The Rolling Stones: Stones in Exile Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Rolling Stones: Stones in Exile Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 30, 2013

Political pundits in America, especially those on the right end of the spectrum, often like to complain about the tax burden that the wealthy have to endure here, but they might want to take a look across the pond, where once upon a time artists like The Rolling Stones “escaped” from Britain in order to avoid a tax rate that was over 90%. Yes, 90%. The Rolling Stones were coming off a string of huge albums and singles as the seventies got underway, but England’s taxman (not to veer off into Beatles territory, mind you) was emptying the Stones’ larder at the same time. And so their self imposed “exile” to the south of France began, where Keith Richards had already settled in Villefranche-sur-Mer. It was here that the band recorded what has become one of its most iconic records, Exile on Main Street. This fascinating 2010 documentary recounts the story of the album’s creation and is a must see outing for Stones fans, and perhaps even for those who don’t have any particular interest in the band.

The edifice of Exile on Main Street has been so deliberately constructed through the years by rabid fans who consider it the greatest rock album of all time that there’s bound to be a little deconstructionist fervor at work in this documentary. But perhaps surprisingly, the strengths of the album are revealed to be part of the chaos of its recording process, as well as the continuing peccadilloes by various Stones (Richards is more than forthcoming about certain habits of his). One of the most alluring things this documentary has to offer is its fantastic assortment of archival footage, which presents the Stones at the height of their creativity and almost boundless energy.

The Rolling Stones: Stones in Exile Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This is another one of Eagle Rock's so-called "SD Blu-rays", encoded via AVC in upconverted 1080i and in 1.77:1. The upconversion actually is less of an issue than it might otherwise be, since the bulk of this documentary features still photographs and older, vintage archival footage that doesn't look that great to begin with. There is varying quality here, to be sure, but the historical importance of the archival footage far outweighs any actual quality issues. Is this reference quality material? Obviously not. But given reasonable expectations, this looks decent if not spectacular.

The Rolling Stones: Stones in Exile Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Stones in Exile features an uncompressed LPCM 2.0 track which suffices perfectly well for what is less of a music video and more of a documentary. The musical elements, while almost always interrupted, sound fine, perhaps surprisingly so given the age of some of the source material utilized, and the interview segments are clear and damage free.

The Rolling Stones: Stones in Exile Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Extended Interviews (1080i; 33:31) includes Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Mick Taylor, Anita Pallenberg, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood.


• Return to Stargroves and Olympic Studios (1080i; 8:40)


• Exile Fans (1080i; 39:48)

The Rolling Stones: Stones in Exile Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Full of fantastic anecdotal reminiscences about the making of one of the Stones' most iconic albums, Stones in Exile is a fantastic grab bag of photos, vintage film and first person storytelling. The video quality here isn't great, but it's probably better than some might expect, and the audio is excellent. Highly recommended.