Act Naturally

The five films the Beatles worked on during their time together (A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, Yellow Submarine, Let It Be) all represent key phases in the group’s career—some successful, some not. Subsequent reissues of the films have provided a deeper understanding of the group with bonus material, and the recent release of Let It Be on DVD and Blu-ray marks the return of Beatle mania since it was last available on VHS in 1981. A new documentary of the Let It Be film footage is being turned into a documentary by Peter Jackson, culling through fifty-five hours of raw footage to piece together a companion documentary to the original film. The Beatles have never done anything like this before.

Beatles expert Steve Matteo follows the fan frenzy around their films from the 1964 release of A Hard Day’s Night through the 1970 release of Let It Be to the reissue in 2022. Their earlier films parallel an unprecedented period in the artistic and commercial evolution of British world cinema. Matteo explores the production process, original theatrical film releases, subsequent VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray releases and bonus material, along with the U.S. and U.K. soundtracks. The film legacy of the Beatles is an exciting inside look at the group and their music-making process.