Charlie Is My Darling, Press Release

It was the success of Peter Whitehead's film WHOLLY COMMUNION, a half documentary of the International Poetry Incarnation at the Royal Albert Hall, London, June 1966, that lead [sic] to the invitation by Andrew Oldham, the Manager of the Rolling Stones, one week before, to make a film during the two day tour of Ireland—CHARLIE IS MY DARLING. The only conditions were—no tripods, no lights, one camera, two days, four concerts and no-one knowing WHAT would happen, when or why. The film was as much a happening, as the unforeseen incidents that comprise any day in the life of the Rolling Stones.

Peter Whitehead, who is 29, studied Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University; but spent his time in the theatre, writing for the University newspaper and painting. After graduation at Cambridge he received a scholarship to study painting at the Slade School of Art in London. He has never painted a painting since his arrival at art school. The Film Department was too much of a temptation and by the end of the year he had made two experimental films, the success of which earned him, immediately his first film; a half hour documentary in colour THE PERCEPTION OF LIFE. Nine months spent filming through a microscope to capture the last 500 years of Biological History in 25 minutes of film, convinced him that science also was not his religion. He worked as a cameraman on several films in Greece and for Italian Television, until summer 1965 when WHOLLY COMMUNION was shot and later premiered at the Academy Cinema, London.

CHARLIE IS MY DARLING is an honest film in the sense that nothing was rehearsed or premeditated and the interviews were spontaneous, always filmed on the spur of the moment. In 48 hours there was little time to plan anything except survival!

The strength of the film relies not so much on the success of the tour itself (for as always this was fantastic) but on the challenge it makes of each individual to reveal their "real" selves—behind the "mask" they must assume for their life in the public eye. It is only necessary to add that it is by no means the whole story, or the last one, about the Rolling Stones or the situation of Pop in En gland today, but it at least remains a document to testify to the talent, effort and unrelenting patience that is necessary to stay real "behind the scenes."

LORRIMER FILMS LIMITED