Documentary

John and Yoko's Year of Peace

Amazing that a nearly hour-long film about a Beatle that contains almost no music could still be worthwhile, but that's the case with John & Yoko's Year of Peace. The year in question is 1969, when the newly married couple staged the notorious "bed-in" at a Toronto hotel to promote their somewhat naive but sincere campaign for world peace; they then moved on to Montreal, where "Give Peace a Chance" was recorded in another hotel room, before returning to Toronto, where Lennon (accompanied by Eric Clapton and others) became the first Beatle to perform in concert without his mates. There's no film of that event here, but there is a great deal of other Lennon footage, revealing him to be utterly honest, unpretentious, gentle, and approachable. Ono and others who were there recall the events in interesting interviews conducted around the time of this 2000 documentary, but it's the scenes from '69 that make this an invaluable document. --Sam Graham

The year: 1969. Headlines blare war and civil unrest while John Lennon and Yoko Ono are in love. The eccentic rock 'n' roll couple has just gotten married, and more than happy to be together, they want to change the world. Lying in a hotel bed surrounded by journalists, they announce their mission for peace and invite the rest of the world to symbolically climb into bed with them and share their dream. People call them silly, naive, even ridiculous, yet one famous couple's bed-in spread new hope that there really could be an end to war, hate and violence. Here is rare footage from that amazing time, including footage from John and Yoko's wedding, the infamous bedside confrontation between John and conservative cartoonist Al Capp, Lennon debating media expert Marshall McLuhan, and meeting Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Now twenty years after Lennon's murder, Yoko and others involved in the peace mission reflect on the events of that magical, mystical year.

The Beatles - The Beatles Story

Despite its unauthorized status, this hourlong documentary offers a comprehensive survey of the Beatles' career, from the escalation of Beatlemania to the band's disintegration in 1970. It's a suitable primer for neophytes, not as illuminating as the epic-length Beatles Anthology (how could it be?), but offering material that can't be found elsewhere, including interview clips with associates from the Beatles' early days (such as Mersey Beat editor Bill Harry and former Cavern Club owner Ray McFall). A few myths are corrected, and familiar archival footage covers all the Beatle basics, from the "bigger than Jesus" backlash to speculation, disregarded here as erroneous, that Yoko Ono broke up the Beatles. Due to licensing restrictions, music is supplied by the "Bootleg Beatles," a look-alike nostalgia group seen in a closing segment as a pale echo of the Fab Four, playing to the kind of younger audience that this video is intended for. --Jeff Shannon

The Beatles Celebration

Here at last is the ultimate visual and cultural history of the Beatles. Packed with dozens of never before seen film clips, ultra rare photographs and exclusive interviews, John, Paul, George and Ringo come alive in this intelligent, compelling, inside glimpse into the impenetrable inner-circle of the greatest musical group ever.

Menus: English • Spanish • Chinese • Japanese
Subtitles: Spanish • Chinese • Japanese

B&W/Color
Running Time: 62 min.

The Beatles - The First U.S. Visit

Any fan of Richard Lester's A Hard Day's Night won't want to miss the documentary The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit by Albert and David Maysles. The Maysles brothers were given extraordinary access to the Beatles during their first trip to the U.S., in February 1964, for several concerts and their seminal first appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Like Hard Day's Night, which came out later that year, this film (also known as What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A.) shows lots of spontaneous cheekiness with the press and fans; the Beatles' wide-eyed bemusement at the hysteria they caused; as much cutting up as a tiny hotel room allows; and even specific scenes--goofing off on a commuter train, mod dancing in a nightclub--that would later appear in Lester's film. The only thing missing is Paul's grandfather.

The performance segments alone are a must for fans. The three Ed Sullivan appearances show a great cross section of their hits at the time, including "All My Loving," "I Saw Her Standing There," a beautifully delivered "This Boy" by John Lennon, and a wobbly "I Saw Her Standing There" so out of tune George Harrison nearly cracks up as he listens to Lennon and Paul McCartney struggle for harmony. The blurry, badly mic'd footage of the concert at the Washington Coliseum shows the Beatles acting as their own roadies, setting up their instruments; the platform Ringo Starr drums on lurches ominously with each downbeat. It was a more innocent, exuberant time, to be sure, and this sweet documentary lets the Beatles phenomenon speak for itself. --Anne Hurley

The Beatles - The Making of A Hard Day's Night

A Hard Day's Night is "among the five best movie musicals I've ever seen," says Roger Ebert, "right up there with Singin' in the Rain." That ringing endorsement of the most famous film from rock's most famous group, the Beatles, is only one of the testimonials recorded in You Can't Do That: The Making of "A Hard Day's Night." This engrossing 1994 documentary is hosted by Phil Collins, who actually appeared in the original among a crowd of frenzied teenagers at the theater where the songs were filmed. There's plenty of behind-the-scenes footage, and producer Walter Shenson, director Richard Lester, and screenwriter Alun Owen, among others, contribute comments, which are occasionally punctuated by brief clips from the film (à la HBO's 1990s series Dream On). Micky Dolenz, Roger McGuinn, and Beatles fans are also interviewed, and George Harrison's voice is heard briefly. Filmed at the height of Beatlemania shortly after their 1964 trip to the U.S., A Hard Day's Night was conceived as an excuse to release a soundtrack album. But while nine songs were written, only seven were used in the film, and for many fans the chief item of interest here will be the inclusion of one unused performance, "You Can't Do That," shown partially during the documentary, then in its entirety as an epilogue. --David Horiuchi

Beatles - Big Beat Box (DVD + CD)

This unique 50-minute DVD traces the extraordinary rise of the Beatles from their early days in the clubs of Liverpool and Germany to their undisputed status as the world's most successful "pop" group ever. Watch the astounding events unfold as Beatleman

The Beatles DVD Collector's Set

This four-disc set includes two feature films and two documentaries (all previously available on DVD). Help! (1965), in which a religious sect is in pursuit of a sacrificial ring stuck on Ringo's finger, is a broad spoof of the spy flicks of the time, with James Bond-like themes and locales. Songs include "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and "Ticket to Ride." Only two years later but strikingly different in mood and tone, Magical Mystery Tour (1967) is chiefly a series of psychedelic music videos, including "Fool on the Hill," "I Am the Walrus," and "Blue Jay Way," loosely organized around a plot of a bus trip through the English countryside.

The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit is an 83-minute black-and-white documentary by acclaimed directing brothers Albert and David Maysles that captures the group's trip to the U.S. in February 1964. It includes plenty of songs as performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, of course, as well as footage of the band riding the train or sitting in their hotel room watching television coverage of themselves. A subsequent performance in Washington, D.C., suffers from grainier footage and spotty microphones, but still captures the frenzy of the fans.

You Can't Do That!: The Making of "A Hard Day's Night" is an hourlong documentary that traces the creation of the historic 1964 film. Hosted by Phil Collins, who appeared in the original among a crowd of screaming teenagers, the film features extensive clips and interviews with those involved with the movie (though George Harrison is the only Beatle whose voice is heard). A highlight is "You Can't Do That," a performance that was cut from the original film. Obviously, a perfect DVD set would include A Hard Day's Night itself, but rights issues have kept it out of circulation. --David Horiuchi

The Beatles DVD Collector's Set includes:

Help!
Nominated for two British Academy Awards, this 1965 theatrical feature takes the Beatles on a worldwide comedy adventure. After a magical ring gets stuck on Ringo's finger, a group of oriental mystics and a mad scientist stop at nothing to try to get it back. Special features include a fully restored print from the film's original negative, a digitally remastered soundtrack, 15 minutes of bonus footage, Spanish and French audio tracks, and English, Spanish, and French subtitles. Songs include "Help!", "You're Gonna Lose That Girl," and "Ticket to Ride."
Color, approx. 90 minutes, Dolby Digital

Magical Mystery Tour
A musical film fantasy that follows the Beatles on a psychedelic bus tour along the English countryside. It made its British debut on Christmas day 1967. Special DVD features include a fully restored print, a digitally remastered soundtrack, bonus newsreels, a history of the project, and English, Spanish, and French subtitles. Songs include "Magical Mystery Tour," "I Am the Walrus," and "Fool on the Hill."
Color, approx. 54 minutes, Dolby Digital

The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit
An historic, musical ride back in time as the Beatles come to America for the first time on February 7, 1964 and appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. Special features include 13 Beatles performances, a fully restored print, a digitally remastered soundtrack, a Beatles chronology, discography, and other statistics, and English, Spanish, and French subtitles. Songs include "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "Till There Was You," and "Twist and Shout."
Black and white, approx. 83 minutes, Dolby Digital

You Can't Do That: The Making of "A Hard Day's Night"
The extraordinary evolution of the Academy Award-nominated film that convinced the world that the Beatles could be as influential and memorable as the music they sang. Hosted by Phil Collins. Special features include cast profiles, A Hard Day's Night trivia quiz, biography and discography for Phil Collins, and English, Spanish, and French subtitles.
Color and black and white, approx. 65 minutes, Dolby Digital

Alf Bicknell's Beatles Diary

Alf Bicknell, who narrates and conceived the idea behind Beatles Diary, was the Beatles' chauffeur for three years. From 1964 to 1966 he drove John, Paul, George, and Ringo from gig to gig and airport to hotel. In this personal reminiscence, which is chronicled on two tapes (probably to earn a higher retail price for the fans and profit for Bicknell), the guy pushes his yearning for days gone by as he takes the viewer through a collection of memories disguised as real, revealing gems about the Liverpool lads. We rove from Shea Stadium and the Beatles' first U.S. appearance to a trip back to Liverpool and a glimpse at the houses where the Fab Four grew up, and there are clips from the Hollywood Bowl appearance and the final concert in Japan in 1966. But Bicknell gives us little that's fresh or interesting. We can look at Paul's Hofner bass or John's guitar till we turn blue but there is still little of relevance in this sad, searching, despondent clutch by an ordinary guy who achieved some sense of status for 15 minutes, then lost it and desperately wants to grab the ring again. --Paula Nechak