Gimme Shelter this is not. The disillusions and stabbings of the 1969 concert have been
replaced by the Clinton Foundation's benefit for the Natural Resource Defense Council
and snapping camera phones. But Shine a Light is helmed by Martin Scorsese -- the man
behind Goodfellas and Raging Bull -- shouldn't it push the boundaries set by Charlotte
Zwerin and the Maysles brothers nearly 40 years ago? It should, but Scorsese has
always had a cinematic hard-on for the Rolling Stones, and the result is a personal,
biased love letter to the Stones signed with love by Marty.
When the Stones take the stage at New York City's Beacon Theater, it's frightening
-- their age truly shows on film. As giants on the silver screen, we have a front
row seat for an exhibition of frail bodies moving in ways that only young men should
move. As Mick Jagger belts out songs of youthful rebellion and sexual frustration, he
still does the same androgynous dances of yesteryear. Yet, this off-putting display
of aged youth is clearly a place of sentiment for Scorsese, whose camera lingers
with love.
That's not to say that the film is entirely a concert video, it is broken up by archival
footage of the band -- comprised mostly old interviews. When Jagger, Richards and
the crew aren't on stage shaking the skin hanging off their bones, their younger
selves are making fools of themselves off stage -- displaying their na�vet� at the end
of a journalist's camera. While this might have been a point to show some sort of
retrospective contrast to the geriatric Stones still rocking today, it merely perpetuates th
e idea that nothing has changed other than the Stones' bodies -- they are the oldest
bunch of lovable 16-year-olds rock and roll has ever seen.
But there is one clear area where both the Stones and Scorsese have changed. Not
only do the Stones alter their lyrics, taking out the more risqu� lines of "Some
Girls" and "Sympathy for the Devil," but, for whatever reason, Scorsese takes it
upon himself to censor Jagger by removing several of his dropped F-bombs. The fact that
several swears still slip through is even more maddening, as if Scorsese is putting
his PG-13 rating on stage with the Stones. Rock and roll isn't rated PG-13. But
Shine a Light provides a truncated, Wal-Mart version of the Rolling Stones that's as acceptable
as the Pirates of the Caribbean pin on Keith Richard's jacket.
Sentimentality and nostalgia might fill the gaps for aging Stones fans, but for the
rest of us, it's a missed opportunity for a reflection on the times and the unstoppable
Stones. Gimme Shelter defined a change in a generation, but Shine a Light inadvertently defines
our time of political correctness and accessibility through censorship. Perhaps the
only insight we have into the post-2000 Rolling Stones is when Scorsese's camera
swings into the drum set -- focused on drummer Charlie Watts -- and he unleashes a tiring
sigh not more than three songs into the set. It's the only moment of weakness, of
age, of reality. The rest is rock and roll that's sanitized for the whole family.
Keith Richards shows off his striking new look.
See Also
