Producer Martin Scorsese and Peter Jackson’s Wingnut Films bring to life perhaps the biggest moment in pop music history. Beatles ’64 is the story of John, Paul, George and Ringo arriving in America for the first time for a fortnight of performances and press, a phenomenon that was referred to as Beatlemania.
Told mainly through footage captured by Albert and David Maysles, who captured a number of intimate moments for the band and the fans, director David Tedeschi weaves together something that attempts to explain just why this moment was so important for the US. Beginning with the legacy of John F Kennedy, who was assassinated shortly before their arrival, this arrival was a wave of optimism for young Americans.
Using Maysles’ footage, television archives, and contemporary interviews with a number of notable names, the film explains how the music impacted things like masculinity, female sexuality, and the platforming of Black music. It’s interesting to see the range of people who were affected, from the now elderly screaming teens to artists like David Lynch, all retain their admiration to this day.
It’s nothing that hasn’t been explored before, although the restoration of the footage makes it look like these events happened last week. However, what will make it so entrancing for fans is the humanity on display. Amid this tidal wave of hysteria were four cheeky young guys from Liverpool, whose irreverence was perhaps the only way to deal with this unprecedented experience.
There are more illuminating documentaries on The Fab Four, but Beatles ’64 succeeds in capturing just why these few weeks were such a cultural milestone. If Eight Days a Week and Get Back left you hungry for more, then this will satisfy that need nicely.
Beatles ’64 is available to stream on Disney+ from 29th November