The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2016)

A compilation of found footage featuring music, interviews, and stories of The Beatles' 250 concerts from 1963 to 1966.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Mark Monroe, P.G. Morgan (story consultant)

Stars:

The Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
The Beatles	...	Themselves (archive footage)
John Lennon	...	Self (archive footage)
George Harrison	...	Self (archive footage)
Paul McCartney	...	Self
Ringo Starr	...	Self
Richard Curtis	...	Self - Writer, Director
Frank Phillips	...	Self - BBC Radio Newsreader (voice) (archive footage)
Leonard Parkin	...	Self - BBC Radio Newsreader (voice) (archive footage)
Carroll James	...	Self - WWDC Disc Jockey (voice) (archive footage)
Marsha Albert	...	Self (voice) (archive footage)
Eddie Izzard	...	Self
Ed Sullivan	...	Self (archive footage)
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Self
Neil Aspinall	...	Self - Beatles touring manager 1962-1970
Brian Epstein	...	Self - Beatles Manager (archive footage)

Storyline

In the 1960s, the Beatles exploded on to the public scene, seemingly out of nowhere as the band's formative years of constant performing at home and in Hamburg, and Brian Epstein's grooming, finally paid off beyond their wildest dreams. Accompanying new interviews of the remaining Beatles, their associates and fans as well as archival interviews of the late ones, this film features footage of the heady concert years of 1963 to 66 when the band became a worldwide cultural phenomena topping them all. Furthermore, it also follows how the Fab Four began to change and grow while the excitement of Beatlemania began to sour their lives into an intolerable slog they needed to escape from to become more than what their fans wanted.

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Plot Keywords:

the beatles | beatlemania | rock band | reference to muhammad ali | cheering crowd | 

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Taglines:

The band you know. The story you don't.

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title of the titular song was a result of happenstance for which Paul McCartney claims credit. McCartney had been banned from driving due to a speeding violation, and while travelling to John Lennon's home in a chauffeur-driven car one day, he idly asked the driver if he'd been working hard. The driver responded drily, "Eight days a week".

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Goofs

In the closing credits, the song "Things We Said Today" is mistakenly written as "Thing We Said Today."

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Quotes

Reporter: What about the reports that you guys are nothing but a bunch of British Elvis Presleys?
Ringo Starr: [while shaking his body] It's not true. It's not true!
[the Beatles and reporters laugh]

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Connections

Referenced in WatchMojo: Top 10 Great Movies You Missed This Fall (2016)

User Reviews

Great tribute.

A movie that brings a freshness to old material with new interviews, unseen footage and enhanced sound and images. A real tribute. Don't go expecting an epiphany or any gritty revelations, this is a story retold with love and one suspects, awe. It does what the title says and focuses on the touring and the music with helpful and not over-intrusive commentary along the way, and helps the viewer to understand how the band came to their decision in 1966. It is not difficult to imagine that the band finished touring last year, such is the care and attention that has gone into enhancing the images. I loved this film, unashamedly.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$785,336, 18 September 2016

Gross USA:

$2,930,414

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,283,966

Company Credits

Production Co:

Apple Corps, Diamond Docs, Imagine Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 206 min (2016 DELUXE DVD)

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1