The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit

The Beatles' First U.S. Visit is, behind "The Compleat Beatles" and their self-produced "Anthology", the most entertaining and revealing about this musical group of four doing what they were born to do, on the way to the crest of their musical creativity. The performances on the American "Ed Sullivan Show" are entertaining for fans and interesting as historical documents, but the true gems are the sequences of non-performance documentary footage of all four members of the group, Brian Epstein, and (briefly, hush-hush ;)) Cynthia Lennon. This footage provides a window into The Beatles' emotional state during this life-altering point in their career. They balance organized professionalism (largely achieved by Brian Epstein, often under-appreciated in that he was managing a musical act achieving unprecedented popularity with no precedented business or professional model) with their excitement of their success in America. Then and now, largely the Holy Grail of success in entertainment. It is interesting to compare their reaction to fame with, on one hand, more impressionable, and on the other hand, more stoic celebrities. Paul, as would seem to be his role in their entire career together, acts as a conduit between George, John, Ringo and their handlers, like gently encouraging Ringo to pack his suitcase thoroughly in a "mother hen" voice. Funny. Watching them listen to themselves on the radio in America, seeing footage of car-mobbing people from the INSIDE of their car, seeing John tease instrumental DJ Murray The K (none the wiser) with pervy English slang, and The "Ed Sullivan" performances themselves are priceless. Though by February 1964 they were well versed in Hotel Room culture, their upbeat moods reveal their happiness (and reported surprise) at their reception from the moment they stepped off the trans-Atlantic airplane. Seeing this week of pivotal events in rock n' roll history from is a wonderful peek behind the Beatles' curtain on par with their "Anthology" and not to be missed by any casual or greater fan. Probably, if purchased, one of the Beatles-related home media films you will find yourself repeat watching more than others. Well shot by the Maysles brothers, directed and edited. Highly recommended.

It was madness, a frenzy, a pop-music explosion that still has barely been topped in the US for sheer virtuosity and awareness. After holding off on an official US mini-tour until they got some top 10 hits- and then suddenly getting THREE that were simultaneously number 1- 72 million people, more or less depending on who's reporting, watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show when they finally played in New York city on his nightly program (the filmmakers, Al and David Maysles, couldn't get permission to film in the CBS studio, so they just went across the street and found an apartment with a family watching it instead). In short, Hard Day's Night wasn't quite as zany fiction but a skewed documentary.

For The First US Visit, on the fly and almost by total luck, the Maysles capture the Beatles in all their personal humor, affability, and knack with dealing with the press or the common fan (or just a little girl at one down-to-earth moment). It was the start of their particular, wonderful style of "cinema truth", where there are barely any interviews, the camera and sound is so technologically simple that they can film practically anywhere, and it verged on being a home movie. There are moments when it does become a home movie, which might be a flaw not really either the Beatles or the Maysles' fault. The approach is so new that the Beatles themselves- according to Al on the extras on the DVD- were utterly curious about how the equipment worked, and would sometimes, as would be the case during the first thrust of "Beatlemania", be self-conscious and look at the camera.

But the feeling for the most part is so natural and cool that we get to just see what the Beatles were like... which, of course, are the Beatles in all their fun, their minor moments of seriousness, their whole bewilderment at how MAMMOTH their coming to America had become. The Maysles can capture that and little details (i.e. a woman in the background of a radio station playing a song and grooving along), which is great since the documentary is inter-cut with footage from the two Sullivan appearances (NYC and Miami) and a concert at Washington DC, shot live at times like a boxing match from afar. It's the 'early' period, and it's loaded with the crying and screaming girls, and those wonderful hits "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", "She Loves You", "Twist and Shout." It's all very sweet nostalgia and fun for the Beatles fan. 9.5/10

It's as if you're along for the ride as a spectator in the Beatles' entourage. A revealing look at the hoopla from their prospective. The behind the scenes footage has an intimate feel as there is no narrative to distance you from what's happening. The continuity flows seamlessly, though one wonders if the Maysles may have fabricated some of the ambient dialogue in the editing.

Shown here as part of BBC2's Beatles' night, this vibrant documentary is the real-life alter-ego of the "A Hard Day's Night" Beatles' stereotypes and shows that the Fab Four were quite witty and offbeat enough, without fictional embellishment.

Covering their arrival in the States in early 1964, just as "I Want To Hold Your Hand raced up the charts as their debut US hit and taking in concerts in Washington and Miami, interspersed with their historic and record-breaking appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, we get a first hand glimpse of the punishing schedule the Beatles endured in their bid to break America. Their youthful exuberance and enthusiasm gets them through and it's obvious that they take delight in their new-found celebrity in the homeland of rock 'n' roll, from where they took so much early inspiration. This of course was to pall, so that within two short years they'd exert their collective wills to get off the constant grind of globe-trotting touring.

Their infectious, unscripted witticisms raise many a smile at their numerous press conferences and it's easy to see them unconsciously debunking the myth of fame and cult of personality which was the norm amongst pop idols of the pre-Beatle era, notably a certain Mr Presley, of course.

The music's terrific, all the early classics turned out with vim and skill, again before their growing tiredness and cynicism, allied to their inability to hear what they were playing, conspired to drag down their performing standards.

My only criticism is that a certain Mr Lennon is strangely absent from much of the backstage proceedings, perhaps because he required to attend to the needs of his wife, she unsurprisingly hidden away (you just see her in one scene) in the background while Paul refers to him at another point as "the married one"). That said, Paul George and particularly Ringo put themselves about entertainingly, so that in the end you never doubt that America will catch the British wave and propel them to super-stardom.

As a long-term Beatles fan, who admittedly finds the later era Beatles a much more interesting proposition as people and musicians than the lovable mop-tops on show here, this was a fascinating insight into how four provincial lads would become world figures and mostly deserving of everything that came their way through personality, hard work and of course, loads of talent.

I thought the movie was absolutely marvelous (an inside joke to anyone who has seen the movie). This one is definitely a keeper. The footage captures the innocence of the Beatles during the begining of their career. It is full of laughs and great fun. Any beatle fan would enjoy this one and I personally would go to any lengths to get a hold of it.