The Beatles Anthology (1995)

While this 8-hour documentary could be called "authoritative" there is an uncomfortable revisionism that permeates the whole. Again it seems, ensuring the participation of Yoko Ono and compensating for her zealous desire to project a saintly image of John Lennon, has resulted in a serious lack of objectivity in this documentary. Paul McCartney, probably in defiance of Yoko Ono's controlling ways, has become equally controlling. So these two irreconcilable camps needed to find a middle ground that each could find acceptable and so the integrity and honesty of this documentary suffers.These collisions of ego forced the filmmakers to limit the scope of what should have been revelatory, uncompromising and above all, an honest film. By interviewing solely within the Beatles camp and not seeking alternate opinions from friends, family, witnesses and adversaries, it might have appeared "easier" to control the content of the message.This fundamental problem raises its head early in the series with the treatment of Pete Best, the first drummer in the band. He is not given the chance to tell his side of the story by way of interviews or archival footage. The "authoritative" view of his leaving the band is left unclear and shady. George Martin is more revealing and forthright by stating he simply was "not a good enough drummer" for their first recording session.The exclusion of family members and fellow musician testimony is detrimental. Is Cynthia Lennon no part of The Beatles story? Is Julian not part of The Beatles history? Would Mick Jagger be able to enlighten the audience about the working methods in the studio? Could Keith Richards reveal what recreational drugs they were experimented with? The bands consumption of hard drugs is handled with considerable caution. It is clear that these kids smoked "pot" almost as often as they lit a cigarette. It is also on record that John Lennon was seriously influenced and affected by his prodigious taking of hallucinogenic drugs. The effect of this on his character is left completely unexplored. His use of other hard drugs, such cocaine or heroin are never mentioned.The compelling character of Brian Epstein is also left unexplored. His homosexuality and influence on John Lennon is left untouched. Stuart Sutcliffe, another riveting character in The Beatles story, is sidelined early on and his premature death and its effect upon his friends is not mentioned.Much of the runtime of Anthology is taken up with playing complete Beatles songs with visual montages or promotional videos. This time would have been better used with exploring the creation of the music with detailed explanations from George Martin and other technicians present in the studio. The excellent "classic album" series formula could have been incorporated to study the individual albums in greater detail, as often these moments at the mixing desk are the most revelatory.Finally, after much delay, Yoko Ono enters the picture but rather than exploring her vandalising effect upon The Beatles as a unit, her appearances are smoothly edited to a minimum. The effect upon Paul McCartney at having to rehearse and sing to John Lennon while Yoko sat immovable at his side is not explored. Yoko's hard faced determination to be present at all rehearsals and recording sessions and Lennon's weakness at allowing such a situation to continue was without doubt the catalyst for the break up of the Beatles. This conclusion is barely mentioned. McCartney only refers to her presence in fleeting terms and it is evident that his comments are tailored to cause the least offence possible.George Martin's frustration with what The Beatles had become after Lennon's love life entered the studio is not broached. His comments about Yoko Ono walking into the control room and planting herself in his presence without even an introduction from Lennon and his remarks about her destructive influence on The Beatles recording procedure are omitted. His leaving the band during the recording of the "Let It Be/Get Back" album and the introduction of Phil Spector into the Lennon camp is also absent.The conditions of George Martin returning to produce Abby Road are left undefined but it is possible one important desire was too keep all disruptive elements out of the studio. The Abby Road recording is told to have been a very happy experience for all involved but any revelation about it's evolution and creation is absent.It is a shame that such an important and lengthy record of the Beatles phenomena is so compromised. What any Beatles fan should expect from the devotion of spending 8 hours of their lives in watching a Beatle documentary is unreserved truth and a little closure. If anybody can shed light on these extraordinary times it by those that lived through it.This documentary raises far more questions about the legacy of The Beatles than it answers.

You don't need to be the biggest Beatlefan on Earth, or even a fan, to enjoy it. The amount of the information and the nice adaptation of it makes it a very pleasant viewing as it never makes too big claims or doesn't throw anything at your face. The point of view is almost microcosmic – it does not get ever boring by being too serious or does not get too banal by being too exact on trivial matters. The Beatles were a very human band of four people in the middle of their own myth.The Beatles Anthology may not give you the exact answers you have come to look for but, instead, it gives you a lively glimpse to the life of the band that became bigger than anyone had expected. Some people may have wanted more sensation but believe it – this order will eventually be much better. There will be much more rare performances, music and precious comments by the surviving band members and their assistants, and even more music. If you watched this in 1995 from television as it come out you might need to watch it again now in full length edition. Many things have changed after that. Whether you are a big Beatles fan or just getting into the groups' history, the Anthology will be an equal pleasure to you in either case. Because of the music alone you may find it as equally good one each time you'll be watching it.Certainly the viewpoint is not even attempted to be objective in scientific sense. Nevertheless the autobiography of the Beatles will be a valuable source for further study as you can follow the main scheme with the best possible guide there ever was present – the Beatles themselves.

I bought the Anthology on DVD from a Warehourse outlet (for a decent price I might add!), and spent the course of a week watching each individual DVD. While I remember watching it when it was telecast in 1995, there was a lot more detail and care put into the DVD including sound enhancement.As pointed out in previous comments, there are some omissions in the re-telling of the familiar tale. My impression is that if Lennon were still alive, he would offer a less sanitized version of events. Keep in mind that when the documentary was aired by ABC (owned by Disney) there was a compulsion to 'keep it clean'. While the use of marijuana could be quickly noted, there was no way they were going to mention the heavier drug use (Lennons heroin and speed addictions), Epsteins homosexuality and anything from the wife's (girlfriends) POV. Missing were commentaries from the friends they made in Germany and other family members as well.McCartney has often been criticized over the years for controlling the mythology of the Beatles, and fueling myths such as the Beatles being the first to use feedback on a rock and roll song. Now he is undertaking efforts to rename the order of composer on all of their songs from Lennon/McCartney to McCartney/Lennon. Part of the hubris in writing your own biography is that it is very convenient to cover up your flaws and mistakes as the 'sins of youth', rather than accept them for what they are and build from there.Perhaps the remaining Beatles can rethink and create a revisionist version of their story that will not gloss over their imperfections and character traits that was part of what made them the seminal icon of Rock and Roll Superstardom.

Very long, exhaustive documentary following the Beatles from their births up until their breakup in 1968. All three of the remaining Beatles are interviewed (as of 1995) to share their views of the band. We even hear John Lennon's thoughts--he recorded quite a large number of tapes about the band before he was tragically murdered.I saw it on TV back in 1995. It was great but the DVD is 100 times better. The picture and sound are crystal clear and the songs are nice, loud and in stereo (with THREE separate audio options to choose from). There is rare concert and studio footage all during the movie. Just mesmerizing.However some things are conveniently ignored--their manager Brian Epstein's homosexuality and attraction toward John (purportedly it was consummated); the horrible way they treated him; their drug use is REALLY played down; the hatred that Paul had toward Yoko Ono is ignored and Paul and George's battles are sort of glossed over. Also there is next to no information of their personal lives at all.Still, this is a definite must-see for all Beatle fans. If only they hadn't ended it with that dreadful "new" song "Free As A Bird".