It's a rarity when any movie trumpeted as "a film by Martin Scorsese" manages to deflect so much attention away from the legendary director, yet that's precisely the case with his latest film, Shine a Light. Similar to what he accomplished with The Last Waltzand No Direction Home, Scorsese helms another music documentary where he manages to remove himself as the creative focal point in order to absorb the audience in the aura of the musicians he is documenting. Enhanced by an Imax screening, this film excels at engrossing fans of The Rolling Stones' music as well as those moviegoers searching for a film in which to utterly lose themselves. On the down side, those hoping that the exploratory touch of the American auteur would be applied to the past of the equally legendary British rockers will find themselves severely disappointed.
The film begins on a promise that it fails to keep. Within the first ten minutes, we're tantalized with snippets of the chaos we'd expect when two egos of the magnitude of Scorsese and the Stones come together: Mick Jagger protests the stage setup Scorsese thought he wanted, Keith Richards can't stand how bright the stage lighting has to be for proper film exposure, and Scorsese can't properly coordinate the multi-cam shoot without the set list he doesn't receive until moments before the first chord is struck. The ground is set for a lengthy dissertation on the fallout when legends collide. As soon as that first chord is struck, though, the discord thesis - an intriguing angle to take - is dropped and the film shifts focus to nearly two hours of live performance.
And what a performance it is. Filmed over two days at NYC's Beacon Theater during their Bigger Bang Tour of 2006, The Rolling Stones emphatically prove that even though they're old enough to be grandfathers to my generation, they can still blow the roof off a venue. I'm not much of a Stones fan myself and I used to frequently make jokes about their age (did Jesus ever come to any of their shows?) but after watching Shine a Light and observing just how energetic the foursome can be, I've discovered a new appreciation for their live act and the dedication to their craft. To film the event, Scorsese has compiled the cream of the crop of cinematographers (Academy Award regulars Andrew Lesnie, Emmanuel Lubezki, and Robert Richardson among others) and their masterful touches create a vibrant and enveloping spectacle. The film frequently employs close-ups, pans, and tracking shots that seem to bring you to The Rolling Stones as though you're right there amongst the (surprisingly smoking hot) fans in the front row. The illusion of intimacy created by the cinematography lets you in on the secrets and the emotions shared between the band. You're able to glimpse knowing smiles, friendly chatter, and other subtleties that serve as testaments to the warmth shared between four men that have somehow managed to never breakup despite spending four decades together. The band's energy is infectious and I challenge anyone - fan of the Stones or not - to resist that toe-tapping, head-bobbing impulse during classics like Shattered and Connections or covers like Far Away Eyes and Champagne & Reefer.
Interspersed throughout the concert are clips of interviews done throughout the Stones expansive career that attempt to ground their present in their past. The clips, while often time humorous, are rarely poignant due to a complete lack of interviews conducted specifically for the film. These could've undoubtedly helped to not only provide a context for the inclusion of the clips, but also to add an element of exploration and analysis that documentaries often contain. One sequence, where Richards was questioned about his longevity in 1999, badly interupts his live performance of the infrequently heard Connections. It's almost as though Scorsese is trying to appeal to both the casual and the hardcore Stones fan but is unsuccessful due to his middle-of-the-road approach. In doing so, I'm sure there will be divisions in the reaction the film: those who love it for what it is and those who don't for what it's not.
I park myself in the camp of those who love it for what it is - a celebration of rock and roll and an embrace of four men who are unquestionable inclusions in the annals of its history. The film's experience can only be truly felt if seen in Imax and with Shine a Light opening on a record 93 Imax screens, there's plenty of opportunities to get caught up in it.
Critical Clips Zoom in Online's Critical Clips are the gut reactions of everyday movie goers recorded at the film's premier. So, let's hear from you!
Background Buzz A round up of related content from across the web including fan blogs, podcasts, analysis, news, magazines, and more. Updated often, so check back!
-Text interview with Martin Scorsese from The Guardian
-An article from New Yorker Magazine detailing filming at the Beacon Theater
-Video interview with Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
-Watch Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on the Today Show
