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193.
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL 1+1.
Promotional flyer for the Jean-Luc Godard film, originally titled “One Plus One”. London: Cupid Productions, 1970. Printed in red on white stock, illustrated with two photo-stills from the film. 21x34.4cm.
Text reads: “The Rolling Stones + Jean-Luc Godard + Black Militants + White Fascists + The Revolution = Sympathy For The Devil (1+1)”. Brief credits printed below. The first photo-still shows Mick Jagger in the recording studio; the second shows a scene from the car scrapyard in Battersea featuring a Black Power militant aiming a machine gun at three bare-footed white women dressed in white gowns.
Michael X is said to have been slated for the part of the Black Power leader; contemporary scene-maker Mim Scala recalls in the first edition of his memoir, “Diary of a Teddy Boy” (2000): “Michael X and his black panther colleagues... were totally unprofessional and treated the whole film as a personal spin on their political philosophy”. The references to Michael X were removed from the revised edition (2001), replaced in one instance by the name of Frankie Dymon Jr. (aka Frankie Y, an associate of Michael X), who did play the part. Bill Levy (in “The Beast of Britain”) remembers Michael X as having at least been approached by Godard.
A very Near Fine copy of a scarce, ephemeral item.
