...an exhilarating and wholly engrossing event.
In other words, in "Shine a Light" we get an authoritative filmmaker who never draws attention to himself but shows us the subject matter in as brilliant a manner as possible.
Although it might help to like the Stones in the first place to appreciate the movie fully, I'm betting that even those folks who hate the group will get caught up in the electricity of the event. It's maybe the closest thing on film to being at a live concert that I've ever experienced, even though the visuals are a far different matter from being there in person. "Shine a Light" is quite extraordinary and worth repeat visits.
Video:
The movie contains a variety of footage from grainy black-and-white to crystal-clear black-and-white to spectacular color in dimensions that range from 1.33:1 to 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Most of it is in the later ratio, and it is excellent for its kind--sharp, clean, and fluid. For these shots, thank Scorsese's expert team of cinematographers: Robert Richardson ("The Aviator"), Robert Elswit ("There Will Be Blood"), Andrew Lesnie ("The Fellowship of the Rings"), John Toll ("Legends of the Fall"), Emmanuel Lubezki ("Children of Men"), Ellen Kuras ("Summer of Sam"), Stuart Dryburgh ("The Piano"), and Declan Quinn ("Leaving Las Vegas").
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio displays a load of surround activity, with excellent midrange clarity, even if it's at the expense of a little too much forwardness. The sweep, scope, and breadth of the sound are often breathtaking. The instruments and vocals are in the front of us, the musical bloom carries over into the surrounding area, and the audience noises and applause show up in the rear. It puts the listener into the center of the concert activity, a true you-are-there experience.
Extras:
The primary extras are four bonus performances by the Stones, not shown in the movie's theater release. These are "Undercover of Night," "Paint It Black," "Little T & A," and "I'm Free." Following these numbers is a fifteen-minute, behind-the-scenes featurette. The bonus songs and the featurette feel like deleted items that Scorsese could have left in the film. The extras conclude with twenty-one scene selections but no chapter insert, and I really missed a printed song list; a series of previews in the main menu and at start-up; English as the only spoken language; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
There are rock legends who predate the Stones and are still performing: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the aforementioned Buddy Guy, among others, come to mind. But as a group that has remained in the upper stratosphere of superstardom, the Stones have no peers. To think that some forty-six years after they started together that the act would continue to be at the height of their powers and stardom is extraordinary. And that Martin Scorsese should disappear into his concert-film documentary as effortlessly as he does is equally remarkable.
The only drawbacks I found to the movie were that it is exhausting, and that you might encounter the sort of problems I did when the Wife-O-Meter came from upstairs to tell me to turn it down.
Play it loud and enjoy.
Although it might help to like the Stones in the first place to appreciate the movie fully, I'm betting that even those folks who hate the group will get caught up in the electricity of the event. It's maybe the closest thing on film to being at a live concert that I've ever experienced, even though the visuals are a far different matter from being there in person. "Shine a Light" is quite extraordinary and worth repeat visits.
Video:
The movie contains a variety of footage from grainy black-and-white to crystal-clear black-and-white to spectacular color in dimensions that range from 1.33:1 to 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Most of it is in the later ratio, and it is excellent for its kind--sharp, clean, and fluid. For these shots, thank Scorsese's expert team of cinematographers: Robert Richardson ("The Aviator"), Robert Elswit ("There Will Be Blood"), Andrew Lesnie ("The Fellowship of the Rings"), John Toll ("Legends of the Fall"), Emmanuel Lubezki ("Children of Men"), Ellen Kuras ("Summer of Sam"), Stuart Dryburgh ("The Piano"), and Declan Quinn ("Leaving Las Vegas").
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio displays a load of surround activity, with excellent midrange clarity, even if it's at the expense of a little too much forwardness. The sweep, scope, and breadth of the sound are often breathtaking. The instruments and vocals are in the front of us, the musical bloom carries over into the surrounding area, and the audience noises and applause show up in the rear. It puts the listener into the center of the concert activity, a true you-are-there experience.
Extras:
The primary extras are four bonus performances by the Stones, not shown in the movie's theater release. These are "Undercover of Night," "Paint It Black," "Little T & A," and "I'm Free." Following these numbers is a fifteen-minute, behind-the-scenes featurette. The bonus songs and the featurette feel like deleted items that Scorsese could have left in the film. The extras conclude with twenty-one scene selections but no chapter insert, and I really missed a printed song list; a series of previews in the main menu and at start-up; English as the only spoken language; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
There are rock legends who predate the Stones and are still performing: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the aforementioned Buddy Guy, among others, come to mind. But as a group that has remained in the upper stratosphere of superstardom, the Stones have no peers. To think that some forty-six years after they started together that the act would continue to be at the height of their powers and stardom is extraordinary. And that Martin Scorsese should disappear into his concert-film documentary as effortlessly as he does is equally remarkable.
The only drawbacks I found to the movie were that it is exhausting, and that you might encounter the sort of problems I did when the Wife-O-Meter came from upstairs to tell me to turn it down.
Play it loud and enjoy.
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[release]23975[/release]