A Rolling Stones Double Feature

"GIMME SHELTER" - filmed and directed by David and Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin. Released 1970.

AND

"SHINE A LIGHT" - directed by Martin Scorsese. Released 2008.

Both films star: The Rolling Stones

REVIEW by CINEMAGIRL:

I actually watched these films two nights in a row, which was a great experience. I enjoyed being able to immediately compare them, and it was fun watching the old dudes rocking it in concert in the Scorsese film after seeing them so young in the Maysles Brothers' film.

My viewing began with "Gimme Shelter." The film, shot in 1969, opens with Mick kicking off a rockin' show in NYC, featuring some excellent candid shots (all on 16mm, of course) of the bandmates and concertgoers. No one "plays to the camera" - the faces and emotions are very real and the crowd is enthralled.

The concert footage cuts to the studio, where Mick and the band (particularly Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts) are viewing the actual concert footage that is to be used in the documentary. Throughout the film, the Maysles bring us back to this scene to catch the band's reactions to different events.

The story quickly picks up with the Stones' preparation for a huge, free concert planned in San Francisco. The film builds in anticipation of the event, which is eventually chosen to be held at Altamont Speedway, outside the city. Eventually, 300,000 people make the nomadic trek to the track, in VW buses and station wagons, carrying babies, walking dogs and hauling in loads of illegal drugs. The Hells Angels also roar in on their motorcycles, making for an unusual combination of concert-goers.

The Maysles expertly capture the momentum building up to the show, and the chaos that ensues when the leftovers of the now-defunct Haight-Ashbury hippie center in San Francisco trip out and collide with the angry, alcoholic biker gang. It's no secret - a gun-toting concert attendee gets stabbed to death by a Hells Angel right in front of the stage. And the Maysles, who seem to have their eyes fixed everywhere, capture it on film.

The filmmakers did a wonderful job making this documentary both visually stunning and emotional. Candid emotions of the band are particularly well captured during a scene where the Stones are listening to their recording of "Wild Horses." This scene, with its long, slow shots, no cuts, and the lack of dialogue, allow the filmmakers to peer inside their main characters and make them real.

The Maysles' footage of the sea of people at the concert, and the eerie, post-apocalyptic vibe of the morning after the show - with fans spilling out over the golden hills and hiking back to the road, back to the real world - works wonderfully.

In contrast, "Shine A Light," by Martin Scorsese, is essentially a big, glossy music video. Scorsese did a great job wiring up the Beacon Theatre so as to capture the Stones, live - in their 60s - and in concert, at every possible angle and vantage point.

Scorsese brought in three cranes, mounted a floating camera over the audience and had countless camera people onstage to capture each of Mick's gyrations and Keith's guitar pick tosses to the crowd. The footage is beautiful, shot in crystal-clear 35 mm film, with an attuned eye. However, this film lacks the emotion and storytelling of "Gimme Shelter."

"Shine A Light" uses a minimum of archival Stones footage. There are four or five short moments, in between songs, where we see Mick or Keith giving an old black-and white-interview. I realize, the film is about the concert, but it failed to make the Stones "real" for me.

Scorsese also stars in the beginning and end of the film. At the opening, we see him being the frantic director; pleading with Mick and producers for a set list so he will know which order the songs will be performed in. It seemed slightly dramatized and unnecessary.

My favorite part of "Shine A Light" was the "supplemental featurette" contained on the DVD. This provides the viewer with far more insight than the big concert. There are shots of the band rehearsing backstage, BS-ing with blues legend Buddy Guy and fooling around together like the old pals that they appear to be. I wish more of the film was like this, and less of a 2-hour music video.

OVERALL:
Gimme Shelter - a 10 of a documentary - great shots, great story, very unique
Shine A Light - a 4 of a documentary - not much story going on - but as "live show" it gets a 9

I highly recommend seeing other Maysles Brothers films, such as "Grey Gardens." As for Scorsese, he should stick to his narrative niche.

*pictured above - Mick in the opening concert of "Gimme Shelter"