The brilliant documentary about the Beatles produced by Scorsese

11.26.2024

1964 marks the Beatles' first appearance in the United States, after 7 years of resounding success in Europe. The rock group spends two weeks there, and Beatlemania is born. The Maysles brothers, documentary pros, follow them with a handheld camera, capturing fleeting and intimate moments showing the true friendship that bound the members of the group that became the most iconic in the world. Beatles ‘64, a Disney+ documentary by David Tedeschi and produced by Martin Scorsese, instantly delivers a strong dose of nostalgia.

Made in UK

On February 7, 1964, the Beatles arrive in New York. The atmosphere is electric and hysterical: the reaction the British group provokes among Americans is unprecedented. From the moment they land at JFK airport, they are greeted by fans numbering in the thousands. The love affair is instant: Beatlemania sweeps across the entire country.

Their first performance on the variety show The Ed Sullivan Show went down in history, captivating over 73 million viewers, making it the most-watched television event of its time. Beatles '64 immerses viewers in the frenetic atmosphere of the Beatles' meteoric rise, as if you were there. But the documentary mainly seeks to tell a much more intimate story, up close with the four musicians.

The audience slips behind the scenes, becoming a witness to the authentic camaraderie that binds John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr as they face phenomenal and nearly instant fame. You can imagine the musicians had their share of fans (read: stalkers) tracking them to their hotels. But if we told you people bought a piece of a bath towel used by a Beatle and retrieved from their hotel bathroom—would you believe it? And yet...

Archive footage

Here comes the name-dropping: this fascinating documentary is produced by none other than Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Shutter Island), Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr (the two surviving Beatles), Olivia Harrison (George's widow), and Sean Ono Lennon (John's son). Directed by David Tedeschi (The 50-Year Argument, Personality Crisis: One Night Only), it brings back to life a pivotal moment in the history of the British music group: their first visit to the United States, the moment when the Beatles ascended to the rank of the most adored and influential band of all time. The best part? This documentary isn’t just a series of interviews but proves to be a true gem of previously unseen archive footage of the four musicians.

Rare sequences, filmed during the Beatles’ 14-day trip to America by the pioneering documentary brothers Albert and David Maysles, have been restored in 4K for the occasion by Park Road Post, a leading institution in image restoration located in New Zealand. The live performances of the Beatles' first American concert, their appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as fans whose lives were transformed by the legendary group, shed light on this incredible cultural phenomenon whose effects are still felt more than half a century later.