The Bottom Line
Pros
- Scorsese's direction captures the energy of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones
- A rollicking, good-time concert film featuring music performed by cultural icons
- A small amount of archival interview footage puts the concert in historical perspective
Cons
- Film offers nothing new for fans of Scorsese or the Rolling Stones
- Movie is slick and glossy, and there's no tension or drama (could be a pro)
- An entertaining celebration of a seemingly immortal band, but lacks rawness and emotionality
Description
- DVD containing Shine a Light (2008), a film version of a 2006 Rolling Stones concert
- Movie directed by Martin Scorsese
- DVD has 4 bonus musical numbers (total runtime = 17 minutes) not in theatrical version
- DVD provides a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette
- Feature film runtime: 2 hours 2 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13 for brief strong language, drug references and smoking
- DVD release date: July 29, 2008
Guide Review - 'Shine a Light' DVD Review
Martin Scorsese (The Last Waltz, No Direction Home) directed Shine a Light, a film version of a 2006 concert given by the Rolling Stones in New York City. The Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts) are backed by bass, keyboard, four horns and three vocalists. Scorsese used 18 cameras to brilliantly capture the energy of the performances. The movie consists mostly of musical numbers, but the Stones go back to the 1960s, and a few minutes of archival interview footage is inserted to add historical perspective. Shine a Light is a slick, glossy entertainment that offers a rollicking good time, though not much more.
The focus is on Stones' lead singer Mick Jagger, but Keith Richards contributes a couple of vocals. Musical highlights include a few greatest hits, such as "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash." There's also the country ballad "Far Away Eyes." Christina Aguilera teams with Jagger for "Live With Me," and Buddy Guy joins the Stones for a blues song, "Champagne and Reefer," on which Jagger plays harmonica. All told, the film contains about 19 numbers.
Roughly the first 11 minutes of the movie consists of preparations for the concert, which was a charity benefit for the Clinton Foundation. Interesting footage here includes a meet-and-greet between the four Rolling Stones and former President Bill Clinton.
The DVD contains two extras. One is a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, which gives a glimpse of the human side of the Stones. The other runs about 17 minutes and contains four additional musical numbers from the concert, including the well-known "Paint It Black."
The picture and sound quality are outstanding, and if you like the Rolling Stones at all, this is a DVD worth buying.
