[.ca] The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit

From Amazon.com:
Any fan of Richard Lester's A Hard Day's Night won't want to miss the documentary The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit by Albert and David Maysles. The Maysles brothers were given extraordinary access to the Beatles during their first trip to the U.S., in February 1964, for several concerts and their seminal first appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Like Hard Day's Night, which came out later that year, this film (also known as What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A.) shows lots of spontaneous cheekiness with the press and fans; the Beatles' wide-eyed bemusement at the hysteria they caused; as much cutting up as a tiny hotel room allows; and even specific scenes--goofing off on a commuter train, mod dancing in a nightclub--that would later appear in Lester's film. The only thing missing is Paul's grandfather. The performance segments alone are a must for fans. The three Ed Sullivan appearances show a great cross section of their hits at the time, including "All My Loving," "I Saw Her Standing There," a beautifully delivered "This Boy" by John Lennon, and a wobbly "I Saw Her Standing There" so out of tune George Harrison nearly cracks up as he listens to Lennon and Paul McCartney struggle for harmony. The blurry, badly mic'd footage of the concert at the Washington Coliseum shows the Beatles acting as their own roadies, setting up their instruments; the platform Ringo Starr drums on lurches ominously with each downbeat. It was a more innocent, exuberant time, to be sure, and this sweet documentary lets the Beatles phenomenon speak for itself. --Anne Hurley

The Beatles:
The DVD itself is amazing. It really shows america how important and how much of a influence The Beatles were to the U.S. Great DVD, so go and buy it!!

Perfect Summary Of Their First Visit:
From the sound of "I Saw Her Standing There" to their arrival back in England, this DVD is exceptional. Not too long and not too short, it shows the Fab Four's highlights in their first American visit-including several spectacular Ed Sullvian performances. The audio/video quality is not as good in Washington, D.C. but the footage is nevertheless an important part of the visit. The off-stage material is excellent as it portrays them as true gentlemen. Enormously entertaining, revealing and informative...this is a great DVD.

Historically interesting and entertaining:
This black-and-white documentary chronicling the Beatles' first US visit in 1964 is very interesting for the historical perspective it gives. Hate 'em or love 'em, there is no doubt the Beatles completely shook up the music world. Some of the crowd reactions are scary/funny with their frenzied screaming fanaticism. Much of it is comprised of the Beatles in hotel rooms as they watch TV, smoke cigarettes incessantly, and chat among themselves, or going out and about town, or riding in trains. This is intercut with various DJ's discussing the upcoming Ed Sullivan show event, crowds and crowd comments, and the actual appearance of the Beatles on that show. The sound and image of the straight documentary portion is pretty good. However, the appearance from the Washington Coliseum concert comes across very poorly, mostly due to the limitations of the original recording and skimpy stage equipment. At one point, when Ringo gets to sing "I Wanna Be Your Man", he is barely heard. There is a 50-minute "making of" the 80-minute documentary, as well as a commentary by the film-makers, and a booklet with some quotes and photographs. If you like the early Beatles, this is the DVD for you.

Essential rock history:
If Gimme Shelter (also made by the Maysles brothers) marks the end of the 60s, then this film signals the start. True, it's set in February 1964, but the heart and soul of this decade (at least musically) began on this fateful week when the Beatles landed in America. The Maysles were both fortunate and wise enough to capture the Fab Four both onstage and behind the scenes: sparring with the press, catching trains and planes, trapped in hotel rooms, posing for cameras and playing their music to thousands of screaming fans. Like D.A. Pennebaker (Don't Look Back), the Maysles are pioneers in documentary filmmaking. Cinema verite (capturing life as it happens from a detached distance without using narration) was born in the early sixties, largely on the shoulders of these two New York filmmakers. For decades, the entire film has been incredibly hard to find. I recall 50-minute versions of this film floating around on VHS (legit or not). However, it wasn't until the recent release of this film in its entirety that I could appreciate it as a real movie and not just a TV special about The Beatles. The FIRST U.S. VISIT towers above the pile of exploitive dreck that has The Beatles slapped on its cover. Why? The close access and the way it's shot (handheld in glorious black and white). Each of the Beatles' personalities shines forth that is true, honest and charming. By comparison A HARD DAY'S NIGHT is a thinly fictionalized version of this footage. The special features in which Albert Maysles guides us through a treasure trove of outtakes is a sweet bonus. My favourite moment is the family watching the Ed Sullivan Show live in their living room. The kids can't sit still. That scene alone tells you what Beatlemania was all about -- 41 years later and counting.

Beatles: The First U.S. Visit:
As a collector of a wide variety of Beatle items and from one fan to another.... You should have this. It gives you a "fly on the wall" look into a world that is magical, mystical amd musical. Don't pass it by.