Paul McCartney Really Is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison (Video 2010)

In this mockumentary spoof of "Paul Is Dead" theories, the summer of 2005, a package arrived at the Hollywood offices of Highway 61 Entertainment from London with no return address. Inside ... See full summary »

Director:

Joel Gilbert

Stars:

Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon

Cast

Cast overview:
Paul McCartney	...	Himself
George Harrison	...	Himself
John Lennon	...	Himself
Ringo Starr	...	Himself
William Campbell	...	Himself

Storyline

In this mockumentary spoof of "Paul Is Dead" theories, the summer of 2005, a package arrived at the Hollywood offices of Highway 61 Entertainment from London with no return address. Inside were two mini-cassette audio tapes dated December 30, 1999 and labeled "The Last Testament of George Harrison". A voice eerily similar to Harrison's tells a shocking story: Paul McCartney was killed in a car crash in November of 1966 and replaced with a double! British intelligence, MI5, had forced the Beatles to cover up McCartney's death to prevent mass suicides of Beatle fans. However, the remaining Beatles tried to signal fans with clues on album covers and in songs. Until now, the "Paul is Dead" mystery that exploded worldwide in 1969 was considered a hoax. However, in this film, the mysterious voice on the tapes reveals a secret Beatles history, chronicling McCartney's fatal accident, the cover up, dozens of unknown clues, and a dangerous cat and mouse game with "Maxwell," the Beatles' MI5 ...

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Plot Keywords:

paul mccartney | the beatles | george harrison | john lennon | ringo starr | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Fantasy | Music

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 September 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Highway 61 Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Possibly for legal reasons, the title on the DVD case is "Paul McCartney Really Is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison?" while the on-screen titles lack the question mark.

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Goofs

The film claims the "Rita" character who was in the car when Paul died in 1966, later turned out to be Heather Mills. However, Heather Mills wasn't born until 1968.

User Reviews

More Exploitation Than Documentary

Paul McCartney Really is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison (2010)

*** (out of 4)

Producer-director Joel Gilbert usually does documentaries on Bob Dylan but he reaches out to try and explain why the Paul McCartney who has been touring the past forty years is actually a double and that the real Paul died decades ago. According to Gilbert, he received two audio cassettes, which are supposed to contain the last testament of George Harrison. We then learn that three different labs couldn't tell if this really was Harrison or not. From here we learn that McCartney was killed on November 9, 1966 when he had a car crash after giving a woman a ride. From here the audio tape talks about why they decided to cover up his death and what clues they wanted fans to know so that the group wouldn't be hated for covering it up.

This documentary is getting a lot of hatred from fans of the Beatles but I must say it's quite hilarious in parts. I really don't see this as a documentary but it's more like an exploitation movie that's taking a myth and trying to pass it off as the truth. I will admit that I enjoy myths and hearing about them but there's so many unanswered questions here that you can't help but laugh. For starters, early in the film we're told that Lennon was about to tell the truth but was killed eight days later. Harrison then says that he was about to tell the truth but was attacked by the "fan" and almost died. Of course, the hint here is that the British government was trying to shut them up. Even more laughable stuff is the actual way the McCartney was killed and how they went about getting a double. The "audio tape" doesn't sound like an audio tape at all. It's clearly a narrator. Another problem is that you have to wonder why, if all of this was true, someone would send the evidence to Joel Gilbert. Why not ABC, CNN, NBC or someone who could really get the story out there?

Gilbert even uses this documentary to say Bob Dylan wasn't involved in a motorcycle crash in 1966 but instead used this as an excuse to go into drug rehab. It's funny because there are people out there who believe Dylan was killed in this crash and was replaced by a double. The same thing people are claiming about McCartney. PAUL MCCARTNEY REALLY IS DEAD: THE LAST TESTAMENT OF GEORGE HARRISON is something that conspiracy theorist might believe but I think most people are going to notice that countless holes in the plot. Not to mention what this so-called "double" has been able to do after The Beatles broke up. We're told Lennon "covered" most of the writing in The Beatles but who took on Wings and everything that followed? As silly as this is, I must admit that I found it incredibly entertaining from start to finish. Again, seeing all these "clues" was interesting because it shows how someone can take something and spin it in any direction.