A few days after the arrival of Paul McCartney in Madrid, who performs on December 9 and 10 at the WiZink Center, as part of his “Got Back” world tour, we are also preparing for the great documentary of the Liverpool band produced by Martin Scorsese.
Beatles ’64, The new documentary directed by David Tedeschi and produced by the Italian-American filmmaker and creator of Casino, Raging Bull or One of Ours, captures the essence of the Beatles on their first tour of the United States. Without voice-over narration, the film is based on original recordings from the time and testimonies from fans who lived that experience firsthand, along with reflections from the surviving Beatles.
The context of a cultural change
The documentary, available on Disney+, begins with John F. Kennedy’s speech that marked the desires for renewal of the sixties. Just a few months after his murder, the Beatles arrived in the United States, transforming their participation in The Ed Sullivan Show and their concerts in New York, Washington and Miami into a phenomenon that would change cultural history. As writer Joe Queenan, who almost cries when remembering those days, points out: “Finally someone made music for us.”
The birth of Beatlemania
With their charisma, self-confidence and musical talent, the Beatles captured the imagination of millions. What began as a media curiosity quickly transformed into Beatlemania, a kind of “disease” that radio stations sarcastically compared to an epidemic. But for his followers, especially the teenage girls of the time, the impact was overwhelming and deeply emotional. Some, interviewed today, recall those moments with tears in their eyes as they show off the collectibles they kept for decades: from lunch boxes and wigs to towels and clothes.
Unpublished images and closeness to idols
The documentary uses 100 minutes of restored images and sounds, selected from more than 11 hours of recordings made in 1964 by the Maysles brothers, who accompanied the band on their first US tour. The material includes 20 previously unreleased minutes and iconic moments such as the Beatles’ escape from the Plaza Hotel in New York, besieged by fans, with the help of Ronnie Spector.
An intimate and human portrait
Beyond the hits and the collective hysteria, Beatles ’64 shows the Beatles as young people full of humor, who played down their cultural impact. In one memorable scene, during a train ride from New York to Washington, a journalist asks Paul McCartney about the meaning of the Beatles for Western culture. With a smile, Paul replies: “Culture? It is not culture; “All this is a big laugh.”
The emotional legacy of an era
The most moving thing about Beatles ’64 is the emotional connection it conveys. From the frenzied fans to the Beatles themselves, everything in the documentary reflects a vibrant, once-in-a-lifetime time, when the world was ready to laugh, scream and change. It is a testament to the power of music and the charisma that turned four boys from Liverpool into the most influential cultural phenomenon of the 20th century.
#Martin #Scorsese #presents #Beatles #Paul #McCartney #lands #Madrid #pop #culture #revolution
