain69
Can someone please tell me where to see the film online?

Also I wanted to say that one of the, if not the most, powerful things I have read this year was Marlon's comment about the deep regret his parents shared about what they put their children through.

How many of us on this page grew up idolising Keith and his way of life? It sounds as though this docu really shows the other side of all that - and of course Marlon and Angela suffered the most.

Those comments reminded me of Angus Young's words that everyone off stage sees the money and the cars and the fame - but don't see the lives ruined, dead bodies and other tragedies that they endured along the way.

thanks -

LoveInVain69

Scroll up on this page for the link.

Going today in London, Camden curzon.

I've now watched it and look forward to your views. My own are firstly, that people saying it's a missed opportunity to present her as an icon are wide of the mark. She is an icon, that's it.

For me, the movie was more about the suffocating nature of fame, its perils - and the collateral damage done to those around the hurricane. In this case, their children.

Finally, the movie left me thinking that a lot of what is in the memoir is probably so explosive and, in some ways, tragic that we will never see or hear of it. I think that's part of the reason why they chose a movie format.

But I agree with other posters that it is absolutely essential viewing for Stones fans. I'm quite shocked at how it changed my view of them, especially Keith, to be honest ...

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Bliss
Stream here (free)

Catching Fire

Thank you!!

The 1968 SciFi-Movie Barbarella (with Anita Pallenberg) will be shown by French/German public TV-broadcaster arte on 19-May-2024 - [www.arte.tv] , [www.arte.tv] .

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WorriedAboutYou
This made me dislike Keith. He just can't stop with the rock n' roll bullshit. I found this movie thoroughly depressing. Different times I know but they (KR+AP)were just so swarthy, vain, selfish and reckless. There's nothing romantic or appealing about any of it.

I have not seen the movie yet but can relate to this brief analysis. Most likely I would/will feel exactly the same way after seeing it.

Documentaries "baring it all" have become a trend in the music industry but the creators tend to ignore the fact that they are putting at risk the images fans have of their idols, images built in decades of enthusiasm, love and gratitude for the music they enriched our lives with. There seems to be a lack of sensitivity and true comradery with the fans that comes with the ambition to share rare archive material and very personal matters with the world. The "what have we got to lose now"-attitude is out of place here as it is anywhere else in the creative world.

Finally, after more than a year of searching! I purchased from Amazon because I knew I’d want to re-watch it a few times. Wasn’t wrong. Of course I was thrilled with how much participation from Keith we get. An unexpected ton of insight from Marlon. They don’t gloss over the abysmal treatment of the children. No sugar-coating, fabulous new videos, especially (as mentioned) that freighter cruise, what a delight. But I was really struck at the obvious love that Keith and Anita shared. That came through more than any of the miseries.

***Can't you hear me knocking?***