Music DVD Review: - The Unseen Beatles

The Unseen Beatles is a 65-minute documentary feature shot by the BBC that seeks to answer one simple question. Why did the Beatles, at the height of its popularity as the biggest band in the world — indeed the biggest band in history — suddenly, and without warning decide to stop performing live concerts following their third American tour in 1966?

Using previously unseen footage (presumably from the BBC archives), as well as interviews with some of those who were closest to the Beatles during those heady years in the early '60s, this is a film that will only be of interest to the most dedicated Beatles fan. There is no Beatles music included, which automatically gives it that cheesy quality of other "unauthorized" accounts. Even the interview clips are frustratingly brief.

Still, there is something about this film that sets it apart from the various other unauthorized accounts out there.

First and foremost, is the fact that despite this film's use of the same sort of canned music and grainy images that "distinguish" other such unauthorized documentaries, the stamp of the BBC gives this one an odd air of authenticity. Even the grainy film footage — when combined with the deadly, to the point of being borderline humorous, seriousness of the narration — gives this film a quality of "newsworthiness." Granted, the authentic feel still comes in the sort of nostalgic sense of a theatre newsreel feature.

Beyond that, perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that this film actually does a fairly good job of answering just why the Beatles stopped performing. The usual reasons that are a matter of historic record — the band's desire to grow as musicians in the recording studio, the increasing frustration over the poor quality of the concerts themselves, and the overall craziness involved at the time — are all cited here.

But far more surprising are some of the insights offered by the people who actually lived the chaotic experience of Beatlemania on the road firsthand. The interviews given here range from Tony Bramwell, who was the Beatles road manager at the time, to members of support acts like the Remains and Sounds Incorporated, to journalist Maureen Cleave — who actually wrote the story where John Lennon claimed the Beatles were bigger than Jesus on the eve of their third, and ultimately final, American tour.

Article Author: Glen Boyd

You'll find Blogcritics assistant music editor Glen Boyd sharing his Thoughtmares on his personal blogs The World Wide Glen, and The Rockologist. In a previous life, Glen was a music professional and journalist whose work has appeared in The Rocket, SPIN, Pulse!, and The Source. …

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