FLICKS: Shine A Light
I’m sorry to say I’ve never seen The Rolling Stones live. Now with this film I feel like I’ve come pretty close.
by Chris Dashiell- The Film Snob
Martin Scorsese has always favored rock n'roll in his movies, often scoring his scenes with classic pop songs. There's a connection between this maverick New York director and his tough cinematic style with some of the iconic rock figures of the 60s. In addition to his fiction films he of course made The Last Waltz, about the farewell concert of The Band back in 1978, and recently he made a fine documentary about the early Bob Dylan called No Direction Home. Now he gives us Shine a Light, a concert film in which the Rolling Stones demonstrate that they still have what it takes, in a show they put on in 2006 at New York's Beacon Theater.
The Stones are arguably the greatest, and certainly the longest-running rock group in history. Instead of being grateful for over four decades of fantastic music, the press tends to make fun of their age. Rock has always been identified with youth, so it's considered strange for someone over 60 to be playing it. Yet this is really unfair. There's no age limit in blues or jazz, so there shouldn't be in rock. Well, as this movie demonstrates, the Stones still rock harder than most acts a third their age.
The film's rapidly edited lead-up shows Scorsese in New York, nervously fretting because he doesn't have a set list, never getting a straight answer from Mick Jagger in London, who is blithely preparing for yet another U.S. tour. It's hard to know how seriously to take this—it's more of a spoof on the director's perfectionism than anything else. As it turns out, Scorsese has the theater covered with some of the best cameramen, and women, in the business. When the Stones finally take the stage, the cameras move with them at a dizzying pace, particularly with Jagger, who puts on an incredibly athletic, dominating performance.
A good concert film makes you wish that you were actually there instead of in a movie theater, and that's how I felt. The sound is nice and loud, and the Stones are in top form, doing a lot of stuff from their classic 60s and 70s period, like Jumping Jack Flash, Brown Sugar, Satisfaction, and so forth. They throw in a few special treats as well, such as their funny New York song Shattered, a great version of the Temptations' Just My Imagination, and my favorite, the gorgeous ballad As Tears Go By.
Occasionally Scorsese slips in some old clips of the Stones as they appeared in interviews and other occasions over the years, and most of them are very funny in hindsight. Then it's back to the show, and what a show it is. I'm sorry to say I've never seen The Rolling Stones live. Now with this film I feel like I've come pretty close.
Chris (the Film Snob) produces the weekly mini-program "Flicks" exclusively for 91.3FM KXCI. Tune in Mondays at 8:00PM and Fridays at 10:00AM and 3:00PM. For more writings from the Film Snob visit www.cinecene.com
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