Martin Scorsese Directs a Film Version of a Rolling Stones Concert
In 2006 the Rolling Stones gave a concert at New York City's Beacon Theatre, and Martin Scorsese was there to make a rollicking, good-time film version titled Shine a Light (2008). The movie shows that it's still exhilarating to watch lead singer Mick Jagger, even at age 63, as he bounds exuberantly, but gracefully around on the stage. The music still sounds terrific, and maybe the Stones' 1969 tour billing as "the greatest rock and roll band in the world" wasn't entirely hype.
As evidenced by the soundtracks in his movies, Scorsese loves rock 'n' roll in general and the Rolling Stones in particular. At the Beacon Theatre, he deployed 18 cameras to brilliantly capture the energy of the concert. In the finished film, he uses visual rhythms artfully matched to the Stones' performance.
Scorsese previously made The Last Waltz (1978) and No Direction Home (2005), but Shine a Light isn't nearly as ambitious as either of those earlier music documentaries. This time around there's no tension or drama, and we gain little insight into what makes the Rolling Stones tick. Instead, we get a lighthearted, slick, glossy, expertly made concert movie, but it is enormously entertaining.
It's Pretty Much All About the Music
Roughly 80 percent of Shine a Light consists of about 18 musical numbers, each shown uncut and uninterrupted. The four Rolling Stones — Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts — are backed up by bass, keyboard, two tenor saxes, trumpet, trombone and three vocalists.
A few of the Rolling Stones' greatest hits are strategically placed in the mix to win favor with general audiences. It's no surprise that the final song is "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," which catapulted the group to international fame in 1965 and remains their signature piece. The next to last song is "Brown Sugar," and the first number is "Jumpin' Jack Flash."
Some songs offer a change of pace. For example, "Far Away Eyes" is a country ballad on which Ronnie Wood plays steel guitar. The Stones also do pop tune "As Tears Go By," one of the first songs written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, but it was Marianne Faithfull's rendition of it that became a hit.
Joining the Stones for one song each are three guest stars. Jack White (of The White Stripes) comes on for "Loving Cup," and Christina Aguilera does a duet with Jagger on "Live With Me." Chicago blues man Buddy Guy joins in on "Champagne and Reefer," on which Jagger plays harmonica.
Scorsese has used the Stones' "Gimme Shelter" in Goodfellas, Casino and The Departed, but it's missing from Shine a Light. The song was probably omitted because some listeners would associate it with the unpleasant incident at a 1969 Stones' concert where the mood turned ugly and an audience member was killed.
The Feature Film's Nonmusical Content
The first few minutes of Shine a Light shows a little of the planning. This establishes Scorsese as the maestro behind the film. He wants and gets moving cameras in the theater, even though they will be a distraction for the live audience. He also gets bright lights on the stage, even though they will make it very hot for the performers. During the planning, Scorsese keeps in contact with the Stones by phone as they travel to various tour locations, including Regina, Saskatchewan.
The next few minutes of the movie documents what goes on just prior to the start of the concert, which is a charity benefit for the Clinton Foundation. Interesting footage here shows a meet-and-greet between the four Rolling Stones and former President Bill Clinton. The Stones also must meet Clinton's entourage, which includes a former president of Poland, a Secret Service agent and Hillary's mom.
It's at about the 12-minute mark that the concert finally gets underway, and between numbers Scorsese occasionally inserts archival interview footage with the Stones, some dating as far back as 1964. Some of these touch briefly on Jagger's and Richards' legal problems arising from their drug usage. At one point, Jagger was sentenced to prison, prompting the British newspaper The Times to print an editorial titled "Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?"
But Scorsese doesn't want to spoil a good time, so there's never any mention of Brian Jones. Jones was one of the original founders of the Rolling Stones, but in 1969 he was found dead in his pool at his home in Sussex.
A Behind-the-Scenes Featurette Plus Four Bonus Musical Numbers
The Shine a Light DVD contains a worthwhile 15-minute supplementary featurette that includes some additional archival interviews and more footage shot at the Beacon Theatre just before the concert began. Buddy Guy cracks the Stones up by telling them a hilarious story about being called a vulgar 12-letter epithet at Chess Studios in Chicago when he was a young man starting out. If you pay close attention to the feature film, you will realize that Jagger jokingly refers to Guy by that same epithet during the concert, but the audio is squelched, probably to maintain the PG-13 rating.
Also, the DVD provides four complete songs performed at the concert, but not included in the feature film. The most famous of these is "Paint It Black," which was probably omitted because it is dark and became associated with the Vietnam War after its use in Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987). The other three numbers are "Undercover of the Night," "Little T & A" and "I'm Free."
DVD Details
Both picture and sound quality are excellent for the feature film on the Shine a Light DVD. Listed below are all the DVD details.
Release Date: July 29, 2008
Feature Film Runtime: 2 hours 2 minutes
MPAA Rating: R for Brief Strong Language, Drug References and Smoking
Widescreen (16:9), Color
English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
English 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo
English Subtitles
Spanish Subtitles
French Subtitles
Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (15 min.)
Four Bonus Musical Numbers (total runtime = 17 min.)
