| Beatles '64 | |
|---|---|
 Promotional release poster | |
| Directed by | David Tedeschi |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ellen Kuras |
| Edited by | Mariah Rehmet |
| Music by | The Beatles Giles Martin (remixes) |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Disney+ |
Release dates |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
Beatles '64 is a documentary film directed by David Tedeschi and produced by Martin Scorsese. It was released on Disney+ on 29 November 2024. [1]
The film documents the cultural impact of the Beatles on the United States in the aftermath of their first three-week visit to the country in February of 1964, in which their historic first performances on The Ed Sullivan Show occurred. It includes archival footage from the Beatlemania era, and examines the personal dynamics of the group's members during the period. [2]
The film was directed by David Tedeschi, who had first become involved with Apple Corps following his role as an editor on Martin Scorsese's documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World , with the two directors becoming "very good friends with Olivia Harrison," the wife of the late George Harrison. It was produced by Scorsese, Olivia Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sean Ono Lennon, Margaret Bodde, Jonathan Clyde, and Mikaela Beardsley, with Jeff Jones and Rick Yorn serving as executive producers. [3]
The film features footage shot by Albert and David Maysles originally for the 1964 documentary What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A. , digitally restored in 4K by Park Road Post. [4] New interviews with McCartney and Starr were also filmed. [5] Footage of the Beatles' February 1964 performances on The Ed Sullivan Show and at the Washington Coliseum in Washington, D.C. has also been restored, with audio from these performances remixed by Giles Martin using de-mixing technology developed by Peter Jackson's WingNut Films and previously used for Beatles releases on the 2022 reissue of Revolver and the 2023 reissue of 1962–1966 .
A soundtrack album from the film was released digitally and on streaming platforms on 22 November 2024, a week prior to the documentary's release. The album contains studio recordings by the Beatles of songs featured in the film, as well as the original versions of tracks covered by the Beatles (e.g., the Chuck Berry recording of "Roll Over Beethoven," the Little Richard recording of "Long Tall Sally"). The compilation also includes a cover of "Yesterday" performed by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1968.
All tracks written by Lennon–McCartney and performed by the Beatles, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She Loves You" (non-album single, 1963) | 2:22 | ||
| 2. | "Please Please Me" (single released January 1963, included on Please Please Me in 1963) | 2:00 | ||
| 3. | "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (non-album single, 1963) | 2:26 | ||
| 4. | "I've Been Good to You" | The Miracles | 2:41 | |
| 5. | "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" | Robinson | The Miracles | 2:52 |
| 6. | "You Really Got a Hold on Me" (from With the Beatles , 1963) | Robinson | 3:01 | |
| 7. | "Yesterday" (live on The Ed Sullivan Show , March 31, 1968) | The Miracles (as Smokey Robinson & The Miracles) | 3:18 | |
| 8. | "Till There Was You" (from With the Beatles, 1963) | Meredith Willson | 2:13 | |
| 9. | "I Saw Her Standing There" (from Please Please Me, 1963) | 2:53 | ||
| 10. | "Money (That's What I Want)" | Barrett Strong | 2:37 | |
| 11. | "Money (That's What I Want)" (from With the Beatles, 1963) |
| 2:49 | |
| 12. | "From Me to You" (non-album single, 1963) | 1:57 | ||
| 13. | "Long Tall Sally" | Little Richard | 2:07 | |
| 14. | "Long Tall Sally" (from Long Tall Sally, 1964) |
| 2:02 | |
| 15. | "Baby It's You" (from Please Please Me, 1963) | 2:40 | ||
| 16. | "Twist and Shout" (from Please Please Me, 1963) | 2:34 | ||
| 17. | "It Won't Be Long" (from With the Beatles, 1963) | 2:13 | ||
| 18. | "This Boy" (non-album B-side, 1963) | 2:19 | ||
| 19. | "Roll Over Beethoven" | Chuck Berry | Berry | 2:24 |
| 20. | "Roll Over Beethoven" (from With the Beatles, 1963) | Berry | 2:45 | |
| Total length: | 50:23 | |||
Note: Tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 16, 18, and 20 utilize the 2023 mixes of songs from that year's re-issue of the Beatles compilation album 1962–1966 , while tracks 8, 14, 15, and 17 utilize the 2009 remasters of songs from The Beatles: Stereo Box Set , released that year.
Peter Bradshaw wrote in The Guardian : "Contemporary interviews and amazing archive footage combine in a sublime snapshot of the band’s whirlwind first US visit". [6]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 94% of 52 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.The website's consensus reads: "Excavating priceless footage of the Fab Four at the peak of their popularity, Beatles '64 places audiences directly into an unforgettable flashpoint in cultural history." [7]
Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [8]
Sir Richard Starkey, known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, usually for one song on each album, including "Yellow Submarine" and "With a Little Help from My Friends". He also wrote and sang the Beatles songs "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden", and is credited as a co-writer of four others.
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"This Boy" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney). It was released in November 1963 as the B-side of the band's Parlophone single "I Want to Hold Your Hand". In the United States, it was issued in January 1964 on Meet the Beatles! which was Capitol Records' reconfigured version of the With the Beatles album. The Beatles performed the song live on 16 February 1964 for their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. An instrumental easy listening arrangement by George Martin, re-titled "Ringo's Theme (This Boy)", was featured in the film A Hard Day's Night and the United Artists soundtrack album. This version was also issued as a single, reaching number 53 in the US and number one in Canada.
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