On February 9, 1964, more than 70 million Americans watched the Beatles in front of their televisions. Ed Sullivan Show, or 40% of the population! You have to see the loving eyes of these teenage girls in front of their television under the half-worried, half-circumspect gaze of their parents. We must listen to the testimonies, current and old, of eternal adolescents who have never recovered from having discovered the music of the Beatles.
All this is found in Beatles 64’directed by David Tedeschi, editor for Martin Scorsese, who produced the documentary. It delves into the Liverpool band's first tour of the United States and shows the explosion caused by the Beatles' arrival on American soil. A breath of fresh air of optimism for a country still traumatized by the assassination of its President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Four boys in a whirlwind
Beatles’64 is based in particular on period images shot by Albert and David Maysles, two documentarians who followed the group on its journey from New York to Miami via Washington. Four young boys in the wind, in a whirlwind even. “You know, we’re normal. It's the rest of the world that's crazy.” comments George Harrison.
The Mayles' camera is as close as possible to the Beatles in their besieged room at the Plaza Hotel, with fans hustling to catch a glimpse of their idols, in concert to the screams of young girls, at the Great Britain embassy. Brittany where they come up against class contempt or parasites, like Murray the K, an invasive DJ.
Beatles’64 also offers, too sparingly, previously unpublished interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, also co-producers of the documentary. We also meet the filmmaker David Lynch and especially Smokey Robinson (The Miracles) and Ronald Isley (Isley Brothers), from whom the Beatles covered two songs at the time, You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me et Twist and Shout. The two African-American musicians recall how the arrival of the Beatles played a role in the end of segregation in the United States.
An inexhaustible vein
Thought from an American-centric point of view, Beatles 64’confirms that, yes, there is always something to tell about the Beatles. Even if it is less impressive than the Get Back by Peter Jackson, who plunged us into the intimacy of the group, already on Disney +. In any case, the vein seems inexhaustible as the Beatles are still successful. Paul McCartney plays a sold-out show this Wednesday December 4 and Thursday December 5 in Paris, Ringo Starr releases a new album in January. And British filmmaker Sam Mendes plans to make four films about the Beatles, one for each musician, for 2027.
Beatles’64documentary by David Tedeschi (106 min). Available on Disney+.
