SHINE A LIGHT
I’ve yet to have the opportunity to see the Stones live so I figured a Scorsese rock documentary would be the next best thing.
It begins with an amusing opening that may or may not be a fabrication of Scorsese struggling to get the necessary information to film this concert effectively. “We don’t want to catch Mick Jagger on fire… but we do want the effect,” he says sardonically. It’s a fun and dynamic start but in hindsight, also feels like something of an apologia for what is to follow and an explanation as to why it isn’t on the level of The Last Waltz.
It is good, mind you. But the coverage doesn’t seem as precise nor inventive as I’d expect from Scorsese. Similarly, the performance is good. Both the Stones and Scorsese can deliver something quality on autopilot.
It just kind of feels like that’s what happened here. A series of seasoned pros not quite winging it but also not quite hammering out the final details to deliver a transcendent concert experience.
Maybe it’s just because my expectations were too high, as I’m a much bigger fan of the Stones than I was of The Band, so the combination of them and Scorsese seemed most tantalizing.
That said, it’s quality and I miss live shows so this helped a good deal. My score will probably seem disproportionately positive to the write up but sometimes a high quality movie can still be disappointing for not having been at the level it could’ve been.
I’ve yet to have the opportunity to see the Stones live so I figured a Scorsese rock documentary would be the next best thing.
It begins with an amusing opening that may or may not be a fabrication of Scorsese struggling to get the necessary information to film this concert effectively. “We don’t want to catch Mick Jagger on fire… but we do want the effect,” he says sardonically. It’s a fun and dynamic start but in hindsight, also feels like something of an apologia for what is to follow and an explanation as to why it isn’t on the level of The Last Waltz.
It is good, mind you. But the coverage doesn’t seem as precise nor inventive as I’d expect from Scorsese. Similarly, the performance is good. Both the Stones and Scorsese can deliver something quality on autopilot.
It just kind of feels like that’s what happened here. A series of seasoned pros not quite winging it but also not quite hammering out the final details to deliver a transcendent concert experience.
Maybe it’s just because my expectations were too high, as I’m a much bigger fan of the Stones than I was of The Band, so the combination of them and Scorsese seemed most tantalizing.
That said, it’s quality and I miss live shows so this helped a good deal. My score will probably seem disproportionately positive to the write up but sometimes a high quality movie can still be disappointing for not having been at the level it could’ve been.
The first concert I ever went to was The Rolling Stones Steel Wheels tour. It’s a shame they didn’t get the Scorsese treatment back then because I think it would have been a lot closer to what you’re looking for.