Rolling Stones: Shine a Light
Paramount
www.paramount.com/homeentertainment
Directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese, Shine a Light is a part documentary, part rock and roll show featuring the co-founders of true-hearted rock and roll, The Rolling Stones. Featured alongside the band at various intervals are guests such as Christina Aguilerra, blues man Buddy Guy, and Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs). Former president Bill Clinton also appears in the film both “off camera” and on stage as he introduces the band before their performance at a benefit for his foundation.
While this film is presented as a documentary, it’s almost entirely a concert film. While there are moments of documentary footage throughout the performance, aside from the beginning, they are very short bits. Honestly, the beginning of this film contains its finest moments. As much as I’m sure the hopeful intention was the opposite, the early footage in this film is the very definition of “rock star” – the question is who has the rock star attitude, Scorsese or the Stones?! Much back and forth footage is shot between the two, who don’t seem to ever manage to sit down together. Through s series of managers and assistants, stages are designed (the one for this shoot is designed by Mark Fisher who also designed Genesis’ reunion tour’s stage as well as Pink Floyd’s The Wall and U2’s Zooroapa), and set lists are created. The Stones don’t even give Scorsese a set list, even an approximate one, until what seems to be minutes before the show comes to life. It’s really hard to tell who’s making the decisions and who’s using their leverage to overturn them. In the aspect this is an interesting film.
The main focus is, of course, on The Rolling Stones performance and, admittedly, it’s less than spectacular. The good part is that they play a solid set of songs, balancing (and being seemingly concerned about balancing) the big hits with the cult fan favorites. The bad part is that they deliver them in a lackluster way, often appearing as if their presence is doing the fans a favor. I was tremendously disappointed at how full of themselves the band seem to be and I sincerely hope that this is not truly the case. In regards to the actual show, the band sound fair but by no means spectacular. The introduction of guest musicians into the set seems to make it even more awkward and don’t even get me started on Keith Richard’s singing. Yikes.
All that said, it’s The Rolling Stones and if you are a die hard fan you are quite likely to disagree with me on some, if not all of the aforementioned points. I have always considered myself completely neutral as it pertains to this band, I generally don’t turn off the radio when they come on but I own very few of their albums. Shine a Light doesn’t do much for me and I doubt it will for anyone aside from the band’s longtime fans.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
