Beatles '64

It provided a fantastic insight into what was going on during the US visit. The film showcased how the Beatles acted on and off stage, as well as providing information about what happened when they arrived in America and the impact their music had on the people. The quality of the archive footage was excellent. The soundtrack of the movie was outstanding and the interviews were interesting.

What it lacks is narration, but I believe they were trying for a "stock footage" approach and enabling you, the audience, to put it together. There was some storytelling in text form, but it wasn't enough for me, and it felt slightly "missing something".

Overall, the film is an 8 but I gave it a 9 cause I am a fan of the band.

A better title for this latest Beatles-featured movie would really have been "Beatles in America '64" when you consider that in that same year they elsewhere recorded two albums, an EP, and three singles, one of which which contained a non-album A and B-side. Then of course they made the "A Hard Day's Night" movie, toured the UK, Australia and Europe and made various promotional television appearances besides. Most acts today would struggle to do all that in five years I dare say.

The movie makes extensive use of the vérité footage shot by the Maysles Brothers at the time, interspersed with news bulletins and interview inserts with all four Beatles, naturally of the archive variety with John and George accompanying present-day pieces by Paul and Ringo.

Being the dyed-in-the-wool fan that I am I naturally enjoyed every minute of it, but I wouldn't say I saw anything here which really surprised me or didn't seem familiar in some way. The Beatles all come over strongly as individuals but what is clear is the tight collective unit they had already become, an inner circle if you will, which only a precious few got to really invade, people I suppose like Brian Epstein, Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall and George Martin of course, as well as the wives and girlfriends, although apart from a few fleeting glimpses of Cynthia Lennon, none of these people make much of an appearance, if at all.

There are also a predictable number of "talking head" interviews with contemporary artists, reminiscing and philosophising as is their wont, most strangely including the current incarnation of the artist once known as Terence Trent D'arby plus Leonard Bernstein's daughter and future Lennon producer Jack Douglas who at least has an interesting Beatles-related story of his own to tell.

The music is of course vintage moptop magic as you see and hear them perform their superb early repertoire on TV and live in concert, their playing and singing sharp and on point, before the screamers and jellybean throwers spoiled it for them.

It was nice to see now and then interviews with their predominantly young female fanbase which are contrasted at one point with some input from a bunch of cool, young on-the-street black dudes into Miles and Coltrane who respectfully resist any temptation to diss the new white kids on the block.

There were lots of nice moments but like I said not much fresh insight into the whole Beatlemania phenomenon which I guess may have been the point of the movie. The usual readacross is plied that timing was everything, given the band's arrival Stateside in the immediate aftermath of the Kennedy assassination. The comment that most caught my ear however was from the young McCartney who, when asked by a prescient interviewer if he thought that there was a wider cultural impact the Beatles were having on society, simply smiles and mocks the question, disarmingly stating that all they were doing was just having a laugh.

How wrong he was.

It wasn't a bad documentary, but I didn't walk away feeling like I learned all that much. I was really looking for something that dove deep into the concert by concert of the 1964 tour. I was hoping to see a little bit of footage from each show and behind the scenes in each location. However, a lot of the focus was on New York and Washington with little to no focus on any other places that the Beatles traveled to. I would've loved to see their time in Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, LA, Canada, the list goes on! It would've been interesting to learn more about the issues with segregation in Jacksonville, Florida, meeting Bob Dylan, and the 1.5 million dollars offered to them to perform an extra show in Kansas City. Instead the documentary is mostly about New York and Washington, featuring full length clips of a woman's fantasies with the Beatles, a man crying about the emotional connection to She Loves You, and a full length clip of Smokey Robinson's band performing a sssslllllooooowwww version of Yesterday. Why do I need to see this? I came here to watch something about the Beatles, and while it's OK to have guest speakers talk, they need to be short and RELEVANT. Martin Scorsese is a weird guy, which is probably why he made this weird documentary with some actually boring clips of the Beatles. There was far too much focus on Beatlemania (including the gory details of people's love affair of the boys), which is something that has been covered, like a million times. I don't think this whole thing is bad, I just wanted a focused and interesting watch, but there's not a ton here that I haven't already heard or seen. What is new is actually a little boring.

And that's coming from someone who loved: Get Back (10/10), Rooftop Concert (10/10), A Hard Days Night, and Help.

Paul and Ringo were listed on the long list of producers to this documentary, and being the last of the Fab Four, provided some modern commentary. They certainly do not need the money, so its puzzling as to what they thought this added to The Beatles history. And that's what it is, just one year, all be it a milestone one in which they 'conquered America'.

Its a bit of a hotch potch of footage and interviews, both of the times and contemporary. Some of the live music performances were effectively used, the sound was good, and they provided short intervals of interest.

One for die hard Beatles fans only.

The Beatles are undoubtedly the greatest band of all time. Having watched Beatles '64, I'm left with mixed feelings. While it offers glimpses of their historic visit, it doesn't truly reflect the depth of the experience. The documentary feels more like a collection of random shots pieced together for attention rather than a cohesive, visionary exploration of the event. There are better youtube videos out there that provide more insight and context. That said, I'll give it 5 stars for the nostalgia it evokes and the inclusion of some fantastic live music moments. You might still find something to appreciate, but for most, I'd recommend you may skip this one.