BY GLENN WHIPP >Film Critic

Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert documentary "Shine a Light" is a blast of fresh air blowing through the staleness of what has been, up till now, an abysmal movie year. Powerful in its energy, sparkling in its intimacy, the film captures the self-proclaimed world's greatest rock 'n' roll band still at the height of its performance powers during a two-night stint at Manhattan's small Beacon Theater in late 2006.

"Shine a Light" opens with a short prologue playfully pitting Scorsese against Mick Jagger, two control freaks both wanting to preserve the artistic integrity of their work. Scorsese keeps stammering that he needs a set list. (It arrives in the control booth just as the lights go down.) Meanwhile, the band good-naturedly goes through the preshow motions, shaking hands and posing for pictures with various dignitaries, including Bill and Hillary Clinton.

If you're going to see "Shine a Light" in a theater, make the effort to find it in IMAX. Because when the show begins, Scorsese, ace cinematographer Robert Richardson and an all-star camera team that includes Oscar-winning cinematographers John Toll, Robert Elswit and Andrew Lesnie deliver a whirling, thrilling spectacle that is nothing short of amazing.

Scorsese intersperses vintage interview clips throughout the 19-song set, mostly featuring Jagger, Keith Richards and drummer Charlie Watts patiently, playfully tolerating inane questions from old-timer squares searching for the secret to the band's appeal. Dick Cavett asks Jagger in 1972 if he could picture himself rocking at 60?

"Easily," comes the smiling reply.

Watching Jagger, 63 at the time the movie was shot, pinballing across the Beacon stage, prancing, dancing and shaking his Energizer Bunny bum, it does seem remarkably easy. The movie's intimate close-ups capture every crease in Jagger's face (we also get up-close and personal with his dental work), but time has been kind to his body and his voice. Fact is, he has never sounded better.

Scorsese knows the Stones well, having used the band's music in so many of his movies. He has caught some flak for not providing more insight into the group here, the way he did with The Band in "The Last Waltz." But the Stones have always resisted introspection. As Richards says at one point: "I don't think. I feel. We love what we do."

Really, what more do you need to know? The music, particularly deep-catalog songs like "As Tears Go By," "Some Girls" and "Far Away Eyes" (the set list dips nicely into the band's New York-inspired "Some Girls" album), still retains the electricity that inspires people to get their ya-yas out. That's what Scorsese is shining a light on, and he does so thrillingly.

Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672

glenn.whipp@dailynews.com

review>

SHINE A LIGHT

>PG-13: brief strong language, drug references.

>Starring: The Rolling Stones.

>Director: Martin Scorsese.

>Running time: 2 hr. 2 min.

>Playing: In wide release, including IMAX theaters.

>In a nutshell: Scorsese Stones doc delivers satisfaction - and then some.