New R2 Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter" vs. "old" Criterion version - anyone?

[yee_har]

Anyone know how this imminent R2 release will stack up against the existing Criterion (which I was on the verge of pur-chasing)?

Cheers

[Gary Couzens]

My and Phil Gardner's review of the Criterion disc is here (http://www.dvdtimes.org.uk/getreview.cgi?id=14).

Not only is the film one of the best concert documentaries ever made, it looks and sounds as good as it's ever likely to. Even more than that, Criterion's extras gather just about every primary source for a key historical event in western popular culture in one place (including a booklet with six essays in it). So, not only is it a superb DVD package, it's a genuine historical artefact as well. That's why I nominated it as the best DVD I've ever seen, in another thread.

I'd be very surprised if the R2 release will match up to it. I don't know what extras will be included, but as far as I know Criterion don't license their own extras out to anyone. (Many of the extras are in the public domain, though.)

If you aren't interested in the extras, though, then it may come down to picture/sound quality (the Criterion has a digitally restored transfer, DD2.0, DD5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks), PAL/NTSC issues, region coding (the Criterion is R1) or simply price.

[Chyna Tsui]

Why is the Criterion release is just sooooo god damned expensive though!!!

I've been wanting to buy this since it's release but it was always about £27 - £33. Why? It's just a DVD after all. Criterions pricing is ridiculous!!!

If Chasing Amy can be £17.99 at Play, why not Gimme Shelter?

Admittedly, I haven't re-checked the pricing for a while, so it may have gone down, but I doubt it.

[Creamstick]

If this disc was £200 or £2,000 it's still worth every penny to me. A piece of history I grew up watching, and has ingrained itself on my mind.

If you have any interest in Gimme Shelter at all, you won't hesitate at the cost, just get it.

[Narshty]

Chasing Amy has an RRP of $32.95 to $24.99, depending on where you look, because its distribution is controlled by Disney/Buena Vista who can charge what they like, so it's bound to have a lower price.

********* have Gimme Shelter for the bargain price of £22.99, so I suggest you try there.

[Andy_C]

Criterion are a surprisingly small outfit. The prices they charge are reflected in the size of their operation and the effort they put into the releases.

I have the R1, and it is amazing. The DTS soundtrack is soooo good, it is almost distressing going back to CDs/Vinyl....