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:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ron Howard wins best music film Grammy for 'The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - the Touring Years' Feburary 12, 2017. The director and former child actor earned the Grammy for Music Film for "The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years," his detailed ode to the band's early years. Also earning trophies for the film are producers Brian Grazer, Scott Pascucci and Nigel Sinclair.

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Goofs

After Brian Epstein was introduced in the film, his interview said he first saw them at the Cavern Club. They showed a picture of The Beatles at the Cavern Club with Ringo Starr. When Mr. Epstein first saw the Beatles, Pete Best was the drummer.

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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 AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Body Odor Penalty (2019)

User Reviews

Lennon and McCartney were the best song writing team ever

9/17/17. This documentary is a good reminder of just how crazy teenagers were in the '60s. What struck me about the Beatles now was just how good their sound was and how talented they really were. They deserved all the success they got, but as humans they just couldn't maintain their professional ties, to the detriment of pop music. They were a cultural phenomenon and true rock icons who had it all but couldn't keep it going. Perhaps, that is the saddest part of watching this - they made wonderful music, but only for a short time, in retrospect. Together, Lennon and McCartney were the best music writing team ever. Separately they were hardly half of what they were together. They balanced each other out. While McCartney continued to be successful, none of his own works ever surpassed the work he did with Lennon. (Although I did like Ram) And, Lennon turned into an embittered, cynical angry man who just couldn't get over the slights he tried to overcome. And, when he finally got close to getting his act together we all know what happened that one December day.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Beatles Live

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$785,336, 18 September 2016

Gross USA:

$2,930,414

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,283,800

Company Credits

Production Co:

Apple Corps, Apple Corps, Diamond Docs

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 206 min (2016 DELUXE DVD)

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage) Color (digitally colored)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1