The Beatles Anthology
|
List Price: Our Price: $53.50 You Save: $26.48 (33%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $42.18 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Beatles Anthology
Movie Review: The Beatles Anthology is a must for all Beatles' fans.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a Beatles' fan since I was 3 years of age and All I would see on Television is other people telling the story of The Beatles without proof to some rumors about what really happened to Paul during the "Paul is Dead" days, What was really said by John Lennon during an Interview with a Reporter which brought out The controversial speech about "Why The Beatles' where bigger than GOD.(An interview that was taken out of context)The reason why they had to stop touring,Or the real story about who really Broke up the group in the 1970's and ofcourse The History of their Drug Abuse.Well, I was happy when I purchased The VHS version.Like The Rolling Stones' Version of 25X5.The Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones.The Beatles also along with snipets of John Lennon answering questions that went along with The other three's memory of their history gave me a better insight of the group through their own words.I appeciated that they did it that way to silence the critics and to set the record straight about the rumors surronding the group.I also enjoyed The first video in many years of "Free as a bird" with John Lennon's original demo combinded with the mellow sounds of Paul and George Singing Background Like the old days in the 60's.I have to tell you .It made me cry to wonder what could have been if Lennon was alive and would the frenzy still continue after all these years.I would have wanted the other video "Real Love" with Post psychedelic overtones coveying to the later 1960's and early 70's.But the whole VHS series was just wonderful over all.Either if you get the VHS Version or the newly released DVD version with more extras( maybe with the two videos "Free as a bird","Real Love" and The Concert of the 3 surviving Beatles playing a mini concert that I have heard about.)I believe that you will not only enjoy The Beatles' Anthology.You are going to treasure it as I did.So get before it runs out.You'll be glad you did.Movie Review: The Eye of the Storm
Summary: 5 Stars
Each episode opens in black and white, with the young Beatles performing one of their early hits. The camera moves back and we see the boys dwarfed by a gigantic image of THE BEATLES logo and the roars of cheering fans drown out the music.
If there's a theme to this series, it's that the Beatles really were more than the sum of their parts. Paul, George, Ringo, even John (on film) each at some point refers to The Beatles as something separate from themselves, as if they too were looking at the group from the outside.
What struck me most about the series, when I saw it on TV when it first aired, and just recently on this excellent DVD set, was the creativity of The Beatles. When the band started, in the pre-Ringo days and shortly after he joined the group, they did other people's songs, giving them their own spin. After they started recording, they also did a few of their own numbers, and soon they were doing almost exclusively numbers they'd composed themselves.
It was also fascinating to see how George and Ringo reacted to the prolific creativity of John and Paul. George and Ringo were master musicians, but had shown little inclination to write music. George began tentatively and eventually wrote songs (Something, Taxman, While My Guitar Gently Weeps) that rivalled the Lennon/McCartney hits. Ringo didn't write much at all until after The Beatles, and his only songs that are memorable are the ones he co-wrote with George (Photograph, It Don't Come Easy).
When the band finally split up, the individual members kept on making music, but little of their work compared to the work they'd done together. Why? Was it the combination of their talents? Was it their youth and energy? Was it producer George Martin?
With roughly ten hours of episodes and extras on five DVDs, you'll have plenty of material to ponder and come to your own conclusion.
Movie Review: Number one ... number one ... number one ... number one ...
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to admit right off the bat that this is going to be an extremely biased review. Why? Because I am obsessed with the Beatles, and this boxed set includes more information than I could ever dream of. My only previous experience with the Anthology (aside from the CDs, of course) was when it was shown on ABC in late 1995, I believe. If I'm not mistaken, it was only about half the length we have now. We follow them from their Liverpool childhoods, to their years as the Quarrymen, onto their Hamburg days, dropping Pete Best, acquiring Ringo Starr, and finally set to take on America. And that's just on the first disc! There's three more where that came from, and in quick succession we hear about anything and everything related to the Fab Four, from the songs to the personalities, from John's Jesus comments to the bed-in for peace. The only problem I have is that the final four years are sort of glossed over rather quickly on the last disc, and we get precious little information about their post-Beatle careers; after all, if we include pre-Beatle stuff, why not the aftermath?
But that's just an obsessive fan's complaint towards an otherwise spectacular anthology. The special features take up the fifth and final disc, although they are not as plentiful as one might have hoped for. We get the "Real Love" music video, a featurette on the making of the "Free As A Bird" video (which is featured at the end of the fourth disc, at the end of the whole shebang), a couple of little singalongs between Paul, George and Ringo (one in George's garden estate, one at the studio), and featurettes on how they picked which songs would go on the Anthology albums and how they recorded the two new songs. Finally, we get a little segment where the DVD producers talk about making the Anthology TV series.
The film: 5 stars.
The extras: 4 stars.
Movie Review: All You Need is Love ... And The Beatles Anthology!
Summary: 5 Stars
This could possibly be the toughest item I've ever tried to review. Why? Because words alone could not describe the magic that blossomed from this quartet from Liverpool. One needs to take this set of discs, sit down for 10 hours and watch the series in its entirety. That is the only true way to appreciate the Beatles' story, life and music.
That said, there is plenty here to satisfy even the most dedicated fans. You will see concerts and interviews, home movies and newsreels, and the beauty of it is, you will not find this stuff anywhere else (except bootlegs, of course).
There are many exciting moments found in this set. Here are some of my personal favorite moments:
*1962 - "Some Other Guy" from the Cavern Club
*1964 - "She Loves You" from Washington DC
*1964 - "All My Loving" from the Hollywood Bowl
*1965 - "I'm Down" from Shea Stadium
*1966 - "Rock and Roll Music" from Japan
*1968 - "Revolution" from the Smothers Brothers Show
*1969 - "Get Back" from the Apple Rooftop
Another aspect of the Beatles Anthology is that, sprinked throughout the series, you will find musicians other than the Beatles singing either Beatles songs, or songs that influenced the Beatles. For example, the Rolling Stones singing "I Wanna Be Your Man," Bob Dylan singing "The Times They Are A-Changing," or Jimi Hendrix singing "Sgt. Pepper." These are very interesting.
One more thing that absolutely thrills me is that during two moments in the series (Washington DC and Japan), fan-shot footage is substituted for the footage that everybody knows. You will not find that ANYWHERE else. It is moments like these that put me in Heaven every time I watch them.
I could rave forever about the Beatles Anthology. But now I think it's your turn to enjoy it.
Movie Review: Yeah Yeah Yeah
Summary: 5 Stars
For a long time I've been wondering if the 1982 documentary "The Compleat Beatles" would ever be released in DVD format...But now that would be moot, for this "Anthology" is the unsurpassable document of the greatest and most influential rock band. The picture, sound quality, and editing are excellent. The band's 1997 comments are witty, insightful, and down-to-earth (of course--it's the Beatles). What can one say about their classiness and humility and professionalism in the face of the current crass and hyper-sensationalistic age? The Beatles were the template for super-rock star success, and if it were an absolutely inevitable phenomenon that someone would be anointed with such fame, it could not have happened to four more worthy people. The "Anthology" story ends with the band's breakup in 1970, without mention of Phil Spector's reworking of the "Let it Be" sessions (which were recently re-released in their original rootsy state, the way the Beatles initially conceived it) nor the death of John Lennon. I was hoping this set would contain the entire live world-satellite performance of "All You Need is Love", and it does...And the Beatles on a Swedish teen pop show 1963 in which the hosts seem bewildered by their two raucous encores...Along with four songs from the premiere Washington DC concert...The original videos for "Rain" and "Ticket to Ride" and segments from the ill-advised "Magical Mystery Tour" which probably haven't been seen in a long time. And a whole lot more. It's full of interesting anecdotes, like for instance that the Beatles were thinking of purchasing a Greek island and establishing an artists' community there around the time of "Sgt. Pepper"...That "Rain" is the first rock song to feature backwards vocals, and "I Feel Fine" the first with deliberate guitar feedback...Et cetera. An essential document for a rock fan.