It would be easy to dismiss Beatles ‘64 as a Disney ratings-inspired prequel to the success of Get Back, Peter Jackson’s 2021 overly long but stunning documentary on the band’s 1970 album Let It Be.
That would be unfair.
Produced by Martin Scorsese, Beatles ‘64 takes us behind the scenes at another defining moment in the short but brilliant lifetime of perhaps the greatest band of all time.
And Scorsese has form. As well as being one of the great living film directors, he directed the rather awesome 2011 George Harrison documentary, Living in the Material World, itself a chunky three-and-a-half hours.
And let’s be clear at this stage. You don’t need to be a Beatles uber-fan to enjoy any of these documentaries.
Everyone knows the songs and the programmes have been put together by some of the most skilled directors on the planet.
Two of the three films are by Scorsese and the third is by Peter Jackson, and the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy knows a thing or two about how to engage an audience.
Beatles ‘64 opens with America in mourning and shock following the murder of President Kennedy as the Beatles arrive for their first introduction to the US.
Set over the two-week mini tour and relying on the filming of Albert and David Maysles, its best moments are the behind-the-scenes footage.
The band arrived in New York for a legendary live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show at the time when TV was king.
It seems crazy now, but the Beatles (polished shoes, neat hair, shirt and tie and melodic tunes) were way too revolutionary for many and their performance on the biggest TV show in the US was controversial.
Harrison explains it best when he says that mainstream US wasn’t ready for an all-white band playing what was regarded as subversive black music.
But the young people didn’t agree, particularly teenage girls who verbalised their joy and excitement with screams.
Jamie Bernstein, daughter of composer Leonard whom we see praising the band at the time, was one of those teenagers and she tells us how to this day she must stop what she’s doing when she hears one of their songs, such is the emotional pull.
The best bits are the band playing with the Maysles camera backstage or in their hotel rooms as they travelled to concerts in Carnegie Hall, Washington and Miami.
The boys, then in their early 20s, are consistently polite, engaging and quick-witted.
At their packed airport press conference, John Lennon is asked why the Beatles are so successful.
“If we knew we’d form another group and be managers,” he fires back, quick as a whip.
The remaining Beatles are interviewed in the present day, and we see the other two look back from the vista of the 1970s and 80s.
Paul McCartney reminisces about the ‘64 trip as he walks around a Beatles’ picture exhibition and Scorsese himself interviews an almost unrecognisable Ringo Starr at his home.
Despite the unimaginable fame, both remain funny and engaging.
Alongside that we get bits of performances from the different arenas on the ‘64 tour
Nothing can match the jaw dropping moments in Get Back when you realise you’re watching live as John and Paul write some of the world’s most famous songs.
Neither does it have the emotion of Living in a Material World where we follow George on his journey, but nonetheless Beatles 64 is a cultural triumph.
