The years 1994-1996 were great years for Beatles fans. After the release of the Beatles' Live At The BBC CD set in 1994, The Beatles Anthology, an extensive documentary about the Beatles, aired on ABC in 1995. The documentary was accompanied by a collection of three double CD sets. In 2003, the Anthology was finally released on DVD with previously unseen footage and a whole disc of bonus features.
This 5 disc DVD set is any Beatle fan's dream. There are over 11 hours of material on this set, and there is something for everyone to enjoy. The Beatles story is told in the words of the surviving Beatles and those closest to them, like producer George Martin. John gets his say, too, courtesy of old interview clips. Anthology covers everything from the group's beginnings playing in small clubs to their breakup in 1970. In addition to the interviews, there are some old TV appearances, including the famous Ed Sullivan Show appearance in 1964. There is also plenty of concert footage and even music videos.
There are eight episodes of Anthology, with two episodes on each DVD. Disc one begins in July 1940 with Ringo Starr's birth and ends in February 1964, when "I Want To Hold Your Hand" reached number one in the U.S. This disc covers the group's beginnings, tours of Britain, and the rise of Beatlemania. There are video clips of songs like "Love Me Do," "Please Mr. Postman," and "I Wanna Be Your Man." This disc also looks at the making of the first two albums, Please Please Me and With The Beatles. Highlights include a very funny clip of the Beatles' appearance on The Morecambe and Wise Show and the Royal Variety performance.
Disc two focuses on February 1964 to August 1965. This covers the Beatles' first U.S. visit, their first U.S. tour, the making of the films A Hard Day's Night and Help!, meeting Bob Dylan, and the recording of Beatles For Sale. There are many performance clips on this disc, including Ed Sullivan appearances, the Washington Coliseum concert, and clips from their U.S. tour.
The third disc covers August 1965 to June 1967. This includes the Shea Stadium concert, meeting Elvis Presley, the 1966 world tour, experiments with LSD, and their last concert appearance. During these two years, the albums Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band were all recorded. There are "TV promotional films" or music videos for "Day Tripper," "We Can Work It Out," "Paperback Writer," "Rain," "Strawberry Fields Forever," and "Penny Lane."
Disc four is June 1967 to the end. This period covers meeting the Maharishi, traveling to India for meditation, manager Brian Epstein's death, the films Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine and Let It Be, the rooftop concert, and recording The White Album, Let It Be and Abbey Road. This is also when John met Yoko Ono and the group eventually fell apart. Things end on a happy note, though, with the video for the new Beatles recording, "Free As A Bird."
The special features disc is simply wonderful. My favorite of the features is Recollections - June 1994, with Paul, George and Ringo spending the day together, singing and playing music and remembering the old days. Back At Abbey Road - May 1995 features Paul, George, Ringo and George Martin playing back some Beatles songs and discussing the techniques they used to create them. Compiling the Anthology Albums takes a look at how the tracks were chosen for the three Anthology albums.
Recording "Free As A Bird" And "Real Love" details the recording of the new Beatles tracks from John's demos. Footage of the group in the studio working on the tracks is included. Making The "Free As A Bird" Video and "Real Love" Video" are pretty self-explanatory. The Production Team feature includes interviews with the production team about how they created the series. This is interesting to watch once, but it's not something you'll want to see over and over.
The audio and video on this DVD set are impeccable. The 5.1 surround sound makes the songs sound even more amazing than they already are, and the picture is very clear. Of course, since some of the archival footage is so old, it's not perfect, but it is the best I've seen. The audio is available only in English, but in three different tracks: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, and LPCM Stereo. Subtitles are available in German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese.
Amazingly, even though the Anthology is over 11 hours long, it is rarely boring. The interviews are almost always interesting and informative. Of course, there are the rare occasions where things get annoying, like when Paul tells a rambling story, then says, "No, that's wrong," and starts all over. Paul, George, and Ringo talk very openly about the Beatles story, even the bad times. The performances and music videos are an invaluable addition and help tell the story in not just words, but music too.
The runtime for each of the first four DVDs is approximately 2 and 1/2 hours, and the fifth disc is 1 hour and 21 minutes. This set is not rated but contains some adult language. Very highly recommended for any Beatles fan.
A deluxe multi-volume chronicle of the complete history of the Beatles THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY is the definitive documentary featuring 10 hours of foota...More at Family Video
A deluxe, multi-volume chronicle of the complete history of the Beatles, THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY is the definitive documentary, featuring 10 hours of fo...More at HotMovieSale.com
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