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Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ron Wood

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese and the world's greatest rock 'n roll band, The Rolling Stones, unite to bring audiences the musical film event, "Shine A Light," a look at The Rolling ...( read more  read more... )Stones, the band that defined the very idea of what a rock & roll band is, live through the eyes of Scorsese. It's hard to overestimate the importance of The Rolling Stones in rock & roll history. The group, which formed in London in 1962, distilled so much of the music that had come before it and has exerted a decisive influence on so much that has come after. Only a handful of musicians in any genre achieve that stature, and the Stones stand proudly among them. No stranger to rock concert films ("The Last Waltz"), Scorcese filmed the Stones over a two-day period at the intimate Beacon Theater in New York City in fall 2006, He assembled an incredible team of cinematographers to capture the raw energy of the legendary band. The Director of Photography, Oscar winner Robert Richardson ("The Aviator," "JFK"), supervised the camera team comprised of several highly acclaimed cinematographers, including Oscar winner John Toll ("The Last Samurai," "Braveheart"), Oscar winner Andrew Lesnie ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "King Kong"), Oscar nominee Stuart Dryburgh ("The Piano," "The Painted Veil"), Oscar nominee Robert Elswit ("Magnolia," "Good Night and Good Luck"), Oscar nominee Emmanuel Lubezki ("Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," "Sleepy Hollow") and Ellen Kuras ("Summer of Sam," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"). The film was edited by David Tedeschi, who most recently worked with Scorsese on the acclaimed Bob Dylan documentary "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan." The executive producers are Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood.

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74% liked it

34,149 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

118 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 2 min.

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Release Date: February 7, 2008

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DVD Release Date: July 29, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (1,631)

  • madmac17
    August 20, 2008
    madmac17
    I'm sure in Scorsese's mind there was a reason why we needed another Stones concert film, but I'm hard pressed to imagine what that reason might be. Maybe he thinks that because they're still touring well into their 60s it needs to be documented right up until they quit (or die)....( read more) Hopefully not. There's no doubt it's amazing that they're still doing what they do, but we already have Four Flicks (2003), which makes anything that comes after it pretty redundant. I don't think the shows are a whole lot different now than they were back then, other than the fact that everyone is 5 years older. I sure as hell don't want to see Mick Jagger performing when he turns 70, and I probably could have done without seeing him at 65. I've always been a huge Stones fan, but after having seen this film, I actually think it might be time for them to retire from the road. Mick's voice has become somewhat of an annoying whine, and Keith appears to have lost much of the manual dexterity in his left hand. He seems to be able to play chords all right, but whenever he breaks into a solo, the song comes to a grinding, screeching halt. Best leave the soloing to the 'young' Mr. Wood, Keef. And, this might be irrelevant, but someone should tell Keith that whatever that thing is he wears on his head, it makes him look like someone's grandmother. Does he actually think that looks GOOD? Has his dementia advanced that far? We all love him anyway, but does he have to have things dangling from his head, for God's sake? It's an embarrassment to himself and to Stones fans everywhere. Take it off, pleeeeeease! Also, someone should tell him never to sing again. OK, I got that off my chest. Anyway, the film is not that terrible, I guess. There's a rather nice version of Far Away Eyes with the 'young' Mr. Wood doing a nice turn on pedal steel. Some Girls rocks pretty nicely, and Jack White joins the boys for a decent version of Loving Cup. But (here I go again), the day you see The Stones sharing a stage with CHRISTINA AGUILERA, you can be pretty sure the end is near! I mean WTF? I'd like to know whose brilliant idea it was to have her on stage. And then Mick embarasses himself by practically dry humping her from the rear. She's a sexy thing, yes, but have some dignity, sir. You're 65 years old! She's 27! Oh, what the hell. If it feels good do it, I guess. It's only rock 'n' roll.
  • sitenoise
    August 9, 2008
    sitenoise
    Well filmed, Mick's still got it but nobody else does ... well, Ronnie never had it as a Stone.
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    August 5, 2008
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    As a Stones fan, SHINE A LIGHT was an exceptionally concert documentary. It's not as great as the genres best (GIMME SHELTER and Scorsese's own THE LAST WALTZ) but it showcases one of the greatest bands of all time with great stylistic flair and inventive camerawork.

    *Skip it...( read more) if your not a fan of the Rolling Stone. It's just not meant for you.
  • Jungian
    August 2, 2008
    Jungian
    i felt i kinda wasted my time with this one. id hoped it was more about the band and not just a concert doc. i enjoyed buddy guy's appearance but christina aguilera's appearance was nothing short of cringe-worthy. i liked that they played a few songs that werent obvious choices b...( read more)ut overall seems a bit overrated.
  • habitualdamnation
    June 23, 2008
    habitualdamnation
    Whoa.
  • jschartrand
    January 18, 2010
    jschartrand
    Rien de bien extraordinaire ici, mais en laissant toute la place aux Stones, à leur énergie naturelle, à des caméras toujours bien choisies et placés et par une sélection méticuleuse d'archive, Scorsese trace un portrait fort efficace d'un groupe mythique et légendaire du rock sa...( read more)ns trop se lancer dans le documentaire. De cela on regrette quelque choix plutôt simplistes comme le manque d'informations flagrantes durant le film (dates, titres, etc) et quelques éléments dérangeant comme cette fin un peu désagréable et bâclée.
  • MovieGuruDude72
    January 9, 2010
    MovieGuruDude72
    How many rock bands get to have their expose-all documentary done by Martin Scorcese? I watched this not long ago and it was entertaining just to see the inner workings of the tours this legendary band puts on. After 50 years together they still kick ass. Most bands have had 2-3 ...( read more)members die of heroin overdoses by now. There's nothing better in terms of documentary making. A must-see even if you don't like the Stones.
  • phillip316
    October 28, 2009
    phillip316
    If your a Rolling Stones fan then you will like this.
  • Beanimous
    September 23, 2009
    Beanimous
    Not bad! I enjoy it.
  • xXxAntidoteForIronyXxX
    September 16, 2009
    xXxAntidoteForIronyXxX
    I liked it lots of interviews very resourceful and funny gotta love the Rolling Stoners lol =P

View All Shine a Light Reviews

Critic Reviews

April 7, 2008
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

At times, the cutting shifts from the hasty to the impatient to the borderline epileptic, and, while never doubting Scorsese's ardor for the Stones, I got the distinct impression of a style in search ... full review

April 4, 2008
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

The filmmaking tries to generate excitement; it doesn't capture it. full review

April 4, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Shine a Light combines his foreknowledge with the versatility of great cinematographers so that it essentially seems to have a camera in the right place at the right time for every element of the perf... full review

April 3, 2008
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Martin Scorsese meets the Rolling Stones in Shine a Light. The synergy is so brilliant, it's nearly blinding. full review

April 3, 2008
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Despite Scorsese's efforts to pump up some drama -- the director, with his signature glasses and Groucho brows, gets huffy about not receiving a set list -- drama is sorely lacking. This is just a con... full review

April 3, 2008
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

This you-are-there spellbinder is a master director shining his light on the best rock band on the planet. full review

March 31, 2008
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

[Scorsese] comes at the Stones from every imaginable angle. He voodoos the footage into a fluid whole. full review

View more Shine a Light reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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