The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit (1994) (V)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Directors:

Kathy Dougherty
Susan Frömke

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

Maysles brothers documentary covering the first arrival of "Beatlemania" in the U.S., as well at the band's historical appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show." |

Plot Keywords:

Paul Mccartney | Rock Music | Beatles | John Lennon | Number In Title

Cast

Brian Epstein	...	Himself (archive footage)
George Harrison	...	Himself (The Beatles) (archive footage)
Murray the 'K'	...	Himself (DJ, New York) (archive footage)
John Lennon	...	Himself (archive footage)
Paul McCartney	...	Himself (The Beatles) (archive footage)
Ralph Rennick	...	Announcer (The Ed Sullivan Show) (voice) (archive footage)
Ringo Starr	...	Himself (The Beatles) (archive footage)
Ed Sullivan	...	Himself (archive footage)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Certification:

Netherlands:AL

Filming Locations:

The Plaza Hotel, New York City, New York, USA

Trivia:

John Lennon can be heard playing the opening notes to "Strawberry Fields Forever" during one scene in a hotel room. The song would not be released until years later, but this is an indication that Lennon had the melody in his head for quite some time.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The end credits on the original video release of THE BEATLES: THE FIRST U.S. VISIT erroneously gave the composer credit for "Till There Was You" to Richard Rodgers. Subsequent releases corrected this credit and accurately gave Meredith Willson credit for composing the song.

Quotes:

[At a press conference at Kennedy Airport.]
Girl: Can you please sing something for us?
The Beatles: No!
Reporter: Is it because you can't sing?
John Lennon: No, we need money first.

Movie Connections:

Features "Toast of the Town" (1948)

A cross-reference to my review of A Hard Day's Night

If you wish to experience the group's charm and musical euphoria of this time full on, without the intrusions of a tacked on plot or supplementary characters, check out the wonderful documentary "The Beatles' First U.S. Visit". Done by the Maysles brothers - the duo behind the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" later in the decade - the film captures all the excitement [and footage] of the Beatles' triumphant arrival in America, including all their Ed Sullivan appearances, various backstage reflections and shenanigans, and an extended, supercharged sequence of their concert at Washington Coliseum. For my money, this film is even MORE essential than A Hard Day's Night; it is, quite simply, the best extended visual document of the Beatles that we have.