THE FAB FOUR ON FILM
Listed below are films that either feature the Beatles or are related in some way to the band. (Ringo's feature films, everything from Candy to Caveman, have been excluded for space reasons.) Not all are commercially available as videocassettes, only those indicated—the others can be found on television or as bootlegs.
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THE FAB FOUR ON FILM
FEATURES
Listed below are films that either feature the Beatles or are related in some way to the band. (Ringo's feature films, everything from Candy to Caveman, have been excluded for space reasons.) Not all are commercially available as videocassettes, only those indicated—the others can be found on television or as bootlegs. Hopefully, they'll all eventually be easy to obtain.
A Hard Day's Night: If you haven't seen this one, you're obviously not at all interested in the Beatles. Directed by the great Richard Lester with an Oscarnominated screenplay by Alun Owen, it's the best of their feature films, humorously and insightfully capturing the magic of the band at the height of Beatlemania. It was often shown on TV prior to Lennon's death, but was theatrically re-released last summer with an additional song ("I'll Cry Instead") over a montage of photos. It's only a matter of time before you'll be able to pick it up at your nearest video store.
A rock film classic.
Help!: Richard Lester was back for their second film, but this one was zanier, more absurd and (thus) less realistic than their debut. Still, it's a lot of fun, as the Beatles are pursued by an Eastern religious cult after Ringo recieves a "sacred sacrificial ring." And the music is great. Watch for it on the tube.
The Beatles At Shea Stadium (Video Yesteryear): The historic '65 New York concert was filmed for television, and telecast on ABC January 10, 1967. It features the band backstage, the opening acts (the Discoteque Dancers & Band, the King Curtis Revue, Brenda Holloway and Sounds Incorporated), as well as the Beatles' entire performance. Video quality is questionable, but the performance is just fine.
Magical Mystery Tour (Media Video): A BBC television special filmed in '67. Mainly McCartney's brainchild, it shows that everything the Beatles touched didn't turn to gold. Terribly disjointed and pretty boring. Skip it and listen to the record instead.
Yellow Submarine: This one can also be found on television. An elaborate animated film which portrays the Fab Four saving Pepperland from an invasion of the Blue Meanies. The surreal quality effectively captures the myth of the Beatles during their "psychedelic" phase, as well as their individual personalities, and it's a treat for kids and adults alike. Erich Segal of Love Story fame collaborated on the script, but don't hold that against it. The real Beatles make a hilarious cameo appearance at the film's conclusion.
Let It Be (Magnetic Video): A documentary of Beatle recording sessions shortly before the break-up. The tension is visible throughout which makes it a sad, depressing chronicle. Still, it's an important film if only for the insight it provides, and the final scene—featuring the Beatles performing an inpromptu concert on the roof of the Apple building—is a classic. It was their final performance together.
One To One Concert (also titled John & Yoko Concert): John & Yoko headlined this benefit concert for UNICEF at Madison Square Garden on August 30,
1972. The Lennons were backed by Elephant's Memory, and other performers included Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack and Sha Na Na. Selections included songs from Sometime In New York City, as well as "It's So Hard," "Well, Well, Well," "Instant Karma," "Mother," "Come Together," "Imagine," "Cold Turkey," "Give Peace A Chance" and a great version of "Hound Dog" during which John screams: "I love you, Elvis!" It was telecast on December 15, 1972, and is available from most bootleg outlets. Definitely worthwhile.
John Lennon—Interview With A Legend (Carl Video): An interview by Tom Snyder for his Tomorrow show, it was originally telecast on April 28, 1975, and repeated the night after Lennon's death. It was his last in-depth interview prior to his five year "retirement."
Snyder is at hi^most obnoxious and often comes off as a nitwit, but Lennon handles him with humor (it even made me laugh on Dec. 9, 1980—no easy feat) rather than flippancy. Subjects discussed include rock V roll, the Beatles, groupies, drugs, Yoko, the "publicity" for peace, individual members of the Beatles, and John's pending deportation case. Humorous, honest and compassionate, it displays the most human side of Lennon you'll find anywhere, and illustrates why he meant so much to so many. A must for his fans.
Rockshow (EMI Thorn): A film of McCartney & Wings in concert from their '75-'76 world tour; the same show can be heard on the Wings Over America LP. In addition to Wings' standards, Paul also performs "Lady Madonna," "The Long And Winding Road," "I've Just Seen A Face," "Blackbird" and "Yesterday." For Wings fans only.
Rock For Kampuchea: A 1979 benefit concert for Cambodian famine organized by McCartney and UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim. Wings perform, as do the Who, Queen, the Pretenders, Elvis Costello, Rockpile, Robert Plant, the Clash, Ian Dury and the Specials. The grand finale is a nice version of "Let It Be" performed by Rockestra—a conglomeration of rock superstars. Definitely hasitsexciting moments. This is currently making the rounds on pay cable stations, so it should be in the stores soon.
Concert For Bangladesh: George Harrison's superstar extravaganza at Madison Square Garden in 1971 to benefit the starving nation. Harrison performs "Here Comes The Sun,"
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Something." Other performers include Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr,
Billy Preston, Leon Russell and Ravi Shankar. Hasn't been seen much lately, perhaps due to the legal hassles created by Allen Klein.
Birth Of The Beatles Dick Clark produced this made-for-TV biopic which traces the early days of the band up to their first Ed Sullivan appearance, and the result ain't bad. It's not totally accurate historically (i.e., Stu Sutcliffe died the day before fhe Beatles returned to Hamburg), but it's a good dramatization nonetheless. Stephen MacKenna is exceptional as Lennon. The film is overly-sympathetic to Pete Best, which is understandable since he's credited as "technical advisor." The music is "recreated" by Rain.
I Wanna Hold Your Hand: Stephen Spielberg was the executive producer of this much-overlooked "fantasy" film which was sort of American Graffiti meets Beatlemania. Five New Jersey teens travel to New York in '64, hoping to see the Beatles' debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. It accurately recreates the mania of the time, and even throws in a bit of socio-cultural material by showing how the kids' lives are changed by the event. (The haircut scene is a gem!) The Beatles are seen in newsclips, and the soundtrack is continuous Beatle music. Great performances by a fine cast, many of whom would later turn up in Spielberg's 1941. A fun, fun, film. Catch it on the 4:30 movie!
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (MCA/Universal): Robert Stigwood's biggest travesty, and that's saying a lot. If you really want this one, you probably deserve it. You'll probably want to own the dreadful film version of Beatlemania ('81) as well. It upsets me to no extent that we continue to get atrocious Beatle theatrical productions in this country, yet Willy Russell's extraordinary, award-winning John,
Paul, George, Ringo and Bert has never been seen in America. I saw it four times in London the summer of '75, and if's unquestionably the best dramatization of fhe Beatles' career ever produced. McCartney (who's portrayed rather unflatteringly) refused fo let Stigwood have the film rights for this one, so that probably explains if.
Other Beatle films available from bootleg outlets on compilation tapes include: Around The Beatles (a '64 British TV special); What's Happening (a documentary showing the band's activities during their first trip to New York); The Beatles Come To Town (a '63 concert in Manchester, England); The Beatles1 Washington Coliseum Concert (10 songs from '64—two of which are shown in The Compleat Beatles, featuring an incredible version of "This Boy"); The Beatles' Tokyo Concert (the entire concert—11 songs—from '66 in color, excerpts are also included in The Compleat Beatles); The Beatles' Hollywood Bowl Concert (their '64 Hollywood performance); The Beatles On David Frost (a '68 interview and performance of "Hey Jude") and Imagine (a '72 John & Yoko "art" film, featuring all the tracks from the Imagine LP). Promotional videos (for the Beatles as a group only) are available of "Strawberry Fields," "Penny Lane," "Hey Jude," "Rain," "Revolution," "Good Day Sunshine," "Back In The U.S.S.R." and "The Ballad Of John & Yoko." Also available are tons of newsreels, assorted TV appearances (i.e., Ed Sullivan), film trailers, Lennon's role in How I Won The War, McCartney's '73 TV special James Paul McCartney and probably numerous items yet to be uncovered.
