Shine a Light is a successful in the sense that it records a live concert decently but is done in by the fact that the concert in question frankly sucks. It's given by The Rolling Stones, of course, as a charity concert hosted by Bill Clinton, and that's the first mistake- it somehow seems wrong for the appealingly sleazy Stones to associate with such a high class endeavor. I am not criticizing giving their money to something other than their own cars and drugs, of course, but the venue, a ritzy New York theater attended by the glitterati is not quite appropriate for the guys who originated "Honky Tonk Women".
But there is a deeper problem than that, and that is the band is close to pathetic. Although many have taken a cheap shot by observing that baby boomer rockers are indeed old, the problem is not their age but their lack of edge. Observe their live performances on their 1969 tour in the movie Gimmie Shelter and you'll see what I mean. The Stones are sometimes sloppy performers (actually part of their appeal), but they have a real attitude to them that is unmistakable. They also rely on their traditional lineup- two guitars, bass, drums and vocalist. Here the playing is better, but they are content to turn in live version of their hits that can be described as "professional" and "competent" but also "lifeless". There are also backing vocalists and brass section, both completely unnecessary and sucking the fun out of the music. Mick Jagger, whose voice has seriously deterrioted, doesn't sing the songs like he means them. Like everyone else, he just goes through the motions, and when he does that physically you want to make sure you're not eating anything.
Scorsese begins the film with a brief segment about his difficulties setting up the concert, which is fun although not that surprising. He intercuts the concert with clips from documentary interviews of the Stones that are so interesting we just wish the entire move were like that. Charlotte Zwerin, one of the co-directors of Gimmie Shelter observed that the Stones looked like they were "from another world" and they always seem that way- never quite fitting in with even the current fashion, which is part of their appeal. It's also interesting to see the late 60's footage when the mainstream British media referred to them as "anarchists"- which they never were. They were content to be the uncouth guys who ventured on the edge of respectability. They real anarchy would occur later, with punk revolution and The Sex Pistols, which by comparison made the Stones seem old.
The songs themselves are mostly great, but to say that none are as good as the studio is an understatement. The most interesting part of the film by far is Keith Richards' solo vocals of "You Got the Silver", one of the band's very best songs, and "Connection". His voice is so shot from drugs and smoking that he doesn't even try to really sing them, alternating between talking through them Rex Harrison style and caterwauling a few off key notes. It's musically awful, but watching this creepy, ugly guy (and I mean that affectionately) having his part in the spotlight while smoking a cigarette is something to be hold. The movie I really wish Scorsese had made was a cinema verite doc where he merely follows Richards around. What does his house look like? What does he do for fun? How he is still alive after doing enough drugs to kill Godzilla?
Martin Scorsese cannot really be blamed for the movie's failures, as there's nothing he could have done to make this concert good. The raw source is bad, and the director films is competently but in a fairly standard style, perhaps sensing that any kind of creativity was not at this event.
Shine a Light (2008)