DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: BEATLES '64

4/5

Come Together, America 

106 Mins. Starring: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Ringo Starr: Director: David Tedeschi. Produced By: Martin Scorsese & Margaret Bodde. On: Disney +.

JFK's immortal words in black and white begin this Beatles documentary after the iconic, green Apple Corps logo. All as legendary director Martin Scorsese (producing alongside Margaret Bodde), and the direction of David Tedeschi, step off the plane and into the lane of journeying through found footage to make movie like documentaries on the Fab Four. 'Beatles '64' finds Scorsese joining the likes of Peter Jackson ('Get Back') and Ron Howard ('Eight Days A Week-The Touring Year'), although this is Tedeschi's terrific testament. Even though it's a joy to see Marty joking around with Ringo Starr who describes arriving at New York's JFK perfectly, like an octopus. In the garden of the Big Apple, ''64' focusses on the time Beatlemania came to America. Right after President Kennedy was shot and the United States needed to find that sense of hope again, as everybody was screaming. The Beatles brought that back. Although in a very sobering and sad moment when it sets in, John Lennon was worried about the random violence there, that could happen at any moment.

Disney Plus stream their latest Beatle addition to the archive, this week, after the recently unearthed 'Let It Be' documentary this summer gone. Catching John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr's dynamite debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, this is a cultural moment to see just how epic entertainment can get when it moves people to dance, faint, and lose their minds as fans try to find their way through more hotel rooms than Booking.com. Yeah! Just when Macca's poppa wanted him and John to say, "she loves you, yes, yes, yes", instead of all that "American slang" making for one of the most lovely little titbits in this doc of personal stories and insights from not only fans around the world, but Paul and Ringo, too. Telling us exactly how it was and is, and revealing what they'd say to dear John and George if they were still here now. I know this much is true, this is as moving and as profound as their first track in decades, 'Now and Then' released last year because of a found Lennon vocal.

Three-weeks of history in a sixties February was made for a real era. This cultural document featuring archival footage captures the boys at their playful and carefree best, all whilst their wonderful work about love and wanting to hold your hand was crucified as devil's music by the press, priest and purveyors of the original cancel culture. Where all you had was newsprint, not 280 characters of social media to play with. And the hair, forget about it. It was so ungodly (even though the locks of Jesus (who The Beatles claimed to be bigger than, were longer), even though one fan still has wig memorabilia from back in the day, along with the side of his seat from the original Dodgers home of Queens' Shea Stadium. He didn't wear it then, and it's still in its plastic packaging, even though he, and me, could probably use it now. There are so many great tales here from American fans who describe The Beatles coming to America in the wake of John F. Kennedy's assassination as, like, "a light coming on." You'll be moved to tears, too.

One fan and bandsman was so moved by it all he had to take a trip to Liverpool, to see where all of this came from, like a Cavern Club. He was denied entry when he hit the shores, and had to remain aboard a ferry that seemed like it would never cross the Mersey. He kicked up so much of a fuss that his story was put on the front page of the Liverpool Echo as he escaped to fulfil his Fab Four fate...and just wait until this 1964 documentary shows where all that led to. Scorsese and Tedeschi first bonded after David edited Martin's George Harrison documentary 'Living In The Material World', forming a friendship with George's wife Olivia Harrison. She produces this alongside Paul, Ringo, Marty, Margaret, Jonathan Clyde, Mikaela Beardsley and Sean Ono Lennon. Based off of Albert and David Maysles' original documentary 'What's Happening! The Beatles In The U.S.A.', and featuring terrific testimonials from the miracle Motown likes of Smokey Robinson and Ron Isley, just you wait until you hear the soundtrack, too. Not to be confused with the 'Beatles '65' album, this documentary is its own look at yesterday, that really has a hold on you. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'The Beatles: Get Back', 'The Beatles: Let It Be', 'George Harrison: Living In The Material World'.