The Beatles: A Celebration (1999)
Geoffrey Giuliano is a Beatleologist who has written lots of books about them ,notably an interesting Harrison biography (Harrison reportedly said: "this guy knows more about my life than I do").He appears in his movie,as some kind of tourist guide who takes the viewer to Abbey road,the roof-where-the-last-concert-took-place ,and the gates of Strawberry Fields. Most of the interviews come from the post-Beatles era: Pete Best (and Fred Seaman ) speaks of the savage days in Hamburg .There is a lot of unseen photographs although they are sometimes anachronistic : for instance,they are talking about the campaign for peace while showing pictures of Lennon with his second son Sean.
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The Worst Film Ever
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
..If you are looking for a biography,this is not the DVD to buy.You'd better off with "Anthology" and if you haven't enough dough,"the compleat Beatles" will nicely do.Geoffrey Giuliano is a Beatleologist who has written lots of books about them ,notably an interesting Harrison biography (Harrison reportedly said: "this guy knows more about my life than I do").He appears in his movie,as some kind of tourist guide who takes the viewer to Abbey road,the roof-where-the-last-concert-took-place ,and the gates of Strawberry Fields.Most of the interviews come from the post-Beatles era :Pete Best (and Fred Seaman ) speaks of the savage days in Hamburg .There is a lot of unseen photographs although they are sometimes anachronistic : for instance,they are talking about the campaign for peace while showing pictures of Lennon with his second son Sean.Warning: there's no Beatles music in this one-hour documentary.Not a single note.Not even cover versions or instrumentals.Much time is given over to the solo careers:Eric Clapton 's interview concerns Harrison's Japanese tour;Paul 's is about his 1990 tour ;and Linda appears to remind us of Paul's Japanese adventure in early 1980.Beatles fans might be interested in this desultory documentary which has its moments.
A fine documentary by a seasoned author of pop lore. I got a lot more than I expected from this deep thinking DVD and learned much about the already well worn long and winding road of Beatlemania from the thoughtful commentary. With lots of ultra rare footage and a solid script/narration by Giuliano, The Beatles: A Celebration was great eye candy for Beatles fans of all ages. Particularly interesting was the take no prisoners marketing of the Beatles and their inner quest for meaning after the initial global onslaught of Beatlemania. Giuliano is a gripping narrator and Mark Devito did a fine job of telling this amazing tale with wit, brevity, compassion and irony.