Plot: What’s it about?
The eternal question may or may not be “Which came first, the chicken or the egg”; but rather “Who’s better, The Beatles or the Rolling Stones”? Though popular concensus might prefer George, Rengo, John and Paul…you can bet that there’s a whole slew of folks who like Mick and Keith just as much! Gimmie Shelter has been hailed as the greatest rock film of all time, not that there have been that many, but I’m assuming more for the events that transpired during the concert that just happened to be caught on film. As the 60’s, quite possibly the most interesting and diverse decade…ever, wound down; so did the Rolling Stones tour. Filmed at the Altamont Speedway in California, this was a concert that no one would forget. A free concert, of course, is always a good thing. A free concert by the Stones at the end of one of their best tours is quite another. It’s a riot! Sometimes literally. Some 300,000 people attended the concert and some 300,000 have most likely been telling stories to their kids and grandkids ever since then. Four people died and four people were born during the course of the concert (this took place after the “Summer of Love”, so draw your own conclusions as to how many pregnant women attended).
In addition to being just a rock concert, the film takes on a documenary type feel as well. No doubt that the events that transpired played a major success in the role of the film. It all stared like this…The Rolling Stones had an agreement with the now legendary “Hell’s Angels”, a biker gang of California, to guard the stage from the mob of fans. In return, the Angels could have all the beer (and most likely drugs) just for keeping order during the course of the concert. Well, after a stabbing and three other deaths, it was a night to remember. The Hell’s Angels take their motorcycles seriously, seriously enough to stab someone over, that’s for sure. While the concert proceeds with such timeless tunes as “Satisfaction” and “Wild Horses”, the rioting and sheer energy of the fans takes it’s couse. During other parts of the DVD, we can actualy see the Stones listening to the telephone call of the Hell’s Angels and see how they react. It’s clear that they didn’t really know what was going to happen. I could go on and on, but it’s better watched that explained. Let’s just say that this DVD has instantly become one of my favorites, not only for the supplements, but for the fantastic audio as well.
Video: How does it look?
Gimmie Shelter is presented in a full-frame format. The original film was shot on 16mm and blown up to 35 mm for a new digital transfer that was done for it. There is even a section of the disc dedicated to how it looked both before and after, and I must say that it’s very impressive. More on that later…the presentation has many levels, as it’s more of a documentary/concert type of movie. Not all scenes look very clear by today’s standards, but once you see what they had to work with, it’s really amazing how well it all turned out. There are a lot of reddish levels in the concert part, thereby creating a blurry effect, and the grain in most scenes is even more visible due to the blow up of the film. Overall, though, it’s a very good transfer and (I must say this again) considering what they had to work with, Gimmie Shelter turned out very well.
Audio: How does it sound?
One of the most surprising things about this DVD is how well it sounds. DTS is starting to go mainstream and that’s a good thing. While the early days of DTS were limited to a few Universal and Dreamworks titles, most every studio has either put out a DTS title or is planning on it. In addition to the DTS sound, there is also a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that sounds almost as natural as the DTS, but it’s in second place with the DTS on the same disc. Also included is a Dolby Surround mix, for those of you who want to hear it how it really sounded (actually the mix was mono, but then converted to a stereo mix later on). Again, also included in the extras section is an audio comparison as to how the movie sounded both before and after the restoration. The difference, you’ll hear, is quite amazing. While the soundtracks sound quite dry by today’s standards, the DTS and DD tracks sound far better in music as opposed to actual movies. Face it, Gimmie Shelter has never sounded better.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Criterion, originally noted for their supplements, has had a lot to do when it comes to DVD. With most every studio putting out either a full-fleged Special Edition for their new DVD titles, Criterion’s relelases come from mostly older movies, with very few “new” additions being added each year. So while some of Criterions DVD releases have been lacking in this department, this disc more than makes up for it. In addition to the Dolby Digial and DTS soundtracks, there is a full-length commentary track by the directors of the movie. The commentary is insightful and full of useful information, as this is one of the most interesting rock documentaries to come around…ever (due to the nature of what happened during the course of the concert). Also included is the original radio broadcast (all 4 hours) with a new introduction by the DJ that announced it then. Also included are some never before seen performances by the Stones at their concert in New York (Madison Square Garden). “Little Queenie”, “Prodigal Son” and “Oh Carol” being the songs of noted interest. Also included is a stills gallery (like we needed any more images of what happened during the course of the concert). A 44 page booklet contains just about everything you need to know about Gimmie Shelter, and the disc takes care of the rest. Rounded out with several theatrical trailers and other filmographies for Maysles Films and Charlote Zwerin.
This brings me to the most interesting feature (or at least I think so). There is a “restoration process” feature similar to that of “The Limey”. This shows how the video looked and what it took (and how) to resotre it to what it looks like on the DVD. Before and after shots show how the colors change, what artifacting took place and how much crisper and clearer the film actually is. Trust me when I say the difference is literally night and day. Several scenes are shown, so it’s not just one scene that they throw at you. In the same segment, the audio is also compared, though not in as many examples. They play the opening song and then fade into how it sounds now, of course it fades into the Dolby Surround version, so you can imagine how much better it sounds when you play the same scene in DTS or Dolby Digital. I guess I’m a technical person, because this kind of feature fascinates me, as to how much work goes into just the audio and video aspects of a movie. Lastly, I have to say that I really like the menus, presented in DD 5.1 sound as well. Now call me crazy, but I couldn’t find those color bars anywhere??? With releases like this, it’s clear why Criterion had set the standard with their Laserdiscs and now DVD’s. I await more music releases, cause I can’t get no satisfaction! Only kidding…
