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The Rolling Stones in the press: “Stones’ Africa Movie”
At the height of their creative chaos, The Rolling Stones flirted with a cinematic detour that felt more like a fever dream than a film plan. This wasn’t about concert footage or rock-star mythmaking—it was a strange collision of acting, identity, and music blurred beyond recognition. Roles were fluid, egos checked (at least on paper), and the idea of the band splitting into fictional opposites hinted at a bold experiment in self-reinvention. It captured a moment when the Stones seemed willing to test how far their chemistry could stretch, not just on vinyl, but inside a story that refused to play by rock ’n’ roll rules.
The Rolling Stones are almost certain to star in a major film—described as “weird, mad, bizarre”— to be made by a Hollywood production company in Africa in late December. The movie will be filmed in colour, with Mick Jagger as the central figure. Keith Richard will have a supporting role, as will Brian Jones depending on the outcome of his trial in connection with an alleged drug offence next Wednesday. Jagger and Richard will write the entire musical score, although it is unlikely the group will appear performing any of the numbers as they play opposing characters in the story.
Mick Jagger has described the film he is currently making as “a family film.” It is being shot in London and is called Performance. Anita Pallenberg is likely to be included in the cast, and possibly Marianne Faithfull. The script is being kept secret and is written by an American writer.
Meanwhile, the Jean Luc Goddard production One Plus One, which features the Rolling Stones, has been completed in England with negative cutting. It will be flown to America for its next showing at the New York Film Festival. A preview is likely in London within the next fortnight.
There is no further news on the Rolling Stones’ album release, but it is hoped that a release date may be reached later this week.
A “Family Film” Like No Other
In 1968, fresh off their psychedelic phase, The Rolling Stones somehow found themselves in the middle of what can only be described as a fever dream disguised as a film project. The setting? Africa. The goal? Nobody’s quite sure. Directed by Donald Cammell—yes, the same guy who co-directed Performance—this never-completed movie was rumored to be a “family film” backed by a Hollywood studio. A family film? With Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in their full ’68 glory? That’s like asking a lion to babysit a gazelle.
The working title may be lost to time, but what remains is the vibe: weird, mad, and bizarre. Think snakes, tribal dances, hallucinogenic symbolism, and our favorite bad boys stumbling through the desert looking alternately confused and inspired.
Hollywood Meets Haze
Hollywood apparently thought they could polish the Stones into a family-friendly spectacle. What they got instead was a raw, disorganized, and gloriously chaotic mess of experimental footage. It had the aura of a documentary, the ambition of an art film, and the structure of… well, it had no structure. At all.
The whole thing fizzled before it ever had a chance to confuse a paying audience. No official release, no soundtrack, and very little explanation—just whispers and rare behind-the-scenes stills that paint the picture of a band deep in their experimental phase and a director who was absolutely vibing on the chaos.
Today, The Rolling Stones’ Africa movie sits in the “what the hell happened?” category of rock history—a lost relic from a time when anything seemed possible, even turning the most rebellious band on earth into family-friendly icons. Spoiler: it didn’t work.
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