Shine a Light (2008)

The Rolling Stones, filmed by Martin Scorsese is a great idea; it's just a pity that it had to happen a good thirty years too late. Contrasted with the punk-inspired, on-form Stones caught on their 'Some Girls' 1978 tour, this DVD just looks a little sad. Respect is due to Mick Jagger, who is still a compelling frontman, A-class guitarist Ronnie Wood and the ultimate garage-band drummer that is Charlie Watts, but Keith... Keith Richards gets a lot further these days on his personality than his guitar playing, which has steadily ossified and actually decreased in abundance over the decades. Since the blazing lead-rhythm 'Chuck Berry meets the Blues giants at a garage-punk gig' style seen so delightfully extensively during the 'Some Girls: Live in Texas '78' DVD, Keith has devolved into someone who plays less and less and poses more and more. Here he seems to play around a quarter (if that) of what he used to play, leaving Ronnie and Mick to take up the slack, which in all fairness, they do admirably. In fact, one is tempted to say that Jagger is now a better (and certainly more prolific) guitarist than Keith, who seems content to noodle about with the odd occasional lick rather than the full-blooded rhythm-chording he used to do. It has been said that he hasn't been the same since he fell out of that tree a few years ago and given this evidence it is difficult to disagree . Elsewhere, in contrast with the stripped-down 1978 tour, there are more people on stage who aren't the Rolling Stones than who are, leaving the actual band-members almost as guest stars at their own concert. The less said about actual guests Christina Aguilera and the execrable performance by Jack White the better (Buddy Guy fits in well though), and despite Scorsese's attempts to create a sense of excitement with his myriad of camera- shots, this gig is a damp squib. On viewing 'Shine a Light', one unhesitatingly salutes the efforts of the increasingly musicianly Jagger (although one strongly suspects that this is a measure adopted perforce to cover Keith's disturbing infirmity), and concedes to Ronnie Wood's stalwart guitar show-carrying brilliance, but it is not enough to save the experience from the near-heartbreaking conclusion that the ageing 'band', with its supporting superstructure of extra musicians, really is milking the last dregs of a career which should have been ended a long time ago.

So we're going with something a little different this week. In what is the first non-fiction film I've ever reviewed, Martin Scorsese gets behind the camera to present a part-concert, part- documentary film chronicling two night shows by iconic band The Rolling Stones at the historic Beacon Theatre in New York City. Although the original plan was to document highlights of The Stones' A Bigger Bang world tour, Scorsese opted for a more intimate and familiar setting, no doubt giving him a lot more options as far as acoustics and camera stations go.Formed a whole six years before Marty even released his first feature film, The Stones have been amongst the most enduring rock and roll bands in history, and are a perfect match for the Taxi Driver director. Each has aged like a fine wine, displaying invaluable experience in their relative industries with every project they churn out, and never lacking in professionalism or passion for what they do. Approaching seventy years old, front man Mick Jagger has not lost a step. His energetic performance alone keeps you from taking your eyes off the screen for two hours, and he is complemented by the rhythmic brotherhood that is Ronnie Wood and the seemingly immortal Keith Richards. Curiously, drummer Charlie Watts hardly appears on-screen during Shine A Light, which is odd considering his prominence and input in other Stones documentaries, most notably Gimme Shelter.Scorsese's role in this film would best be described as 'overseer', rather than 'director'. Granted, there is only so much one can do with the camera when filming a non-fiction concert as opposed to a narrative, but one does get the impression that Marty took a back seat on this one and allowed The Stones to do their job without the concern of multiple cameras minimising the stage space during the show.That being said, Shine A Light does contain moments of cinematic class, particularly during more energetic songs such as Sympathy For The Devil and Live With Me (a surprisingly excellent duet with Christina Aguilera). The editing of archival footage between songs is scarce, with the live performance itself taking obvious priority. However, it is at a premium during Keith Richards' rendition of You Got The Silver, seamlessly intercutting the song with characteristic responses by the man during interviews conducted in the band's early days.A minor issue of concern relates to the 'fans' in the front row. In what has become a rumour never actually proved, it is clear that the rim of the stage has been lined with young, attractive men and women (some ostensibly decked out in Stones merchandise) who are unlikely to be genuine fans, but rather extras who have been employed to make the final transfer to film look sexier. In a fictional piece, this would be a non-issue, but it is rather distracting in a live concert environment. I'll let you make up your own mind on that one.Is it the defining Stones film? Even with Scorsese at the helm, it dosen't quite match up to Gimme Shelter. But with two such juxtaposed films (Gimme Shelter details an immense free concert the Stones hosted during which four babies were born and four people were killed), Shine A Light dosen't have much to stand on. As an individual piece, however, it is very engaging, more so for die-hard fans of the band, the director, or both.*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on [email protected] and let me know what you thought of my review.*

I've been a stones fan for about 25-30 years now A Relative Newcomer and I've collected over 300 bootleg recordings of live stones concerts during the previous 3 decades. Gimme Shelter is one of the best music documentaries ever. Martin Scorsese is probably the best director America has given us in last 50 years. The Last Waltz was superb, the Scorsese Dylan documentary No Direction Home was a wonderful look at the roots of Americana and folk music and I'm NOT a Dylan fan. So why oh why was this so dull. Reason 1: Special guest audience only, ex-presidents, TV stars, Movie Stars in fact just about anybody who wasn't a true Stones fan was there resulting in a lack of atmosphere for a Rock 'n' Roll concert Reason 2: Mediocre performance by the guys themselves. Reason 3: Vintage footage of their days in the 60s and 70s which I've seen MANY times before. Reason 4: Not exactly "Martys" best work. This post is not a flame, I truly wanted to love this film but it just isn't very good

I don't know. It seemed like this should be a great way to summarize the Stones' career: the Scorcese treatment. But I was distinctly underwhelmed. There was the over-representation of mediocre Stones songs (they do have some great material that wouldn't just be a greatest hits set). There was Mick, who ardently believes that more is more. But then he didn't give more (where it counts) on a throw-away vocal on "As Tears Go By." Then there was Marty, who distrusts the viewer not to get bored by not hazarding a single lingering shot. Or to cut away from Mick when Chuck Leavell was delivering a very nice piano solo. My wife noted that the Stones seemed better when Mick stepped off the stage. His "rooster on acid" shtick was nearly nonstop on the faster numbers, and grew boring very, very quickly. I've seen Peter Gabriel and Bono do much, much better as entertainers. But then, I never drank the Kool-Aid.From a film-making point of view, I don't get the value of the Clintons in there, nor of the footage with Marty. And the crowd looked like a group of friends of the band's and Marty's, with a smattering of trust fund kids and investment bankers for good measure. Check out "Gimme Shelter" instead; there's some pretty gritty stuff in there, and it's not all pretty, but at least it's real.