Beatles '64 chronicles the first three-week tour of the iconic rock band, The Beatles, in the United States and the cultural impact that it left on the people. The group's historic performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in New York on February 9, 1964 was a milestone moment in the era of rock music.
Apple Corps and Sikelia Productions have produced the documentary alongside notable filmmaker Martin Scorsese and director David Tedeschi. Beatles '64 made its debut on Disney Plus on November 29, 2024, and has garnered quite some attention from the audience, especially the music fanatics.
The 2024 documentary features some footage from the original 1964 piece What's Happening! The Beatles In The U.S.A. directed by Albert and David Maysles. The official synopsis of Beatles' 64 reads:
"Captures the band's electrifying 1964 US debut amid fan frenzy. With rare behind-the-scenes footage, it chronicles their unprecedented rise to global superstardom after performing on The Ed Sullivan Show to over 73 million viewers."
Where can you watch Beatles '64?
Beatles '64 is currently being screened on Disney Plus. The documentary premiered on the online streaming platform on November 29, 2024. So, if you have a Disney Plus subscription, you can sit through the perfect 1 hour and 46 minutes of the iconic band's 1964 chronicles. The documentary is not playing in any theatres as of now.
What does Beatles' 64 document for the fans?
Beatles '64 mainly covers The Beatles' tour to the United States in 1964 where they presented an iconic performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Archival footages from the era of Beatlemania have been included in this documentary.
The opening sequence is an extension of John F. Kennedy's reign in the 60's and has been dedicated to his prowess. It is so because about two months prior to the band's arrival in the U.S.A., Kennedy was assassinated.
The musical group's success in lifting America from the grief of JFK's loss has been well portrayed in the docu-film. Fans will also get to see the band's cheekiness at press conferences. For instance, frontman John Lennon was once asked why people get excited by their music. To this he replied:
"If we knew, we’d form another group and be managers."
Has any original footage from the 1964 documentary been used?
The movie also documents black-and-white sequences from the original 1964 documentary where we see The Beatles' members whiling away in their Plaza Hotel suite and fans gathering around them to take autographs. The technological upgrades have done loads thanks to Maysles' extraordinary filmmaking that captured the real moments behind the myth.
Some footage from the band's interviews in the 70s (like the one in The Tomorrow Show featuring John Lennon) as well as present day statements from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have made it evident that they were artists in 1964 trying to channelize something larger than themselves.
Thus, the kind of global electricity they sparked is in a way poetic, iconic and once-in-a-century event. The Beatles told the United States and the world:
"You deserve something that feels as good as this."
Giles Martin has remastered the live performances so that we can hear the band playing hidden beneath all the screaming from fans. The film also portrays a sequence where we see Paul singing Long Tall Sally in Washington D.C. Songs like Please Please Me, Have Some Fun Tonight and This Boy have further added a different type of fervor to the musical documentary.
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