Sunday, April 20, 2008

NOT A SHORT FILM REVIEW...

I was really excited about Shine A Light. Marty Scorsese is my hero and I've always wanted to see The Stones live. What follows is an extract of a whispered conversation conducted about one hour into the film before we walked out.

Me: I'm really sorry, I thought it was a proper documentary, with interviews and behind the scenes stuff.
Usual Suspect: And instead it's a bunch of wrinkly rockers singing a load of songs I've never heard before.

If you've seen the trailer, you've basically seen the sum total of reportage - the rest is as Usual Suspect says. I guess they can play whatever songs (no one cares about) they want to, since they're The Rolling Stones.

The film did have a profound effect on us both though. It made us seriously contemplate the ravages of age more than ever before. Weirdly, only Keith (pictured at right in 1962) seems to get away with it; looking extremely comfortable and happy adorned with his signature gypsy/pirate/ garb and kohl rimmed eyes. He's gone past wrinkly into some other untouchable iconic sphere. No wonder Louis Vuitton signed him up.

(image source)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh i must see this film! have you seen "Gimme Shelter" ??? (also Albert Maysles, shot some stuff for "Shine a LIght"...
nancy

Claire said...

Ahhhh, so Albert Maysles shot the behind the scenes stuff for Shine a Light? Those were BY FAR the best bits...

Anonymous said...

ooh...ok now i have to see it!!!
nancy

RD said...

Perhaps he has been embalmed by all the drugs he has taken? Perhaps they have all been electrically wired to keep going for another hundred hears? I'm going to stick to moisturizer and hope for the best.... BB

Claire said...

nancy: I hope you're not too disappointed with the film. The Maysles stuff is about two minutes worth and the rest is (IMO) really boring of them in concert playing all their recent stuff...

BB: it is true that heroin addicts often have a sort of waxed, preserved look - so why didn't it work on Keef? And the irony of him promoting leather goods...

Anonymous said...

I know that I am the only person on the planet who does not think Scorcese is a great director. It's odd, but the ONLY film of his that I enjoy is The Last Waltz . . in fact, since I'm bearing all here and can now cancel my weekly therapy appointment*-- I loathe Scorcese films and find him rather loathesome whenever I've been obliged to watch him on tv.

ahh, I feel so much better.

~bp

*kidding, of course--- who has time for therapy?!