By Chris Castillo
The Documentary “Rock of Ages: An unauthorized story on the Rolling Stones” covers all the bases from the band’s infancy to the Martin Scorsese documentary of the Stones. It could easily be titled: Everything you ever wanted to know about the Stones but were afraid to ask.
It is a very thorough documentary — some might say too much so.
Scorsese’s “Shine A Light” concert DVD is a better pick if you want to see the band performing. “Rock of Ages” is more of an overall documentary on the band, minus clips of them playing. It starts at the conception, includes the replacement of band members and ends with the question: How long can they keep playing?
Keith Richard said he’d still be playing from his wheelchair.
If you want the dirt on the band, this is the documentary for you. It doesn’t skip a beat and even includes the many, many drug charges the band members faced throughout their career as well as an ill-fated free concert that ended in the death of a fan.
Fans should also beware that this if a fast-paced documentary that might need to be seen more than once to catch all the intimate details. Plus, there is more talking about the Stones then actually talking to the Stones. Again, this does a great job of capturing the history of the Stones, rather than focusing on the music. And what a wild ride it is.
Despite this criticism, the old and new footage of the Stones is awesome. It’s like watching old film reels of the band. This DVD, which also includes several extras, is not rated.
Chris Castillo writes Reel News for the Port Arthur News, a column that focuses on DVD releases, indie films and entertainment.
