In the interests of full disclosure, I am obligated to begin this review by stating that one of the producers of Shine A Light is a friend and former employer. In the interests of even fuller disclosure, I should also make it clear that I am a rabid fan of the work of both the Stones and director Martin Scorsese, and in big, fat, fullest disclosure, I must confess that as a baby boomer, I am the right age (ie: old) to regard certain music as being inextricably bound to my life, almost like a soundtrack to one's existence, and there are plenty of Stones' songs on that metaphysical CD.

Boy, that was weird.

To see the Rolling Stones in a club or small hall is a rare performance experience one never forgets.

You can get pretty close to that particular rock frisson at Shine A Light, a new film of the Stones in concert at New York's intimate Beacon Theatre. Shine A Light was shot about 18 months ago, when the band was still in the midst of the Bigger Bang world tour; director Martin Scorsese oversees a who's who of cinematographers on this movie, including Oscar-winning director of photography Robert Richardson and camera operators John Toll, Andrew Lesnie, Robert Elswit, Ellen Kuras and Emmanuel Lubezki. These are the people who filmed everything from Neil Young: Heart of Gold to Children of Men and There Will Be Blood, so it's probably not necessary to say that Shine A Light is wonderful to look at.

However, we'll say it anyway -- Shine A Light is wonderful to look at.

Shine A Light begins with a taste of the anticipation and frenzied activity that precede any such concert. Here are the VIPs who want to meet the band, in this case, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and here are the Stones, with better things to do than stand around at a pre-show photo-op.

Scorsese himself is in the movie at the beginning, as he indulges in a brief running gag about the set list, and not knowing which songs that Stones will do until the last minute. After that, Shine A Light explodes into colour and music, with -- for starters -- Jumpin' Jack Flash, and eventually, Tumbling Dice, Start Me Up, Brown Sugar and several other classics, interspersed with archival footage and guest appearances.

Those guest appearances include Jack White, who looks nervous and sings Loving Cup with Mick Jagger, Christina Aguilera, also with Jagger to perform Live With Me, and a wonderful version of Champagne and Reefer from Buddy Guy.

Old interviews and news footage are used like an historical shorthand, filling in the background of the band with speed (and wit); the cumulative effect is unexpected, though, as it seems to show not how the band has changed but how the band has changed the rest of us. Here's a bunch of musicians being banned by government and religious bodies, and here they are later, embraced by a couple of contemporary world leaders. That's quite a journey. So what changed?

The real history of the band plays out in the eye of the beholder, courtesy of such surprising songs as Faraway Eyes and As Tears Go By. (Shine A Light, from Exile On Main Street, is not a part of the movie but is included in the new soundtrack. Go figure.)

People like to ogle celebrities, and Shine A Light is about as close as you can get to Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood. This is a warts 'n' all (and wrinkles 'n' all) closeness, revealing not just every pore in every face but a level of physical energy that appears to have diminished not a jot in 40 years. Jagger wiggles, Richards waggles, and Shines A Light lends a sense of the Stones as people and artists, and not just legends. Too bad Scorsese didn't include a little more Lisa Fischer or Bobby Keys or anybody else who is a working part of the band, but never mind.

Scorsese has a long musical relationship with the Rolling Stones, having used their music in several of his films, including The Departed, Casino and Goodfellas; both synchronicity and serendipity appear to be at work in this combination of band and director.

Above all, the energy of the Stones comes across in the film, and where most concert movies will eventually bore you to tears (Get Back, anyone?) Shine A Light is exhilarating from start to finish. This one is a must-see for fans of the band and for anyone interested in the general phenom of rock 'n' roll.

(This film is rated PG)

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