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DVD 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
I remember waiting patiently years ago for somebody to release the February, 1964 appearances of the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. This video represents that, plus much of the hotel/limousine/Peppermint Lounge footage shot by the Maysles brothers during their historic first tour of the United States. While this represents a nice overview and entertaining video of that period, it could have been much more. Unfortunately, several of the songs from the Sullivan shows are NOT in the video; only "extracts" (the video's term!) are depicted. The entirety of the Beatles' 1964 Ed Sullivan performances are priceless. It's truly a shame that we may never get to see a commercially available release of all of this footage. The Maysles' film footage, however, is wonderful. In hindsight, it's amazing that these brothers had that much access to the Beatles. Much of this film was shot in the front seat of limousines and hotel rooms. I have to give the video a "C+." It could very easily have been an "A+" (Update:6/27/03) This is to add to my initial review: A 2-disc DVD set was released late last year of all four Ed Sullivan 1964/1965 televised performances. This set, which was advertised for about a month during the Fall 2002, features the entire Ed Sullivan broadcasts (including commercials) and all other acts. This renders the edited Sullivan performances on the Beatles/First U.S.A Visit video moot.)
ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR...
This is an engaging documentary of The Beatles' first U.S. visit. What makes it so fascinating are their performances on the Ed Sullivan show, which are captured here. Digitally remastered, this early television footage has been expertly restored, enabling the viewers to see and hear The Beatles, as they first appeared on American television.
Cheeky and exhuberant, The Beatles, occasionally off key but having the time of their lives, have not lost the capacity for knocking the socks off the viewer, as they are brimming over with vitality and the joy of life. They are truly wonderful to watch, as well as hear. Fortunately, the video covers all their performances on Ed Sullivan, and what a treat they are! It is sad to think that already two of them, John and George, are no longer with us.
The film documents a more innocent and simple time. It captured The Beatles on the threshold of international fame. It memorialized for all time their first U.S. visit with footage shot in railroad cars, hotel rooms, and limousines. Some of it is somewhat self-conscious, and some of it is playful fun. It also memorialized the reactions of their fans. The film is a daily cinema verite testament to that first visit.
This is a very good documentary that is well worth having soley for the performances of The Beatles. There are over thirteen of them, and the tracks have been digitally remastered for your listening pleasure. Overall, however, the documentary lacks some cohesion, due to the cinema verite nature of the film. Still, it is a worthwhile documentary to have, if only for those wonderful Ed Sullivam performances. If one wants a historical overview of The Beatles, one may also wish to view the more in depth and complex documentary, "The Compleat Beatles".
Perfect Summary Of Their First Visit
From the sound of "I Saw Her Standing There" to their arrival back in England, this DVD is exceptional. Not too long and not too short, it shows the Fab Four's highlights in their first American visit-including several spectacular Ed Sullvian performances. The audio/video quality is not as good in Washington, D.C. but the footage is nevertheless an important part of the visit. The off-stage material is excellent as it portrays them as true gentlemen. Enormously entertaining, revealing and informative...this is a great DVD.
A great concept: The Beatles appeared four times on CBS' The Ed Sullivan Show, and while one is tempted to skip through this collection to watch only the Fab Four's 20 performances, there is historic value in seeing Sullivan's complete programs. With America reeling from the murder of a popular president, JFK, less than three months prior, the Beatles' Sullivan debut on February 9, 1964, ushered a renewing joy into the country's living rooms. The band kept it up another two weeks, sharing Sullivan's variety-show bills with the likes of impressionist Frank Gorshin, comedians Allen & Rossi, future Monkee Davy Jones (in a scene from Oliver!), and sundry unrepentant vaudevillians, magicians, and acrobats. Various problems with microphones and bad direction (one barely... More Info about this DVD Director(s): John Wray (II) - Kenneth Whelan - Tim Kiley - John Moffitt DVD Release Date: Released the 28 October 2003 Usually ships in 4 to 6 days
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Exceptionally moving but not the least bit sentimental, Concert for George is a splendid tribute to the late George Harrison, whose contributions to the Beatles were so often hidden in the long shadows of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. A year to the day after Harrison's November 29, 2001 death, Eric Clapton assembled some musicians--people who had played with Harrison and known him intimately, including McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Tom Petty--to perform his music at London's Royal Albert Hall. They take on not just the predictable ("My Sweet Lord" and "Something," beautifully sung by Billy Preston and Sir Paul, respectively), but also lesser-known fare like "Old Brown Shoe" and "Beware of Darkness," all to superbly empathetic effect. But the tune most likely to make you misty-eyed... More Info about this DVD Director(s): David Leland DVD Release Date: Released the 18 November 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The late John Lennon's life and work are plainly visible in this stirring collection of short films and music videos, some very familiar while others, produced posthumously, will be new to many viewers. The set includes the classic "Imagine" clip, which begins with a haunting scene of John and Yoko walking through an early morning fog and concludes with Lennon's performance in an all-white room. More rare is a Top of the Pops live performance of "Instant Karma" and a wonderful film accompanying "Mind Games," in which a solo Lennon clowns around Central Park, thrilling passersby, playing with kids, and dancing. "Woman" is a montage of the last days and hours of Lennon's life, while "Watching the Wheels" is a compilation of home movie footage from the star's semi-reclusive Dakota... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): John Lennon DVD Release Date: Released the 18 November 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I'm always wary of all the "rare" Beatles stuff out there, but found this DVD a great surprise. There were things on this DVD i had only seen pictures of before. Some of the interviews provided here are somewhat unintelligible and obviously incomplete, but you get to see the Beatles in many different settings just being themselves. Clips from the Hollywood Bowl, the claustrophobia of Beatlemania and a Shakespearean comedy skit are the best treasures. Quality is good... no silly narration... more a collection of clips than a structured documentary. More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 27 August 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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