The Beatles Anthology
Directed by Bob Smeaton, Geoff Wonfor, Kevin Godley
Average customer review:
Initially broadcast as a TV miniseries to go with the series of three Anthology double-CD albums, this set of eight documentary tapes has the heft and scope of one of Ken Burns's expansive projects. Still, unless you are either a historian or a truly committed fan, you'll find yourself with way more material--particularly about the Beatles' early lives as lads in Liverpool--than you'll want to watch. The documentary material is copious, including early performance films and tapes, at the point before they found their true voices. The actual Beatlemania years--beginning in 1963 and concluding in 1970--feature extensive performance films, as well as home movies and archival material. The best parts, of course, are the interviews with the Beatles themselves, who produced the entire thing. Along with reworking two previously unreleased John Lennon tracks as "new Beatles songs," the Anthology includes some unseen Lennon interview tapes so that his acerbic voice can be heard as well. This stands as a comprehensive document of that heady period, the second coming of rock & roll, as the Beatles took what Elvis had started and expanded upon it exponentially. The tapes give a solid sense of the historical context and the way these four musicians changed the world around them in the 1960s.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #886 in DVD
- Brand: EMI MUSIC DISTRIBUTION
- Released on: 2003-04-01
- Rating: NR (Not Rated)
- Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
- Formats: Box set, Black & White, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC
- Original language: English
- Number of discs: 5
- Running time: 600 minutes
Customer Reviews
If You Liked The TV Special, You'll Love This!
This video series is highly recommended for any serious Beatle fan! While I agree that you can't say it all in just 8 hours, all 4 beatles share stuff you won't find in any book on the Beatles.
Tape 1 begins with a video collage of their history, features their youthful beginnings, days in Hamburg, how Ringo joined the band, and their rise to the top in England.
Tape 2 shows their growth as a band, talks on their BBC sessions, performing for the Queen, stories about touring, and some hilarious TV segments!
Tape 3 begins with their introduction into America, talks about their performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, Ringo's tonsilitis, and their 1st movie A Hard Day's Night.
Tape 4 talks about the pressures of touring, drugs, Dylan, the making of Help!, the inspiration for Yesterday, and winning the MBE award.
Tape 5 talks about their Shea Stadium performance, meeting Elvis, Rubber Soul and Revolver.
Tape 6 talks on the events that led to the Beatles' final tour in 1966 (the Philippines and John's remarks about Jesus), Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane,Sgt. Pepper, and their holiday in Greece.
Tape 7 starts with the One World performance of "All You Need Is Love", and talks about the Maharishi, the death of Brian Epstein, Magical Mystery Tour, the opening of Apple, Yellow Submarine, and John's new companion, Yoko Ono.
Tape 8 begins with the White Album, discusses the closing and dissolution of Apple, Hey Jude, Let It Be, Paul's marriage to Linda, John's marriage to Yoko, George and John's drug busts, Abbey Road, and the Free As a Bird video (what? Real Love isn't included! ).
A splendid time is guaranteed for all!
"Magic it is and magic it always was."
Back in January 2000, I reviewed this box set here (see "If You Liked the TV Special, You'll Love This!"). 3 years later, many Beatles fans' prayers (including my own) have been answered with the release of this video library in DVD form. Rather than resay what I said back then, I just thought I'd write with a different perspective. The opening statement is from the liner notes of Derek Taylor, who served as the Beatles' press agent.
To answer a recent review, here's what's on it: performances of the Beatles live in concert and television performances (not complete concerts), some original videos, narrated by Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, the late George Harrison (who was still around during the making of this documentary) and the late John Lennon (his comments are culled by old interviews), excerpts from early recordings, studio outtakes, press conferences and all 5 of their movies and finally, over 30 complete Beatles tracks (By the way, "Real Love" is included in this edition).
The sound quality is superior here than the original VHS (and you have the option of LPCM Stereo, Dolby Digital surround sound and DTS 5.1 surround sound). You also have the option of subtitles in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese (Brazilian and European). Just don't expect your Linguistics teachers to be impressed with how many French or Spanish words you learned while watching this!
It is a bit of a shame that individual tracks weren't assembled for complete songs. Oh well, a minour disappointment! Keep in mind that the 8 video VHS box set was actually pricier than the 5 DVD box set back when it was released in 1996 (I remember paying over [money] for mine!).
Then of course, there's the Special Features DVD. In addition to the "Real Love" video (which wasn't included on the original VHS edition), there's a segment in which Paul, George and Ringo all gather together in 1994 to discuss the old days and jam out on old songs. The 3 are also featured here in 1995 discussing with George Martin, their producer, the choosing of different outtakes on the 3 Anthology CD's and studio techniques they used during the original recording sessions. Paul, George and Ringo also discuss with Jeff Lynne how a Beatles mini-"reunion" took place with 2 John Lennon demos ("Free As a Bird" and "Real Love"). Also, there's a section on how many hours of interviews and classic footage came together for this documentary and a feature on how the "Free as a Bird" video was made.
Give yourself at least 2 weeks to enjoy as Derek Taylor once put it these "10 hours of unchallengable evidence" of the Beatles' legacy, which continues even to this day.
The Beatles Forever.
As the bombs fell over England in 1940, John Winston Lennon was born and as war raged, Sir James Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Richard Starkey a.k.a. Ringo Starr began their young lives in a dirty port city called Liverpool. They were mostly poor boys who today are legends.
The most interesting thing from the TV special in 1995, the 3 albums that followed and the 8 VHS tapes that expanded the story was the fact that it was "The Beatles" in their own words and recollections.
There's so much packed inside this story and safe to say, so much more we don't know, that it is engrossing each time you watch it. The interweaving of outtakes, never before heard songs and footage is beautiful. George Martin's emotional talk and tears as he remembers John Lennon is heartwrenching. You see here the strength of the four lads from Liverpool, the closeness of their friendship and those involved with them.
The DVD version is jammed with more than the 8 VHS tapes and elevates the "Anthology" to a rounder story. At the time of its initial release, there were 3 surviving Beatles, sadly now there are 2. One sit through of this is not enough for you are sure to miss elements. As timeless as The Beatles themselves, so is their story and this anthology.
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