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Summary: So Much Younger Than Today
Review: The second the Beatles step foot off the plane at JFK, the US was never the same. Here it the film that proves that statement .Captured in black and white are the sights and sounds of the Beatles in NYC in 1964. The highlights that gets this DVD repeated viewing is that all of the boy's songs performances from Ed Sullivan's really big show are included.
What is sometimes forgotten in the history of the Beatles is that they were a hell of a live rock and roll band. After these performance on Sullivan we would never see the Beatles play like this again. The public view of John Paul George and Ringo goes from this moment in time , to Hard Days Night, which is a recreation of this moment . Then check out the opening shot of Help. It features the Beatles all dressed in black, not smiling and their eyes saying "we are not the really Fab Four any more. Now thanks to this DVD we can relive our baby steps of Rock
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Summary: Beautiful! The History of the best of Music!
Review: "The first U.S visit" of The Beatles is unquestionable the most extraordinary dvd movie you could possibly find today. It is so nice to go back to the sweet sixties and to the four beetles, the musicians ever was and ever will be.
If you're looking for something to keep for another twenty years or a lot more, don't think twice. Beautiful. Special show, I'm speechless. Perfect music of the best of the best- The Beatles/
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Summary: The REAL Hard Days Night; hectic, entertaining and FUN!
Review: A true look into what the Fabs lives' were for several days in the U.S. It really brings the excitement of that "first time" back. Great performances on Ed Sullivan and other places. It is pure joy for Beatle fans and those who wonder what it was all about. I HIGHLY recommend this fun, as well as historically entertaining video.
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Summary: An essential piece of music history
Review: A very-well documented history of the Beatles first trip to the US! Surprisingly, the video and audio are very good for being over 35 years old. Although I'm not a fan of MPI Home Video's quality from what I've seen so far, this is one of the better ones (although they didn't Q/A the trivia game). Beatles fans need this -- and so do all fans of music history -- 'cuz this is it: almost an hour and a half of the real-life Beatles, their humor, their charm, and their wonderful music.
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Summary: A piece of history
Review: A warning should be made about this video: this documentary is for those who understand the historical value of the footage. Sure, there are a lot of scenes of the Beatles in hotels, limousines, trains, etc. But isn't it wonderful that a movie camera was there to capture it all? And there is even a candid scene of George creating some weird noises in his acoustic guitar, anticipating the Indian-influenced, experimental music he would make in the late 60's. This video is NOT for the casual Beatles fan who wants to show his daughter that they were better than the Backstreet Boys. But it is certainly the most generous collection of Beatles footage ever released on home video! And the television appearances are the icing on the cake!
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Summary: Reliving History
Review: All of the thrills and excitement of the Beatles first U.S. visit is recaptured in this video. I got chills watching the "Fab Four" playing live for the first time on U.S. television. The quality was excellent considering all of the technological innovations since then. A must see for true Beatles fans!!!
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Summary: A Meeting of great Minds
Review: David and Al Maysles, two of the greatest filmmakers of all-time capture the greatest musical act of the twentieth century. Sheer bliss from start to finish, with the Ed Sullivan and Washington D.C. performances thrown in for good measure. This document is a far greater testament to the Beatles legacy than A HARD DAY'S NIGHT could ever hope to be.
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Summary: The Beatles, and America... Redux
Review: Enough time has elapsed now for a new generation to come of age one step removed from the Beatle experience. This film may not explain WHY the Beatles had the impact they did, but it does a fair job of depicting HOW the reaction manifested in so many awe-struck youngsters.
More than anything else, this film is a time capsule. First, it reveals a lot about Beatlemania (at its apogee) from the perspective of the Beatles themselves, at the eye of the media carnival that engulfed them in February 1964. There's lots of intimate, light-hearted footage of the boys at rest, on travel, and as camera-wielding tourists. The Beatles' legendary wit and photogenic charm are evident throughout. It's a fair guess that this film captures them just before their success became a crutch. You wouldn't guess that John Lennon was the leader of the group just on the basis of this film alone. He sometimes appears subdued and bewildered by the commotion around him. In contrast, Paul McCartney was as much of a ham at age 21 as he is now as one of rock music's elder statemen. Paul commands a LOT of screen time, and provided lead vocals for the first two songs in that initial (and explosive) three-song set on the first Ed Sullivan Show. Their musicianship in these performances was crisp and effortless, depite the technological limitations of that era's audio/visual equipment. It actually was not bad at all for four guys who were only 20 to 23 years old.
Second, the film depicts American baby boomers just as their age and numbers were reaching a critical mass that proved irresitible to Madison Avenue and the media. It's been said elsewhere that reaction to the Beatles' arrival served as an emotional release for adolescents who were only 79 days beyond the JFK assassination. The film's many kid-on-the street interviews are a fascinating glimpse of rapidly-fading 1950s innocence, soon to be replaced by the liberated and expressive 1960s counter-culture.
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Summary: A Taste of History
Review: For those that lived that memorable weekend in February of 1964, this documentary brings back memories that we didn't know we had. Ironically, documentation can often destroy even the best-remembered thoughts. This movie does more to enhance those thoughts and correct those inaccuracies while bringing back the warmth of those "Brit's with Hair like Girls"Although shot only a few months before the actual filming of "A Hard Days Night" their journey from New York to Miami strongly resembles their first movie. For a true fan, it's like watching Columbus sail the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria across the Atlantic. The quips are real, the moods are real and watching them reset their own equipment on stage in Washington is remarkable. Not made for just anyone, but for a true fan it is a must see.
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Summary: I want a Time Machine!!!
Review: For writing a review, I wish I could focus on the quality or technical aspects of the film, but that's been covered by others. My thoughts on this won't help anyone else, but it doesn't matter - I have to say it anyway. These guys are just heartbreakingly adorable and simply mesmerizing to watch. It's a combination of so many things - the hair, the grins, the goofiness, the energy, and their sheer joy in being, singing, and playing together. They absolutely sparkle. Their energy when performing still jumps off the screen 40 years later. This film's footage doesn't capture my favorite Beatles period music-wise, which is more the 65-66 era (although watching and hearing them do This Boy live... *drool* hah!) My fascination with this movie is more with them personally. Here I am 37 and as hopelessly besotted in love as any of the screaming, sighing 14 year olds in this film! Highly recommend, needless to say.
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