Beatles ’64 – A Formulaic Addition to the Beatles Cannon

The mid 1960s sensation known as Beatlemania was such a cultural landslide that we may never quite understand its magnitude. The number of records released, concerts, audiences, and rabid fans that would follow the band around the world is something that most modern artists can only dream about. Despite being now 55-years after the break-up of The Beatles, many continue to analyze the band and their career to try to comprehend how grandiose their commercial and artistic output truly was. Director David Tedeschi attempts this challenge with his latest effort, Beatles ‘64. Through the film, he looks forward to present to audiences the footage shot by David and Albert Maysles during the Beatles’ first tour in the United States. 

To set the stage, Tedeschi first established the tense political climate of the United States in 1964. A few months after the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, the country found itself in a state of mourning. Meanwhile, he shows the renaming of New York City’s second major airport as an homage to Kennedy, before connecting the moment with the arrival of the Liverpool phenomenon on American soil. There is a constant sense of novelty when the film uses a 4K restoration of the footage. The film also offers rare recordings that Tedeschi organizes, allows audiences to watch as a curated film. His approach combines the work by the Maysles with talking head interviews of people impacted by their iconic 1964 visit. Also, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr make appearances commenting on expositions of memorabilia from that era, such as the suits they used to wear, organized now in a gallery in Brooklyn, New York. 

Even though the footage provides a newer look at the cultural importance of Beatlemania, Tedeschi fails by creating a bureaucratic documentary that does not thrive in honoring such rare imagery. In this sense, the shift between 1964 and 2024 must work cohesively. The construction is abrupt, diminishing the impact of both parts, creating a constant feeling of disconnection between what is on the screen. While the two blocks have fascinating elements, as a whole, they miss a more extensive link. Nevertheless, some interviews focused on their groundbreaking performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 are more interesting than the usual telling of McCartney and Ringo in front of museum glasses. 

In the end, Beatles ’64 falls into shallow territory as it merely recycles the canon about the Liverpool superstars. On the other hand, it is honorable to remaster and restore in the rare footage of their first American expedition in 4K. Either way, the film only touches the superficial level of discussion about the political turmoil that the director tries to bring to the forefront. The editing forgets about the following events of JFK’s assassination and how it reverberates to the culture as a whole. Instead, it chooses to use it only to serve as a cheap gimmick to set the time of that year. While there are plenty of interesting subjects to be had here, those ideas are left in the corner in favor for press conference footage and other random moments dragging the overall rhythm. 

Ultimately, Beatles ’64 is a formulaic addition to the canon of Disney+ documentaries about the Beatles. It simply recycles images that do not bring anything new to the table, and its construction does not collaborate.

still courtesy of Apple Corps, Ltd

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Pedro Lima

Brazilian film writer. He is also a producer and executive producer for Zariah Filmes. Member of the International Film Society Critics Association (IFSCA), International Documentary Association (IDA), and Gotham and Media Film Institute.