The Beatles Anthology
by Bob Smeaton, Geoff Wonfor, Kevin Godley
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: George Harrison, John Lennon, Neil Aspinall, Paul McCartney, Ringo StarrDirector: Bob Smeaton, Geoff Wonfor, Kevin Godley
Brand: EMI
Producer: Neil Aspinall
Cinematographer: Eugene O'Connor
Writer: Bob Smeaton
Producer: Chips Chipperfield
Producer: Stan Storc
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Black & White, Box set, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 600 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-04-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Capitol
Movie Reviews of The Beatles Anthology
Movie Review: Magical mystery tour
Summary: 5 Stars
At over eight hours, this documentary is likely be tiresome to all but the most hardcore fans but, if you count yourself among the latter group, a splendid time is guaranteed by all. After part one, which covers the lads from Liverpool from birth up to 1962, each successive episode covers approximately a year in the lives and careers of the Fab Four. There's plenty of time for extensive performance footage, including all their Ed Sullivan show appearances, the Royal Variety Performance, much of the Shea Stadium appearance, and even the rather crappy Budokan shows. It's all here, interspersed with extensive interview footage with all the principals. What I learned is: after manager Brian Epstein died in 1967, the Beatles sort of lost their way, lost their reliable arbiter of good judgment and taste, and fell into such misbegotten projects as their Apple boutique and the Get Back/Let It Be film project. I also realised that I don't have a favourite Beatle. George comes off as sort of an old crank, Paul and John as massive egos, and, well, Ringo is just Ringo, a pleasant sort with a nice touch on the drums and an unshakable backbeat. In their characters, there simply wasn't anything all that special about these guys, but they each had a sort of imperfect musical talent. When they combined those talents, however, some kind of magical mystery took place, and they created art for the ages. So, my favourite Beatle is The Beatles, all four of them working together. Which makes me realise that the one thing missing from this extensive documentary is any mention of their solo careers. There's no Plastic Ono Band, no All Things Must Pass, no McCartney (the album) even mentioned here, which seems odd in a way, considering how exhaustive this documentary project purports to be. Yoko Ono's notorious role in driving a wedge between the members of the band is also sloughed over rather quickly at the end of episode seven. Her participation was perhaps necessary to getting access to all the interviews that John gave after the Beatles broke up, and to the successful production of this film. So, the filmmakers are nice to her. But, just her presence, sitting there like a fifth wheel in the studio during the recordings of The White Album and Let It Be speaks for itself. She's darned annoying. If Epstein had lived, he'd probably have said to John that you can't take your wife to the office.
Summary of The Beatles Anthology
Studio: Emi Music Distribution Release Date: 11/29/2005Initially broadcast as a TV miniseries to go with the series of three Anthology double-CD albums, this set of eight documentary tapes has the heft and scope of one of Ken Burns's expansive projects. Still, unless you are either a historian or a truly committed fan, you'll find yourself with way more material--particularly about the Beatles' early lives as lads in Liverpool--than you'll want to watch. The documentary material is copious, including early performance films and tapes, at the point before they found their true voices. The actual Beatlemania years--beginning in 1963 and concluding in 1970--feature extensive performance films, as well as home movies and archival material. The best parts, of course, are the interviews with the Beatles themselves, who produced the entire thing. Along with reworking two previously unreleased John Lennon tracks as "new Beatles songs," the Anthology includes some unseen Lennon interview tapes so that his acerbic voice can be heard as well. This stands as a comprehensive document of that heady period, the second coming of rock & roll, as the Beatles took what Elvis had started and expanded upon it exponentially. The tapes give a solid sense of the historical context and the way these four musicians changed the world around them in the 1960s. --Marshall Fine
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