Rating: 
Summary: A Full Account Of The Life And Music Of The Beatles.
Review: From The early Beginnings To The End, The Beatles Showed The World That They Are Truly The Best Rock And Roll Group Of Our Time. Their Music Truly Influenced Our Lives. END
Rating: 
Summary: best documentary ever
Review: The best part of this documentary is that there is no narrator. All parts of the story are described using pictures/sound clips/videos/commentary from the Beatles themselves, which makes for a very inciteful watch. Plus, because each Beatle has a different personality, you get a mostly objective view. Paul is always trying to smooth arguments and rivalry over, George is cynical about the 60's in general, Ringo is friendly, and John (taken from past interviews) is always inciteful. It was very interesting and it kept my attention throughout the entire 8 hour film. One thing I wish they had done was focus more time for the later years as a band (IMO when they made their best music), but it is hurried a bit. Of course, that is only relative since they spend 2 1/2+ hours on it.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish it would be available in other formats
Review: I wish that this precious collection would have subtitles in spanish and would be available in other dvd formats
Rating:
Summary: Burying, Not Praising
Review: Make no mistake--this is a spectacular Beatlefest for both casual fan and die-hard alike. Every stage of their career is here, and for many, this is the one place to glimpse lots of rare footage and to understand--even better than the accompanying CDs--exactly how the Beatles worked in and out of the studio, and how their songs were made.
But it's also an extremely sad story. I have been a Beatle fan since the early 1970s, bought all their albums, saw all the films, read as many books as I could get my hands on, and yet never really, fully realised how ugly and brutal their breakup really was, or how sick of the whole Beatlemania thing all four were (only Lennon was the most honest in his Rolling Stone interviews). One clearly gets a sense of the extreme exhaustion all four members suffered when they gave up touring in 1966, and how sick of the "longest cocktail party" they had become by 1969. Perhaps the Anthology focuses too much on uncovering the horrible, honest truth of The Beatles, but it perhaps also stands as a testimony to their collective genius that they continued to make such great music even to the end. Watch these DVDs and prepare to see The Beatles as you've never seen them before. They are a more comprehensive view than the overblown (and overpriced) CD sets.
Rating:
Summary: THIS IS ALL YOU NEED...................
Review: This is all you need if you want to know the whole story about the greatest band of all time PERIOD! The Beatles story told by the The Beatles themselves. Interviews of John over the years inter-twined with new interviews with Paul, George & Ringo. If only John had lived this would have been even more over the top,but what can you do? The bonus disc alone is worth the purchase price (which is very reasonable) George Martin sitting in the studio with all three going over tapes from the vaults, stuff that outside of Abbey Road Studios has never been heard in public before now. The three of them sitting on the grounds of Georges' in England talking about the old days, and of course the impromtu performance with George & Paul playing acoustic guitars with Ringo (of course) backing them up on drums. You hear Thinking Of Linking, a never heard song by Paul&John and the instrumental Raunchy, which made George a member in 1957 when John & Paul heard him play it. I could go on and on but you get the picture. P.S. The videos for Free As A Bird & Real Love In 5.1 Stereo are here. Just buy it, you won't regret it. Cheers.................
Rating:
Summary: The Beatles are better than Jesus Christ!
Review: It started in Liverpool England. What was set in motion was a rock band so incredible they changed the history of the world. This ten hour DVD documentary is the Holy Grail of all Beatles documentaries. It begins with family histories as Ringo says his mother always told him WWII started because he was born. John, Paul, George, and Ringo came from the working class and soon found rock'n'roll and each other.
In their own words we hear the complete story from beginning to end. From early recordings of 1958 on we can see the band developing from month to month, year to year. The first good movie of them is at the Cavern right after Ringo joined with "Some Other Guy" with John's full-throated vocals, and the crowd asking, "Where's Pete?" We get some great rare footage of them on the BBC as well as their tours. Then they hit the States as the perfect antedote to the JFK assassination. 1964 was the year they took the world by storm as millions come down with Beatlemania. 1965 is the legendary Shea Stadium concert with 57,000 hysterical fans. By 1966 they're already into LSD and Eastern music and philosophy. Here we get the first (and greatest) rock videos of "Paperback Writer" and "Rain".
Then after they snub the fascist queen of the Phillipines they barely escape the island hellhole and decide that's the end of touring. Then comes the most creative year ever, 1967. "Strawberry Fields" and "Penny Lane" debute as trippy acid inspired videos on Ed Sullivan, "Sergeant Pepper" is released, Brian Epstein dies, "All you need is Love" debues on world satellite, and "Magical Mystery Tour". By 1968 they are drifting apart, but not before creating "The White Album", "Abbey Road", "Let It Be", and "Hey Jude".
The Beatles are God incarnate and show us we all are also. For the story and music of John, Paul, George, and Ringo will last as long as humans with any sense of humanity do.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Documentary of any Band
Review: This is by far the greatest documentary on any band, that I've ever seen, and for ten plus hours it better be. Most people may think that this is too long, however, when watching this the time just flies by. Although there is a seemingly endless amount of information, The Beatles Anthology is very enjoyable. It gives the most detailed look at the greatest band in the history of rock n' roll, from their perspective. Nobody could tell the story better than the Beatles themselves, and finally the world gets to see them. For those who saw this when it was on T.V., the DVD's have over 4 more hours of extra footage. Much of this stuff is great clips of Beatle performances and extension of topics that were already mentioned on the T.V. version. Some of the new footage is an entirely new topic altogether, which makes the DVD's all that much better.
The Beatles Anthology has everything a fan could ask for. From Ringo's birth in 1940, to the end in 1970, the remaining Beatles (along with George Martin and others) talk about pretty much everything they could remember from those turbulent years. And lets not forget the music. Not only does the band talk about the songs we also get to hear them, isn't that UNBELIEVABLE. Well not really, but it is cool, and we get to see them perform many of their most famous ones along with countless others. For me, episode five does the best job of this, and it's also what I believe to be the best episode. It takes place during the height of Beatlemania, and starts off with the famous She Stadium performance in 1965. From here, the performances just keep on coming. Throughout the entire episode there are great performances of classic songs, along with detailed of accounts events and the making of their albums. My only real big gripe about the whole set actually happens to be in episode five, and it is about Revolver. Lately this has been considered one of the greatest albums of all time, and all that is really mentioned about it is just two or three of the songs. Otherwise, everything's good. The other episode I found to be very good, was the first one. I didn't expect to really like this one too much, but it is very good. In the other episodes the Beatles were stars, but in this one, they are just beginning and it is interesting to see the types of things they went through in trying to make it.
The Beatles Anthology is perfect for a big fan of the Beatles. For the casual fan that would like to know their story, I would probably think about getting the Complete Beatles first, if you can find it. However, for the person who thinks it is time to really get into this remarkable band, this is definitely needed. Once you get this, you shouldn't be surprised if you spend all day watching it. The Beatles are classic in just about everyway; from the way they worked their way to the top, to the music they made, this is their story.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointing Indeed
Review: I was born when The Beatles were born. I heard their records in my nursery. I know and love their music and the story of their lives back to front...maybe that's why I was so horrified and disappointed by this Anthology.
It was a sort of '90's version of The Beatles.
Oh how I loathed the NEW videos that were made for some of the original songs...how dare they insult me with such soulless, new rubbish...I feel the same way about the people who are putting speed bums along my beautiful old London street.
I know there is so much original footage that would have worked so much better, that for some reason was left out.
Sometimes the 'artists' (and I don't use those quotation marks lightly) slow the beginnings of certain videos and footage down, giving the fabs a sort of 'creepiness' that they never had. Also endless 'videos' of zooming in and out onto still photographs, which also has a dire effect.
I completely understand why so many people are thrilled by this collection. It contains some of the greatest music that has ever been made and is about one of the most extraordinary stories ever told...but it's done so soullessly.
The 'contemporary' interviews with the then surviving Beatles have a horrible flatness about them, as though everyone has jet lag and has been forced to hang around in some airport lounge and 'remember' at gun-point.
The 'Compleat Beatles,' documentary, available here at Amazon, was so much better...put together by people who really have an understanding of The Beatles and their era and a feel for their music. Not as 'slick' as this, but then The Beatles were never slick.
Rating:
Summary: BEATLES HEAVEN.
Review: anyone who says that they don't love this series is flat-out lying. it's a masterpiece. beatle heaven. well worth the price!
Rating:
Summary: Out Of This World
Review: This collection is a masterpiece. What can I say that hasn't already been said? I would pay a little more and get a DVD set.... The extra DVD, with the release of Real Love is well worth an extra $15 or $20. I watched this on tv when it first came out, and I rented the tapes a few years back, but decided to buy the DVD disc..... So glad I did. If your a Beatles fan, this collection is a must. Several people have complained about sound drop and grainy pictures........ They must have been taking about some other set, as the video and audio are great - Of course, a film clip 40 years old, or a super 8 home movie will never be 100% clear and crisp, but you can tell a lot of work has gone on here and it pays off!
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