Beatles '64

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.

Beatles '64 might not be the most groundbreaking Beatles documentary, it's not Get Back, where newly unearthed Beatles footage is revealed in all its glory, instead, it serves more as a nostalgic throwback, revisiting an iconic and historic moment in the band's journey, while much of the footage has likely been seen by longtime fans, the upgraded quality offers a fresh perspective, the story that they told about the surrounding vibe and reaction was enough to keep the film going, i wish we could've got more of Paul and Ringo with Scorsese, that said, as a retrospective, it's still a fascinating look at a pivotal moment in Beatles history, as a fan, i thoroughly enjoyed it, though as a documentary, it's not the one that i would revisit nor the the one that i think was the most engaging, i would still much prefer the Eight Days A Week documentary by Ron Howard, but it's still nice to watch.

In the wake of Peter Jackson's excellent GET BACK we seem to be getting a lot more films dealing with The Beatles; as a fan of the Fab Four that's no bad thing for me and the four new biopics currently in production sound pretty interesting too. BEATLES '64 is, by comparison, fairly straightforward, an ordinary clip compilation of footage assembled from the breakout year for the performers. Obviously with Martin Scorsese producting a lot of this is American-centric, but it all works very nicely and there's plenty of music too which helps. Nice to see Paul and Ringo making appearances too! A reasonable effort.

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.

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.