 | This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents.(October 2021) |
| Beatles Stories | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Seth Swirsky |
| Produced by | Seth Swirsky |
Production company | Julukesy Films |
| Distributed by | Cinema Libre |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Beatles Stories: A Fab Four Fan's Ultimate Road Trip is a 2011 film.
Songwriter Seth Swirsky grew up in the 1960s, a fan of The Beatles. [1] As he got older he noticed that whenever someone told a story about themselves and his favorite band he was all ears. [2]
So he bought a video camera and set out on an 8-year journey to film personal stories about his heroes from those who had one. [3]
Some of the more than 110 individuals that Swirsky interviewed for the film are former personal assistant Fred Seaman, Sir Ben Kingsley, Graham Nash, [4] Art Garfunkel, Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues, actor Jon Voight, Susanna Hoffs, former first daughter Luci Baines Johnson, former New York Yankee Bernie Williams, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, actor Henry Winkler, Indianapolis Colts football owner Jim Irsay, Smokey Robinson, Donovan, Beatles longtime producer Sir George Martin, Lennon ex-girlfriend May Pang, Beatles engineers Norman Smith, Ken Scott and John Kurlander and American cultural icons Frank Gifford and Bob Eubanks, among others. [5] [6] [7] [8]
Beatles Stories [3] was chosen as an Official Selection at the 2011 European Independent Film Festival [9] —considered the Sundance of Europe [10] [11] —and had its world premiere in Paris, France, on April 3, 2011. [12] [13] It was an Official Selection at The 2011 Newport Beach International Film Festival, where it made its North American premiere on April 29, 2011. [14] [15] It made its East Coast premiere at The Gold Coast International Film Festival on June 2, 2011. [16]
It was also an official selection at The 2011 Las Vegas Film Festival, [17] Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, [18] [19] Bend Film Festival, Kansas International Film Festival [20] and the 2012 Fargo Film Festival. [21] The documentary consists of filmed interviews that he conducted with people who had a personal story or recollection about themselves and one or all of The "Fab Four". [22]
In June 2012, it was screened in London, Manchester and Liverpool. [5]
The DVD of the documentary as well as a bonus disc containing an additional 25 interviews was released on June 6, 2012. [5] The DVD also contains a director's commentary track and a featurette with Norman "Hurricane" Smith, the engineer who worked on many of the Beatles' songs. [5] [23]
The movie will have its official release in October 2012, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of The Beatles first recording, "Love Me Do". [3]
Beatles Stories made news when it was revealed by John Lennon's former personal assistant—one of the over 50 interviewees in the movie—that, by the time of his death, Lennon would have voted for Ronald Reagan in the 1980 elections and, that by the end of his life, he was embarrassed by the naivete of his song "Imagine". [24] [25] [26]
Beatles Stories was nominated for Best Score for an Indie Film or Documentary at the 2013 Hollywood Music and Media Awards. [27]
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music's recognition as an art form. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band also explored music styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements.
"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released on 13 February 1967 as a double A-side single with "Penny Lane". It represented a departure from the group's previous singles and a novel listening experience for the contemporary pop audience. While the song initially divided and confused music critics and the group's fans, it proved highly influential on the emerging psychedelic genre. Its accompanying promotional film is similarly recognised as a pioneering work in the medium of music video.
251 Menlove Avenue is the childhood home of the Beatles' John Lennon. Located in the Woolton suburb of Liverpool, it was named Mendips after the Mendip Hills. The Grade II listed building is preserved by the National Trust.
May Fung Yee Pang is an American former music executive. She worked for John Lennon and Yoko Ono as a personal assistant and production coordinator, and when Lennon and Ono separated in 1973, Pang and Lennon began a relationship that lasted more than 18 months. Lennon later referred to this time as his "Lost Weekend". Pang subsequently produced two books about their relationship—a memoir called Loving John and a book of photographs, Instamatic Karma. A documentary about their relationship, The Lost Weekend: A Love Story, was produced in 2022.
Help! is a 1965 British musical comedy-adventure film directed by Richard Lester, starring The Beatles and featuring Leo McKern, Eleanor Bron, Victor Spinetti, John Bluthal, Roy Kinnear and Patrick Cargill. The second film starring the Beatles following Lester's A Hard Day's Night, Help! sees the group struggle to protect Ringo Starr from a sinister eastern cult and a pair of mad scientists, all of whom are obsessed with obtaining a sacrificial ring sent to him by a fan. The soundtrack was released as the band's fifth studio album under the same name.
Seth Swirsky is an American pop music songwriter, an author, a recording artist, a filmmaker, a political writer and a noted baseball memorabilia collector.
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are commonly regarded as the most influential band of all time. Between 1964 and 1970, they appeared in five major motion pictures, beginning with A Hard Day's Night (1964) and ending with Let It Be (1970). From late 1965 to 1969, the group also appeared in several promotional films for their singles, which have been credited with anticipating music videos and the rise of MTV in the 1980s.
Anthony F. J. Barrow was an English press officer who worked with the Beatles between 1962 and 1968. He coined the phrase "the Fab Four", first using it in an early press release.
Two of Us is a 2000 television drama which offers a dramatized account of April 24, 1976, six years after the break-up of the Beatles and the day in which Lorne Michaels made a statement on Saturday Night Live offering the Beatles $3,000 to reunite on his program.
Nowhere Boy is a 2009 British biographical drama film, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood in her directorial debut. Written by Matt Greenhalgh, it is based on Julia Baird's biography of her half-brother, the musician John Lennon. Nowhere Boy is about the teenage years of Lennon, his relationships with his aunt Mimi Smith and his mother Julia Lennon, the creation of his first band, the Quarrymen, and its evolution into the Beatles.
The Fab Four is a California-based tribute band paying homage to The Beatles. Founded in 1997 by Ron McNeil, a John Lennon impersonator, the group began performing Beatles music throughout southern California. They have played in many places worldwide, including Japan, Malaysia, France, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Mexico and Brazil, covering nearly the entire Beatles songbook and material from Beatles members' solo projects.
Dennis Elsas is an American disc jockey in New York City, whose radio and voiceover career has spanned 50 years, most notably his more than 25 years at WNEW-FM in New York City, where he debuted on July 11, 1971. He also served as music director. He currently hosts an afternoon show on WFUV in New York and weekend shows on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's Classic Vinyl and a live weekly call-in roundtable show, The Fab Fourum, on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's The Beatles Channel.
Paul Saltzman is a Canadian film and television producer and director. A two-time Emmy Award-recipient, he has been credited on more than 300 films, both dramas and documentaries.
The Lost Lennon Tapes was an American music documentary series presented by Elliot Mintz, comprising a three-hour premiere episode and 218 one-hour episodes, broadcast on the Westwood One Radio Network between 24 January 1988 and 29 March 1992. The show had about 7 million listeners weekly, and was broadcast in six countries.
Planeat is a 2010 British documentary film by Or Shlomi and Shelley Lee Davies. The film discusses the possible nutritional and environmental benefits of adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet based on the research of T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn and Gidon Eshel. The film also features the views of Peter Singer.
On 30 January 1969, the Beatles performed an impromptu concert from the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row, in central London's office and fashion district. Joined by guest keyboardist Billy Preston, the band played a 42-minute set before the Metropolitan Police arrived and ordered them to reduce the volume. It was the final public performance of their career.
The Fest for Beatles Fans is a twice-annual, three-day festival that honors the lasting legacy of the Beatles. The festival takes place in the New York metropolitan area, ordinarily in March or April, and in Chicago, Illinois, each August. Running Friday through Sunday, the Fest features special guests, live concerts, exhibits, art contests, a Beatles marketplace, a sound-alike contest, a Battle of the Beatles Bands, and more.
Andy Babiuk is an American musician, author, consultant, and owner of Andy Babiuk's Fab Gear in Fairport, New York. He is a founding member and bassist of the supergroup The Empty Hearts and was also a member of The Chesterfield Kings. Babiuk is the author of Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments from Stage to Studio (2001), The Story of Paul Bigsby (2009), Rolling Stones Gear (2014) and Beatles Gear – The Ultimate Edition (2015). He is a staff consultant to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as to auction houses in New York, London and Los Angeles.
Yesterday is a 2019 romantic comedy film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis, based on a story by Jack Barth and Curtis. Himesh Patel stars as struggling musician Jack Malik who suddenly finds himself as the only person who remembers the Beatles and becomes famous for performing their songs. The film also stars Lily James, Joel Fry, Ed Sheeran, and Kate McKinnon. The film is named after the 1965 Beatles song of the same name.
The Beatles and India is a 2021 documentary film directed by Indian author and political journalist Ajoy Bose. It covers the Beatles' immersion in Indian culture and philosophy during the 1960s and the band's influence on India.
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