The Beatles: A Celebration

January. 01,1999      
Rating:
5.8
Trailer Synopsis Cast

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.

John Lennon as  Self (archive footage)
Paul McCartney as  Self (archive footage)
George Harrison as  Self (archive footage)
Ringo Starr as  Self (archive footage)

Reviews

Casey Duggan
1999/01/01

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

... more
Tayyab Torres
1999/01/02

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

... more
Erica Derrick
1999/01/03

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

... more
Ginger
1999/01/04

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

... more
dbdumonteil
1999/01/05

..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.

... more
milesfar
1999/01/06

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.

... more