After wowing The Beatles fans around the world with the latest versions of Get Back, Disney+ has unveiled the first trailer for the upcoming documentary Beatles ’64. The film is being helmed by directing legend Martin Scorsese.
The film, covering the Fab Four’s first trip to America, promises to be an in-depth look into the world they were facing at the start of Beatlemania and their music’s impact on the fans who first heard them.
This also marks Scorsese’s second documentary revolving around the Fab Four. Outside of working on concert films like The Rolling Stones’ Shine a Light and The Band’s The Last Waltz, Living in the Material World showcased Scorsese’s ability to tell the story of George Harrison’s life, from the beginning of his journey on guitar to his final hours.
Using both new interviews and archival audio from the former Beatles, the film shows what John Lennon described as “the eye of the hurricane” of their first appearances, including their record-breaking appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Despite their universal praise from countless fans, some archival footage also talks to people who didn’t understand what the group were about, remarking that the visceral reaction to it was “something very strange and very sick.”
Outside of sharing their love for rock and roll, other music legends like Motown’s great Smokey Robinson will be featured in the picture. Given the band’s eclectic history of loving Motown groups, Robinson remarks that The Beatles were one of the first to come to him and sing the praises of artists like Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Temptations and various other Motown greats.
Other interviewees have discussed the hysteria brought on by the Liverpool legends, with some remarking about how unusual it was that girls would fall over and weep over them when they were in their presence.
McCartney also talks about how important it was for The Beatles to have an impact on American culture at a time when the country was still mourning the assassination of President John F Kennedy. McCartney said that what The Beatles did may have been necessary for that time, saying, “Maybe America needed something like The Beatles to be lifted out of sorrow.”
That is echoed by various interviewees, remarking that the experience of listening to The Beatles was like watching some light come into the picture, discussing how the power of music could help bring people together.
Beatles ’64 arrives on Disney+ on November 29th.
