Rolling Stones documentary that focuses on the two concerts from the group’s current “A Bigger Bang” tour as well as historical and contemporary behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. A recent concert in Austin, Texas, was also filmed.
On April 4, 2008, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker and the world’s greatest rock n’ roll band will unite to bring audiences the year’s most extraordinary musical film event, “Shine a Light,” to theaters everywhere. Martin Scorsese’s concert documentary “Shine a Light” will show the world the Rolling Stones as they’ve never been seen before.
Filming at the famed Beacon Theatre in New York City in fall 2006, Scorsese assembled a legendary team of cinematographers to capture the raw energy of the legendary band. Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson supervised the camera team comprised of several highly acclaimed directors of photography, including Oscar winner John Toll, Oscar winner Andrew Lesnie, Oscar nominee Stuart Dryburgh, Oscar nominee Robert Elswit, Oscar nominee Emmanuel Lubezki and Ellen Kuras. The film was edited by David Tedeschi, who most recently worked with Scorsese on the acclaimed Bob Dylan documentary “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan.”
About the Production
Scorsese filmed the Rolling Stones at the Beacon Theatre on October 29 and November 1, 2006, but the performance footage used in the film is all from the second show. The music was recorded, mixed and co-produced by Bob Clearmountain. The concert footage is preceded by a brief semi-fictionalised introduction about the preparations for the shows, and is intercut with historical news clips and archival interviews with band members. (A “break” in a backstage game of billiards a few minutes into the film recalls the opening scene of another Scorsese rockumentary, The Last Waltz.)
The shows, which were added to the tour schedule for the purposes of the film shoot, featured a different set list than was typical of other shows on the tour (see below), and were noted for their star-studded crowds, including former United States President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton, who was then United States Senator, and former President of Poland Aleksander Kwasniewski.
The Rolling Stones’ Beacon Theater performances benefitted the Clinton Foundation, a charity founded by Bill Clinton, who gave a short speech at the October 29 performance. The film also shows Jack White, Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera performing with the Stones.
Prior to the October 29 show, 83 year old Ahmet Ertegün, a co-founder and executive of Atlantic Records and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum, was backstage in a VIP social area, the “Rattlesnake Inn,” when Ertegün tripped and fell, striking his head on the concrete floor. He was rushed to the hospital, and died on December 14, 2006. The film was dedicated to his memory.
According to keyboardist Chuck Leavell’s tour diary, Mick Jagger had been ill with throat problems, forcing a postponement of the Stones scheduled Atlantic City concert and the October 31 Beacon Theater show was moved to November 1, to allow Jagger to recuperate.
Shine a Light was initially scheduled for release on September 21, 2007, but Paramount Classics postponed it until April 2008. The world premiere was at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival on February 7, 2008. The film was also screened in some IMAX cinemas. The IMAX version of the film was the second IMAX Stones concert film, the first being Live at the Max, released in 1991.
The MPAA gave the film a PG-13 rating (the film was edited from an R) for brief strong language, drug references, and smoking, and has been released on both DVD and Blu-ray disc by Paramount Home Entertainment, a division of Paramount Pictures. The Blu-ray release is recorded in 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video and Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (48 kHz/24-bit).
Shine a Light (2008)
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Christina Aguilera, Buddy Guy, Darryl Jones, Chuck Leavell, Blondie Chaplin, Lisa Fischer, Michael Davis
Cinematography by: Robert Richardson
Film Editing by: David Tedeschi
Art Direction by: Star Theodos
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language, drug references and smoking.
Studio: Paramount Vantage
Release Date: April 4, 2008
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