Posted Thu Sep 17, 2009 at 02:00 PM PDT by Tom Landy
The Criterion Collection is bringing the Rolling Stones film 'Gimme Shelter' to Blu-ray in December.
Called “the greatest rock film ever made,” this landmark documentary follows the Rolling Stones on their notorious 1969 U.S. tour. When 300,000 members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hell’s Angels at San Francisco’s Altamont Speedway, direct cinema pioneers David and Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin immortalized on film the bloody clash that transformed a decade’s dreams into disillusionment.
Available on December 1, the Blu-ray release will feature 1080p video, LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtracks.
As usual, there's a nice helping of supplements including: Never-before-seen performances of the Rolling Stones at Madison Square Garden in 1969, including “Little Queenie," “Oh Carol," and “Prodigal Son," plus backstage outtakes; audio commentary by directors Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, and collaborator Stanley Goldstein; excerpts from KSAN Radio’s Altamont wrap-up, recorded December 7, 1969, with new introductions by then-DJ, Stefan Ponek; Altamont stills gallery, featuring the work of renowned photographers Bill Owens and Beth Sunflower; original and rerelease theatrical trailers, plus trailers for Maysles Films’ classics Grey Gardens and Salesman; Filmographies for Maysles Films and Charlotte Zwerin; restoration demonstration; “The Rolling Stones, Altamont, and Gimme Shelter”: A 44-page booklet with essays by Jagger’s former assistant Georgia Bergman, music writers Michael Lydon and Stanley Booth, ex-Oakland Hell’s Angels chapter head Sonny Barger, and film critics Amy Taubin and Godfrey Cheshire.
Suggested list price for the Blu-ray has been set at $39.95.
You can find the latest specs for 'Gimme Shelter' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under December 1.
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