Scorsese' s “Shine a Light” to Be Released on April 4

The Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese had the occasion to shine the light on one of his favourite idols, The Rolling Stones, in his new concert documentary which will be released in a few days.

The concert on which the documentary is based was filmed at New York’s intimate Beacon Theater in October 2006. Scorsese had first thought of filming the concert in Rio de Janeiro, with 50 cameras and a public of 1 million people on the beach, but he soon realized that was not his style at all. Then he decided to capture the band in a more intimate manner, inside the grand old 2,800-seat palace on Broadway, using plenty of close-ups.

Scorsese declared himself on several occasions as a big fan of the energetic rock band, associating their music with many aspects of his own life and childhood. That is why it was no surprise when the director used the rock group’s song “Gimme Shelter” in three of his films.

"The music has been very important to me over the years. It dealt with aspects of the life that I was growing up around, that I was associated with or saw or was experiencing and trying to make sense of," Scorsese said, according to Reuters.

"It was tougher, it had an edge. Beautiful, honest and brutal at times. And it's always stayed with me and become a well of inspiration to this day," he added.

The documentary includes some of the greatest hits of the Rolling Stones, such as “Brown Sugar,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Start me Up” and features guests like blues singer Buddy Guy or White Stripes vocal and guitarist Jack White, and even pop singer Christina Aguilera, although many fail to see her connection to the rock band.

Also appearing in the film are Bill and Hillary Clinton, because the concert was shot on two nights, one of them being the 60th birthday party for Bill Clinton in 2006.