Documentaries Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Hey Dullblog, the Beatles fan blog

Beatles Doc to Be Directed by Ron Howard

By Devin McKinney|2014-07-16T20:38:25-07:00July 16, 2014|1960s, Documentaries, Movies, Ron Howard|

" ... and with a love like that, you know you shouuuuullllld ... " DEVIN McKINNEY • News comes through this morning, via Rolling Stone, that Ron Howard will direct a documentary about the Beatles' lifespan as a touring band, covering the years (approximately) 1960 to 1966. The film will be assembled, Anthology style, from existing footage from all manner of sources—television, film, even silent Super 8 footage shot by fans (to which bootleg recordings will be synced)—combined with sit-down interviews with Paul, Ringo, Yoko, Olivia, and a variety of fans who attended the original shows, along, perhaps, with their [...]

12

Let It Be: A Missed Opportunity

By Michael Gerber|2015-10-07T12:48:48-07:00April 22, 2014|1969, Documentaries, Film merde, Let It Be|

Is Mike man enough to withstand the awesome depressive POWER of this film? Last Thursday I happened to rent a DVD of "Let It Be," and I did so mostly out of surprise that it was on the shelf at all. I'd seen it only once before, in the summer of 1981, paired with "A Hard Day's Night" at the pot-scented Tivoli Theatre in St. Louis. Maybe it was Lennon's recent death, or having watched the young Fabs in full flood directly before, but I still remember the funereal aspect of the evening's second half, something even the sweet smell [...]

25

Good Ol’ Freda: True tales from the Beatles’ loyal secretary

By Michael Gerber|2022-07-25T11:41:59-07:00September 16, 2013|Apple/Inner Circle, Documentaries, Guest blogger|

Guest review by LINDA MARSHALL-SMITH • When 17-year-old Beatles fan Freda Kelly was hired as Brian Epstein’s secretary in 1962, she couldn’t have known she was in for a uniquely intimate ten-year view of Beatlemania and its aftermath. Unlike many of the Beatles’ former associates, Kelly—a self-described “private person”—has kept her stories of the band under wraps for decades. In Ryan White’s newly released documentary, also available on iTunes, she finally shares her tales. (Well, some of them.) A Beatles fan’s dream job Kelly’s firsthand observations about the Beatles and their inner circle make the film well worth watching. She tells stories [...]

12

David Bailey documentary: Four Beats to the Bar, and No Cheating

By Michael Gerber|2013-08-13T23:16:14-07:00August 13, 2013|Documentaries, Photos|

MIKE GERBER • In the process of relinking and refurbishing this site, I was reminded of a David Bailey documentary that I watched late last year. I think you might enjoy it — it's called "Four Beats to the Bar, and No Cheating." Well worth your time. http://youtu.be/zDjLXi-BPCA Will I ever get enough of the BBC? Probably not. And I know I won't get enough of Bailey's work. We've covered it before on Dullblog, and if you haven't seen his photos of John and Paul or Brian Epstein, you're in for a treat.

1

Psychedelia in the UK: "A Technicolor Dream"

By Michael Gerber|2013-08-12T18:01:53-07:00July 23, 2013|1965, 1966, 1967, Documentaries, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Sgt. Pepper|

Inside the "Ally Pally," for The 14-Hour Technicolor Dream, 1967 Any of you that have been interested by my burblings on "psychedelia"—by which I mean the whole gestation, birth and decay of the flower-power movement—will be interested in a video I streamed from Netflix last night: "A Technicolor Dream." It documents the UK scene: the Albert Hall poetry reading in 1965; the Indica bookstore; IT; The London Free School; UFO; and finally the Fourteen Hour Technicolor Dream on April 30, 1967. Lots of Beatles-related stuff in here, from McCartney's right-hand Miles, to footage of a very stoned John Lennon. Here's [...]

4

The Brian Epstein Story

By Michael Gerber|2013-08-22T16:09:42-07:00August 6, 2012|Brian Epstein, Documentaries|

Can't remember if I posted this before, but here's a great 1998 BBC documentary on Brian Epstein. (I originally posted just the first segment, but the subsequent segments were not auto-loading, so I found all nine.) Watch The Brian Epstein Story. You will enjoy it. (And when you're finished, read Devin's great story about seeing the film which I've told to more Beatlefans than I can count.) http://youtu.be/1tHJa6zhDjo http://youtu.be/SPeIPo4tAo8 http://youtu.be/N69lbr6HryU http://youtu.be/5qKLL234af0 http://youtu.be/dJaSfoj8SR4 http://youtu.be/YK1R3iORpEs http://youtu.be/_kGiauUVnBA http://youtu.be/GfRpnvUonA8 http://youtu.be/ESD79NZ3rXk

46

Review of "Living In The Material World"

By Michael Gerber|2015-04-26T06:17:55-07:00September 14, 2011|Documentaries, George Harrison, Interviews, Reviews|

We're all water Pal o' Dullblog Shirley Wicevich was lucky enough to catch an advance screening of Martin Scorsese's new George Harrison documentary, "Living In The Material World." Here are her thoughts. HD: Where'd you see the movie, Shirley? SW: At the Telluride Film Festival over Labor Day Weekend; I've volunteered there for 6 years. First Ken Burns came out, and gave the prelude to what the audience was about to experience. Then he introduced the film's co-producers, George's widow Olivia and David Tedeschi. That night was the first time that Olivia watched the documentary at a public viewing. HD: [...]

1

Seth Swirsky: Magical Mystery Tourist

By Michael Gerber|2015-01-16T18:25:12-08:00March 9, 2008|Chris Carter/Breakfast With the Beatles, Documentaries|

One of these people is George Martin. The other is Seth Swirsky. This morning on "Breakfast with the Beatles," Chris Carter interviewed a friend of his, Seth Swirsky, a songwriter/author/blogger/jack-of-all-trades who is (naturally) a Beatles fan. (Here's Seth's photo with George Martin at the "LOVE" premiere in Las Vegas, 2006.) Seth is finishing a documentary called "A Year in the Life," where... [MORE]...he documents the twelve months he spent traveling around the world interviewing famous people and hearing their stories about The Beatles. There's a great trailer on his site, Seth.com. (Early adopter, eh Seth?) According to the site, the [...]

5

Multipronged!

By Ed Park|2015-01-16T17:58:46-08:00February 5, 2008|Documentaries|

ED PARK • I. Has anyone seen/heard of I Met the Walrus? It's nominated for an Oscar, for Best Animated Short Film.In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon's hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview. This was in the midst of Lennon's "bed-in" phase, during which John and Yoko were staying in hotel beds in an effort to promote peace. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it. Using the original interview recording as the soundtrack, director Josh Raskin has woven a visual narrative [...]

3