THE BEATLES: 8 DAYS A WEEK - THE TOURING YEARS
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“There are those who say that if music has mass appeal it can't also be music of great significance or depth. What The Beatles proved once and for all is that this idea is hopelessly and absurdly wrong.” Howard Goodall.
“There are those who say that if music has mass appeal it can't also be music of great significance or depth. What The Beatles proved once and for all is that this idea is hopelessly and absurdly wrong.” Howard Goodall.
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Who would have expected that nearly 45 years after The Beatles broke up, they would still be a potent force? Composer Howard Goodall is one, who places the musical genius of Lennon-McCartney alongside that of Mozart or Sibelius. People like that come along once every couple of hundred years he argues, and when The Beatles came they launched a noisy, hysterical musical revolution that would change the world.
Peeling back layers of mythology that has since enveloped the band, Ron Howard – better known of action drama like Apollo 13 or Rush– re-presents The Beatles’ touring years to remind us what a phenomenal time it was, and one unlikely to be repeated. Hit after hit after hit dominated the world global, quickly followed by concerts the scale of which had never been seen before.
With a mountain of interview and concert footage to call upon, Howard charts the group’s journey from school band to international sensation, and tells it in their own words. Much of it has been seen, some of it is new and raw, all of it utterly captivating. Set to a raft of toe-tapping, ear-worm songs, his documentary is like being immersed for a couple of hours in the world’s best jukebox, complete with ear-splitting audience participation.
Elegantly shot and beautifully edited, The Beatles: 8 Days A Week – The Touring Years (to give it’s full and awkward title) is a must-watch for anyone who was there, or wished they had been. Students of the band may not learn anything especially new but will relish the opportunity to revisit those halcyon days when the world’s biggest group dominated the planet, 8 days a week.
// COLIN FRASER
Previewed at the QT Theatre, Sydney, on 8 September 2016.
Peeling back layers of mythology that has since enveloped the band, Ron Howard – better known of action drama like Apollo 13 or Rush– re-presents The Beatles’ touring years to remind us what a phenomenal time it was, and one unlikely to be repeated. Hit after hit after hit dominated the world global, quickly followed by concerts the scale of which had never been seen before.
With a mountain of interview and concert footage to call upon, Howard charts the group’s journey from school band to international sensation, and tells it in their own words. Much of it has been seen, some of it is new and raw, all of it utterly captivating. Set to a raft of toe-tapping, ear-worm songs, his documentary is like being immersed for a couple of hours in the world’s best jukebox, complete with ear-splitting audience participation.
Elegantly shot and beautifully edited, The Beatles: 8 Days A Week – The Touring Years (to give it’s full and awkward title) is a must-watch for anyone who was there, or wished they had been. Students of the band may not learn anything especially new but will relish the opportunity to revisit those halcyon days when the world’s biggest group dominated the planet, 8 days a week.
// COLIN FRASER
Previewed at the QT Theatre, Sydney, on 8 September 2016.
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DOCUMENTARY
The Beatles
Larry Kane
Elvis Costello
Eddie Izzard
DIRECTOR
Ron Howard
SCREENWRITER
Ron Howard
COUNTRY
UK / USA
CLASSIFICATION
M
RUNTIME
138 minutes
AUSTRALIAN
RELEASE DATE
September 15, 2016
The Beatles
Larry Kane
Elvis Costello
Eddie Izzard
DIRECTOR
Ron Howard
SCREENWRITER
Ron Howard
COUNTRY
UK / USA
CLASSIFICATION
M
RUNTIME
138 minutes
AUSTRALIAN
RELEASE DATE
September 15, 2016
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