Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of biweekly movie reviews from Drew Moniot. A resident of Robinson Township, Drew is a member of the Critics Choice Association and has been reviewing movies professionally since 1989. He holds a doctorate in communication from Temple University and his paper on James Bond and America in the 1960s was published in the Journal of the University Film Association.
I was 13 years old when I saw the Beatles, live on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Feb. 9, 1964. I can honestly say that it altered the course of my life.
I was a junior high school kid with an electric guitar who was inspired, in that lightning stroke of a moment, to seek out other aspiring rock musicians at school and start a band. It was all I wanted to do.
Sixty years later, I am still playing guitar with fellow musicians and still recreating the timeless music of what I consider to be the most talented and influential bands that ever existed. They defined the music and pop culture of the ‘60s and the decades that followed. Over the years, I have come to appreciate and admire their songs more and more. There is always something to be discovered. Their music never gets old.
The story of the Beatles has been told and re-told. Most recently Peter Jackson produced the mammoth, nine-hour “Get Back” project that everyone assumed might be the last great Beatles documentary.
But now comes “Beatles ’64,” produced by Martin Scorsese, who had produced the George Harrison documentary, “George Harrison: Living in the Material World” (2011). The movie incorporates a good deal of never-before-seen footage from the legendary documentary filmmaking team of Albert and David Maysles.
It is a treasure trove of black-and-white 16mm footage capturing the Beatles’ arrival in America in the days preceding “The Ed Sullivan Show,” trapped in a suite in New York’s Plaza Hotel with throngs of screaming teenage girls keeping a round-the-clock vigil.
It was a surreal experience for the Beatles, a nonstop atmosphere of hysteria that clearly exceeded their wildest dreams. Through it all, they remained cheerful, charming and funny, clowning around for the cameras. Their camaraderie was real. The bandmates had struggled for years to achieve fame and success. They had gained popularity in Europe. It was time to conquer America.
Fittingly, “Beatles ’64” begins with a mini-documentary about John F. Kennedy and his assassination in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. It establishes the historical context for the Beatles’ arrival just a few months later.
America was a shattered nation in mourning, a nation yearning for some glimmer of joy and hope. The Beatles were very much in the right place at the right time. The world needed them.
Sixty years later, the joyfulness of the Fab Four still resonates in the raw, unstaged moments captured on film. Their energy was infectious, then and now.
The movie recaptures the wild craziness of Beatlemania, with the merchandising (Beatles sneakers, dresses and ridiculous fake wigs) and memorabilia (hucksters sold two-inch squares of the Beatles’ hotel towels for $2 each).
Die-hard fans in the film reminisce about their unbridled love of the Lads from Liverpool and the wave of excitement that swept the land.
It was a two-way love fest. At one point, John Lennon says that, without the songs of the Isley Brothers, there would have been no Beatles. One of their early hits was a cover of “Twist and Shout.” They also loved Smokey Robinson, and he loved them. They recorded “You Really Got a Hold On Me” as a tribute to him. He did a soulful cover of “Yesterday” as an expression of his admiration for them.
The experience of being in America was a cultural rollercoaster ride for four young men who grew up in the working-class world of Liverpool, England. They wanted to absorb as much as they could, and that included hanging out with Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes, who sneaked them off to Harlem where they could enjoy R&B music without being recognized and mobbed. They danced and partied together at the famous Peppermint Lounge.
There are precious performances of the early Beatles songs, recorded live. Their raw talent shines through. Other British bands followed, but the Beatles were in a class by themselves and remained so until their breakup at the end of the decade.
The Beatles brought joy and hope to a nation recovering from shock and deep sadness. Now, 60 years later, some might argue that they are here again, in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time.
“Beatles ’64” is available on Disney+.
For more of Drew’s reviews, visit www.drewsreviews.net
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