the beatles One of those bands that probably doesn’t need an introduction, but for those who live under a rock, here’s a quick band. Formed in Liverpool in the early 1960s, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrisonand apple starThey remained together until 1970, and made a staggering amount of music in a decade. bottom.
Their legacy continues to this day thanks to their timeless music, the fascinating and dramatic history of the band themselves and their breakups, and their films. The Beatles didn’t revolutionize cinema in the same way that they reinvented popular music, but all four members have appeared in numerous films of both fictional and documentary variety. Below are some of the best feature films and documentaries featuring the Beatles, all of which are essential watches for fans of the band.
Ten “Yellow Submarine” (1968)
yellow submarine It’s a movie with very few actual members of the Beatles in it. It’s a psychedelic, silly, and often very funny animated film about the Fab Four saving the legendary Pepperland from an evil faction called the Blue Meanies. The film made extensive use of the band’s music and borrowed the likenesses of the main characters, although other actors provided the voices for these animated Beatles.
Apparently, the Beatles themselves weren’t keen on being a part of the film, but they ultimately liked the finished product. This may explain why the group not only makes a fun cameo appearance just before the end credits, but also contributes some previously unreleased songs to the film.
9 “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years” (2016)
nevertheless peter jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back (2021) may be the best Beatles documentary in recent memory. It’s not technically a movie, it’s a miniseries totaling about eight hours, divided into three very long episodes. As far as feature length documentaries are concerned, Ron Howard The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016) is probably the best option.
It follows the band’s meteoric rise to fame, focusing on the first half of their music career when they were still touring. Boisterous crowds, heavy scrutiny of the public, and the stagnation of what could be physically played on stage caused the Beatles to stop touring by his mid-1960s. Around that time, their studio albums began to become more experimental. 8 days a week documented this story well, filled with entertaining concert footage and archival interviews.
8 “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964)
The method is quite remarkable hard days night It definitely feels like a product of its time, yet holds up well. The playfulness and humor of the presentation have aged well, and of course the music still sounds great. Still, it feels like the kind of movie that could only have been made in the early 1960s (not in a bad way, of course).
The film basically shows a day in the life of four members of The Beatles, and given that they live in a heightened reality, the plot is fairly loose. Not quirky or trippy, but still pretty goofy and with a consistently weird and charming sense of humor.
7 ‘help! ‘ (1965)
in contrast to hard days night From the year before last, help! It marks the point where The Beatles start to get a little weird, suggesting some of the psychedelic music is coming. Get involved in a conspiracy and embark on a bizarre adventure. help! feel particularly strange james bond A movie starring Fab Four instead of 007.
That clutter means it’s technically not as good as the movie hard days nightbut those who enjoy absurdity and surreal humor will probably find something to like help!. Also useful help! The fact that it uses the album of the same name for its soundtrack is itself one of the best Beatles albums of the first half of the discography.
6 “Imagine: John Lennon” (1988)
The members of The Beatles were still quite young when they broke up in 1970, so each had a notable solo career after the band broke up. His life was tragically cut short. Imagine: John Lennon Therefore, this documentary aims to capture his life before the Beatles, during the band’s reign, and the direction of his life since 1970 in one film.
This is a very well-made music documentary, replete with archival footage and audio that provides insight into Lennon’s troubled life and general state of mind. Kamata member, imagination It does a great job of humanizing and honoring him.
Five “Magical Mystery Tour” (1967)
Magical Mystery Tour Take a weird movie (help!) and make it weird. It has the same kind of energy and weird sense of humor, but pushes things even more surreal and psychedelic, complete with an almost non-existent plot about The Beatles and many others riding a strange bus. .
It may have gone a little too far, feeling like a bad trip more than a good trip. Thankfully it was a TV movie so it was recorded in less than an hour and all the bizarre sights are fascinating here and there. ‘s songs are definitely excellent, as always.
Four “The Ruttles: All You Need Is Cash” (1978)
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Music mockumentaries before they became more famous It’s a spinal tap By 6 years The Rutles: All you need is cash It’s a cult television film that serves as a loving parody of The Beatles. I can elaborate.
Naturally, the Beatles themselves don’t make many appearances, but George Harrison does as an interviewer for the space documentary.he’s not the only famous person to appear All you need is cashSince the cast such as is also appearing, Mick Jagger, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroydand John Belushi.
3 “George Harrison: Living in a Material World” (2011)
Although not as popular as his feature films, Martin Scorsese Proved to be a talented documentary director. George Harrison: Living in a Material World It’s one of his best films because it’s a very comprehensive 3.5-hour movie about George Harrison’s life during his time as a member of the Beatles and thereafter.
If anything, the length and detail of Scorsese’s documentary may turn off more casual fans, but those connected to Harrison’s music will find plenty of love here. Far from being a documentary, it is a fitting, almost epic, homage to the so-called silent Beatles.
2 “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stop” (2016)
with an interesting title Popstar: Never Stop Never Stop feels like spinal tap For millennials (not necessarily a bad thing).It’s a mockumentary starring Andy Samberg As wildly popular pop star Conner4real, it focuses on the conflict between him and a former member of his boy band after he decides to go solo.
Adding to the mockumentary format is the fact that the film contains apparent interviews with real-life artists, including former Beatle Ringo Starr. His appearance is small but memorable, and his comments about how out of touch Conner4real is, despite being 40-50 years his senior, are especially funny.
1 “Paul McCartney at Glastonbury 2022” (2022)
There have been many concert movies featuring Paul McCartney, but his latest may be one of the best. He made history as the oldest musician to headline the world-famous Glastonbury Festival, turning 80 just before he hit the stage in June 2022.
Paul McCartney at Glastonbury 2022 Naturally, it is a concert film documenting that performance. Because even at 80, he still sounds great and has quite the stage presence.Featuring guest musicians such as Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl Also make sure this is a very entertaining concert movie.
