[Reagan]

Gimme Shelter (1970) is a DVD that was released in 2000 by Criterion. I haven't found much discussion about it and thought it might be nice to see what the HTF membership thinks. The main reason is that it is one of my favorite films, and I'm just being selfish.

About the film: Gimme Shelter is a documentary about an obscure British rock and roll band called The Rolling Stones during their 1969 tour of America. It was directed by the Maysles brothers who also directed Salesman, a feature length documentary about high pressure Bible salesmen. The 1969 tour was the first for the Stones new guitarist, Mick Taylor, who plays a style of guitar that the band has not featured before or since. Do I have to mention that the tour ends with the concert at Dick James' Altamonte Speedway where a young man was murdered by a guy who happened to be a member of the Hell's Angels?


Aside from the story that the film tells, there are two interesting issues with the DVD, the audio and the extra features. [Picture quality is great considering that the film was shot on 16mm. The restoration documentary tells the story here.]

Audio
The audio sources here are not the greatest - the SACD of the live album Get Yer YaYas Out, made from the same sources doesn't sound all that special either.

Two 5.1 tracks are offered: DD and dts. The differences are striking. First off, my equipment doesn't show the bit rates of the soundtracks - the dts may be full rate for all I know.

The DD track sounds fine, not special, but fine.
The dts track sounds more alive, but there is a price to be paid. The low end sounds overly enhanced (like someone in the mixing room said, "More bass, more bass, more bass") to the point where it sounds muddy. It isn't a simple 'turn down your subwoofer' scenario either, as the extra bass comes out of the main speakers as well (note: mine are set to small and the crossover set to 80). Rain all over the dts parade.
I keep changing my mind as to which track I prefer. I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this issue.

There are three extra features worth noting due to their quality or curiosity value (or both). First, there is a commentary track and it is one of my favorites. The main participants are the surviving director (Albert Maysles) and the editor (Charlotte Zwerin, who has recently passed). Second, there are two or three extra songs from the New York Show, including a memorable version of Prodigal Son (mono audio for all). Finally, there are a couple of long, but very enjoyable, audio clips from the era, including a New York City press conference and a San Francisco radio show the day after the concert at Dick James' Altamonte Speedway.

When I watch Gimme Shelter, I usually only watch the first half. All of the fun, none of the tragedy. Last month (for the time in five or so years) I watched the entire film and was again affected by the gravity of the events. I'd describe the second half of the movie in one word: claustrophobia. I know it's a strange way to describe the movie, but during that second half I kept feeling that a world of chaos was closing in and about to engulf our heroes (including the camera men). And it only got worse with each passing second. There is simply no way I could have stayed on that stage in any capacity.

There is a lot of trivia associated with the film, none bigger than the name of one of the camera men.

George Lucas.



As I mentioned before, I'd love to hear your thoughts about the film, the DVD, and particularly the audio issue.

-Reagan