The Beatles " The First U.S. Visit" An Apple Film 1991

This film will really get you back to the spirit of Beatlemania and the early 60's. It was filmed by Albert and David Maysles, who for some obscure reason, were granted unlimited access to the first tour. The film begins with the infamous Idewild Airport arrival on February 7th, 1964 and The Beatles initial appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. From there they move on to Washington, D.C. by train for a concert.

The most interesting thing about this film is that it preceeds "A Hard Day's Night" by about 6 months. The script for the movie was crafted from the experiences of this film, including the REAL train trip from New York to Washington, D.C. Apparently, Richard Lester(who is in the film) was taking notes the whole way and his subsequent film is certainly a direct result of this journey with The Beatles. The only thing missing is Paul's Grandfather, who was played in "A Hard Day's Night" by Wilfred Bramble.

The film also includes the 3 Ed Sullivan Appearances as well as concert footage of the Washington, D.C. event. But the real kicker to this film is the live, unscripted videotape on the train ride to D.C. This is improvisational comedy, talking, observances of America and a rare look at the Beatles as they were "off screen."

The scenes in the hotel are a priceless glimpse into what it is like to have thousands of people trying to get near you. Really, they were virtual prisoners, traveling the world and seeing very little of it. Also, in the cars and hotel room scenes you get a great idea of what they were listening to. Paul always has a transistor radio with him and stays mostly tuned to R and B, or soul stations. I found this very interesting, as they were crafting a new "pop" sound at the time.

Neil Aspinall, The Beatles' former press manager, was one of the Producers of this film, which was also released as "What's Happening! The Beatles in the USA.". An associate of the Fab Four for more than 45 years, his unique insights are also on record in this film.

I have long been a fan of The Beatles and shy away from all the nonsense stuff that floats around. I saw this film on a library shelf more than 18 years ago (it was released in the early 1990's) and never picked it up. Recently I was bored enough to take a look. I'm still singing.... and I may even grow my hair long again!