A documentary film about the legendary rock band The Rolling Stones has had its New York premiere this week. The movie, called 'Shine a light', was directed by Academy award winning director Martin Scorsese.

Initially the band had reservations about the project.

“But when I was told ”Oh no, it's Martin Scorsese who wants to shoot it!“ I changed my mind in an instant because I know the man has a vision,” Stones guitarist Keith Richards said.

Scorsese, who has used the band’s songs in numerous films, said he wanted to show the group in a special way.

'I'm just looking at it for the pure beauty of performance, and that's the idea. It's something that I'd like to capture for people in the future to see, to experience them. Don't forget, the cameras were placed in positions that the audience doesn't normally get to see!" he said.

Mick Jagger, lead singer and front man with The Rolling Stones, highlights the intimacy of the footage:

“This is like a very intimate Stones concert, and you feel like you are almost there on stage, or very close to it, or very close to the action”.

Archive footage of the band and some contemporary interviews are included in the film. It features well known hits such as ‘Start me up’ and ‘Brown Sugar’, as well as cameos from music stars Christina Aguilera and Buddy Guy.