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Shine a Light
Posted: Apr 03, 2008
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It's impossible to walk into "Shine a Light," Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert film, without decades' worth of expectations. We simply know too much about the filmmaker and the rock stars and their previous! music-doc outings.
Seeing Mick Jagger thrusting and flailing about with his trademark sexuality and sass to "Sympathy for the Devil" calls to mind the violence that erupted as the Stones played that very song nearly 40 years ago at the Altamont Speedway, site of the Maysles brothers' still-gripping documentary "Gimme Shelter."
Of course, Scorsese has shown an affinity with this type of material in his own classic, 1978's "The Last Waltz," which chronicled the Band's epic, final performance. And then there's the director's use of the Stones' song "Gimme Shelter" in various movies, including his Academy Award winner, "The Departed."
There is no such thing as a blank slate with such cultural icons -- too much informs our viewing experience -- and that's both one of the film's biggest strengths and weaknesses.
Certainly, there's an allure to the familiarity of watching these guys run through old favorites such as "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Shattered" and "Brown Sugar." Yet, now that they're in their 60s, they (read: Mick) almost seem like parodies of themselves.
"Shine a Light" doesn't shine any new light on this rock band, perhaps because there are no more revelations to be had.
Apparently, Scorsese wasn't after any juicy, raw or candid moments, because they don't exist in his film; the lone source of tension comes at the beginning, when the director is scrambling to procure a set list from the elusive Jagger to prepare the movie's first shots.
"Shine a Light" derives much of its warmth and energy from the intimacy of its setting: New York's Beacon Theatre, over two performances in fall 2006, one of them a birthday benefit for Bill Clinton. And the fact that it was shot by a team of cinematographers who are the rock stars of their own craft makes "Shine a Light" feel like the world's most gorgeous infomercial.
The movie will probably be best viewed at I-Max, however it is a dizzying effect as Mick moves too quickly for the cinematographer. Having seen nearly all Stones concerts, mostly on video, this film does have a warm film quality.
Perhaps the sole purpose is to get one more look at the Stones in concert and that by having Scorsese shoot it. I didn't care much for the filming itself as the cameras seemed too close to the action. When Keith is playing, the camera can't seem get him and the guitar in the same shot.
This concert movie isn't awful, but it wasn't anything extraordinary. I also didn't like The Last Waltz, but am a Scorsese fan when he directs movies. I enjoyed a $27 night at the I-Max for two of us and strangely enough, I had dreams all night that I was working with Scorsese and Jagger trying to get the dang concert shot - which I wouldn't have wanted to do with the lack of communication between them both!
If this is the final act for the Stones concert footage, I'd be happy. They probably have thousands of hours of footage from the last few tours, but you can see the wear and tear of this super group and for their own sake, I hope they leave us as the best thing rock and roll ever offered over the better part of a century.