Unlike other Beatles documentaries, Parting Ways: An Unauthorized Story on Life After the Beatles focuses solely on the solo years. While the information presented may be new to casual fans, longtime devotees will find little new material on this DVD.
Like other unauthorized documentaries, the program contains no original music. Interviews mainly consist of press conference footage, and familiar photographs (many from the Beatles years) are shown. While each Beatle is profiled individually, many important details are curiously omitted. The John Lennon section barely mentions the Plastic Ono Band, skipping over the 1969 Live Peace in Toronto concert. Additionally, photographs are shown out of order; for example, the narrator discusses Lennon's relationship with Yoko Ono while airing footage circa 1967 of Lennon and Cynthia exiting a plane.
Continuing to the Paul McCartney chapter, the DVD provides no new information about his life. The only interesting clips include a testy interview he conducted after receiving an award from the Guinness Book of World Records. Other rare footage includes Derek Taylor awkwardly fielding questions abut McCartney's 1970 departure from the Beatles. While skimming over details such as the landmark Band on the Run album, the program does include an extensive retelling of the Heather Mills divorce scandal. 
George Harrison fares no better, with the DVD relying on Beatles-era photos and displaying few solo-era images. While the documentary describes All Things Must Pass, it mysteriously omits all of his other '70s work. The only mildly interesting anecdotes include Harrison's constant fear of obsessive fans, pointing out that he became more reclusive after surviving the 1999 knife attack. Footage from the 2009 Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony includes moving tributes from Tom Hanks and Olivia Harrison.
.jpg?t=20130517094513)
Article comments