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"Shine a Light" DVD Review

by Jane Boursaw on July 24th, 2008

I was really excited to see this DVD, since I missed it at the theater. Directed by the Oscar-winning Martin Scorsese, this documentary was filmed over a two-day period at the Beacon Theatre in New York City in 2006.

It won major kudos from a lot of critics, and the DVD cover promised that it would be “phenomenal” (Stephen Holden, The New York Times) and “explosive” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). But I think we must have watched different films, because the one I saw was neither phenomenal nor explosive.

What I expected: a meaty, in-depth look at the legendary Rolling Stones, off camera, making important decisions, and interacting with other people. You know, behind-the-scenes stuff we don’t ordinarily see.

What I got: a bunch of concert footage with a smattering of interviews interspersed here and there, not to mention some shots of Bill and Hillary Clinton meeting the band, and Bill introducing them at the concert. And the worst part? The band sounds horrible! Truly, I know plenty of garage bands that sound much, much better. I admit the cinematography is nice, and you feel like you’re right on stage, watching Mick Jagger prance around as best he can (he turns 65 on Saturday) and a skeletal Keith Richards try to hammer out a few guitar riffs (he turns 65 in December).

More after the jump…

But the embarrassingly bad music was completely distracting. I had to fast-forward through much of it. All my husband and I could say was, how could the Rolling Stones, who served as executive producers, let this go out into the world? I can only hope that the music was better — much better — in person.

I have to think that most people probably don’t go to a Stones concert for the music anymore. They go because it’s their chance to see The Rolling Stones. The band’s staying power is amazing, but I still feel like they should have retired years ago at the top of their game. What you have now is a bunch of old, rocked-out geezers just barely able to function, let alone put on a concert that requires stamina and energy.

The DVD bonus features offer precious little extra material:

• A behind-the-scenes featurette, which offered just an inkling of what I’d hoped for the entire documentary.
• Four bonus performances not shown in theaters (Undercover of the Night, Paint it Black, Little T & A, and I’m Free). The quality of the music was only slightly better than the main documentary.

I feel horribly disloyal writing this review, because I’ve been a Stones fan from way back. There are a few interesting tidbits, like an early interview with Mick, saying he hoped they’d last at least another year. I also appreciated seeing guest musicians like Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera perform, which offered an air of talent to the film.

I wish I could give this film a better review, but I just felt a little depressed watching it.

Images: Shine a Light, Paramount Vantage, 2008

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