- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (24Hz)
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit), English LPCM 2.0 (48kHz/24-bit)
- Subtitles: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese
- Subtitles Color: White
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Rating: Not Rated
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Digital Copies: N/A
- Run Time: 147 Mins.
- Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: May 27, 2013
- List Price: $19.98
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(The below TheaterByte screen captures are taken directly from the Blu-ray Discs and losslessly compressed in the PNG format. There should be no loss of picture quality with this format. All screen captures should be regarded only as an approximation of the full capabilities of the Blu-ray format.
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Crossfire Hurricane is director Brett Morgan’s chronological look at the rock and roll band The Rolling Stones who went from being the most hated band in the world to a pop institution. Using only archival footage of the band and an audio interview of the surviving band members on the verge of their 50th anniversary, the film tells the story of their rise as young blues-loving upstarts in London, to their early years as song writers, the death of Brian Jones, Mick Taylor’s joining the band, the tragic turn of events at Altamont,“Keef’s” struggle with heroin, the eventual entry of Ronnie Wood as a replacement for Mick Taylor and The Stones’ emergence as a super band, no longer hated, but established as an institution.
Morgan’s film weaves together a brilliant tapestry of images and intimate stories that, although not bringing much new to the story of the rise of the The Stones as the “anti-Beatles”, as they were once marketed, it does present it uniquely and interestingly. Mostly, it provides the opportunity for the band to offer up their bio in their own words, giving personal anecdotes, providing moments of reflection in a way that has been somewhat rare over the years spanning a career that has been tumultuous and, at times, antagonistic.
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
This documentary is made up entirely of archival footage of The Rolling Stones, either from television appearances, concerts, or personal movies, in addition to a few archival photographs. That being the case, the image quality is hardly the greatest, being a combination of early video through 8, 16, and 35mm film. The best clarity comes from the various pans across the photos which look crisp and clear. Still, we get about as good as this AVC/MPEG-4 1080p encodement can give us with the material at hand.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The soundtrack is offered in stereo LPCM 2.0 (48kHz/24-bit) or DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit). I definitely recommend opting for the 5.1, which is mixed more aggressively than your typical documentary film, even giving us some discrete sound effects in the surround channels in the form of some trippy, acid-influenced dialogue circularly panned through the room during one particular scene in which Keith Richards and Mick Jagger tell of their famous drug bust in England. The concert footage sounds full and lively with a weighty amount of low end.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
Eagle Rock gives us a booklet with liner notes, several full archival live performances of The Stones (in standard definition) and an interview with the film’s director.
The supplements:
- NME Poll Winners Concert 1964 (1.33:1; SD)
- “Not Fade Away”
- I Just Wanna Make Love to You”
- “I’m All Right”
- NME Poll Winners Concert 1965 (1.33:1; SD)
- “Pain in My Heart”
- “The Last Time”
- Live in Germany 1965 (1.33:1; SD)
- “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
- “I’m All Right”
- The Arthur Haynes Show 1964 (1.33:1; SD)
- “I Wanna Be Your Man”
- “You Better Move On”
- Interview with Director Brett Morgen (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 00:10:48)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
For fans of The Stones, this is the documentary to watch. Laced with live performances, a patchwork of archival images, and live footage, the story of the bad boys of rock unfolds in a personal way against the sounds they created. Recommended.
Additional Screen Captures
[amazon-product]B00BQTLVUM[/amazon-product]
Best Buy:
Purchase Crossfire Hurricane on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
[amazon-product]B00BQTLVUM[/amazon-product]
Best Buy:
Purchase Crossfire Hurricane on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]