Who needs another Rolling Stones concert film? Practically everybody, I hope, given how exhilarating “Shine a Light” is.
Filmed in autumn 2006 at the cozy Beacon Theatre in New York, “Shine a Light” explodes under the energetic direction of Martin Scorsese and the astonishing athleticism of Mick Jagger. It’s a rebuke to the idea that sexagenarians shouldn’t rock.
The movie opens with Scorsese himself (playing his increasingly visible persona, the nervous, fussy filmmaker) worrying over what, exactly, the Stones plan to play that night. But after the concert kicks off, it’s almost all music — along with a handful of well-chosen interview clips from years past.
Scorsese has deployed a crew of heroic cameramen around the handsome stage of the Beacon (head cinematographer Robert Richardson is a wizard), and the effect is to put you onstage with the band.
Other concert movies have tried this, but Scorsese understands the Stones’ music deep in his bones. Heaven knows he’s used it often enough in his movies. He already made one of the great concert movies (“The Last Waltz”), and remember, he edited “Woodstock” long before he became a big-time director.
Scorsese gets the epic sweep of “Sympathy for the Devil,” the raunch of “Brown Sugar” and the comedy of “Far Away Eyes.” The boys include other well-known chestnuts, and duets with guest stars. Jack White and Christina Aguilera perform ably, but old-line bluesman Buddy Guy really nails “Champagne &Reefer,” trading barbs with Jagger.
Oh, and there’s an appearance by famous baby boomers Bill and Hillary Clinton. The Stones don’t seem impressed.
Stalwart band members Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood are in fine form, and Keith Richards, keeping his pirate look even after Johnny Depp stole it, has a couple of lead vocals.
But Jagger’s the focus. He was 63 when the film was shot, and if anybody can find evidence of another athlete (let alone singer or dancer) who ever performed with this much energy and skill at that age, I would really like to know about it.
Yes, I know the Stones are wrinkled, and years of bad behavior show on their faces. But their survival, and their unflappable insolence, makes them still seem liberating after all these years. That, as much as the music, keeps “Shine a Light” joyful.
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