home / content / pvachier / shinealight :: 4937 views

Movie Review: Shine a Light

Martin Scorsese documents the Rolling Stones

By Paul Vachier - February 9, 2008

Shine a Light is actually more of a live concert than a documentary, and 99% of the footage was shot live at New York's Beacon theater, during a 3 day performance to celebrate Bill Clinton's 60^th birthday during the Rolling Stones Bigger Bang tour in 2006. When Scorsese first approached the band about filming a live show, Mick Jagger had recommended filming one of their concerts in Brazil. However, Scorsese opted for the more intimate surroundings of the Beacon theater, and indeed the film achieves a level of intimacy you wouldn't get even with the very best front row seats. Having myself attended a live Stones concert in Atlanta during their last tour, and having sat only a few rows back from the stage as well as having backstage access, I must say that I felt much more a part of the action during this movie, much more! If you've never seen a Stones show, here is your chance! You simply can't get a better seat! The excellent cinematography and multiple camera angles put you right in the midst of the action. More than anything, Shine a Light is a live, in-your-face concert experience, and an excellent one at that.

The film opens with Scorsese trying to tie in a loose plot around the opening song list. Though lots of this opening footage is well shot, it felt a little contrived. Lucky this semi-plot doesn't last long and after a few scenes with Bill Clinton on stage shaking hands and introducing the band, the music begins.  The first impression I got is that, WOW, these guys are looking old! Mick, Keith, Ron and Charlie have aged a lot and I couldn't get over the fact that they were prancing around up on stage instead sitting at home in a rocking chair. Let's face it, all of the Stones are in their 60's now, and a life of hedonism hasn't exactly kept them well preserved. One of the problems with modern cinematography and close ups is that it reveals a little too much of the facial details, and these guys have a bit too much detail in their wrinkles.  Mick in particular, age 63 at the time of filming, is looking pretty weathered and the rest of the band isn't looking too youthful either.  Yet despite their leathery looks, Mick still has a body that would make many 20 year olds jealous. Scorsese fits in some nice footage of a baby-faced Jagger from the 60's which only helps to intensify the contrast between the oddly handsome, youthful Jagger that we all remember and today’s image which is far more grandfatherly and less "sexy". Unfortunately, show business is all about appearance and growing old doesn't fit into the picture so well. But their appearance only makes them more human, reminding us that even the beautiful, the rich and the famous can't escape aging. This is ultimately humanizing and brings the band down to earth; they come off as nice old blokes you'd have a beer with at a pub rather than inaccessible musical gods. So while the band hasn't been treated too well by the tides of time, the initial visual shock wears off after only a few songs. These guys can still put on a concert and Jagger can still prance on stage better than many teenager bands.

Like I said earlier, this is primarily a concert movie, and Scorsese has done well to include the complete performances of each song and viewers will find many of their favorite Stones songs on the list. I liked that the album "Some Girls" was so well represented as it is probably my favorite Stones album. It always seemed like the quintessential New York 80's sound track to me, and the New York references seemed to go down well with the audience. My personal favorites were the title track “Some Girls”, the funky country tune “Far Away Eyes”, and their amazing rendition of Muddy Water's “Champagne and Reefer” with surprise guest Buddy Guy, whom Jagger refers to at the end of the song as Buddy FUCKING Guy.  This was probably the most electrifying performance of the show, with Buddy's amazing guitar work and vocals standing out. The fact that the Stones invited a Blues legend like Buddy Guy to play onstage shows the deep respect that they have for the Blues, as well as their strong musical roots in the Blues. This footage alone is worth the price of admission.

Other guest performers included Jack White III of the White Stripes in an acoustic guitar duo with Jagger and, unfortunately, a vocal duo with Christina Aguilera. I'd have to say that the Christina Aguilera song was the only disappointing footage of the movie, both visually and musically, I just don't get why they brought her up on stage. She should stay on MTV. Had I been the editor on this movie, her performance would have ended up in the trash bin. All the other songs were great though and despite running 2 hours, I never got bored or felt the movie was running too long.

Musically the Rolling Stones are one of those bands that seem to be much more than the sum of their parts. None of the members are really outstanding musicians. Even Keith Richards confesses in the movie that neither he nor Ron Wood are great guitarists, yet together, he claims, they sound better than 10 guitarists. Thankfully they all sound great during the movie and manage to remind us over and over that this band has created some of the most memorable music of the past 40 years. That sums it up, these guys have tremendous charisma and chemistry on stage. They are certainly talented musically as well, but it's the combination of the parts and their unique personalities that makes them so special. Their funky chemistry and jovial approach to music and growing old really makes them endearing. No wonder they are one of the longest running and most successful music acts in the business. On top of it they are just plain fun guys that rub you the right way.

In the end, despite the band members geriatric appearance, Shine a Light emerges as an incredibly intimate portrayal of an amazing group of likeable characters giving an amazing musical performance. There's nothing geriatric about the way they rock. Whatever you think of their music, you simply become enamored with these loveable old guys who seem to be enjoying themselves so much on stage. You walk away feeling as if you were the Stones personal guest at the show and spent the last 2 hours watching it from the best seat in the house. The movie makes you feel like you have the ability to transport yourself at will to whatever part of the stage you want to get the best view of the action.  The archival footage that Scorsese intersperses throughout is humorous and well chosen, giving a much better understanding of the context of the Stones performing so late in life, and their development from then until now. The sound is top notch and probably better than attending a live concert. Note that it is very loud too! Be sure to see this film in a good theater with a good sound system. Overall this was a great movie, I give it 5 out of 5 stars. Keep rockin' guys, we love you!