A new documentary about the Beatles, titled Beatles ’64, will be available to stream exclusively on Disney+ on Nov. 29, acknowledging the 60th anniversary of the band’s first trip to America.
Directed by David Tedeschi, the release features rare footage by filmmakers Albert and David Maysles, which has been newly restored in 4K. Audio of the Beatles performing their very first U.S. concert in Washington D.C., as well as their performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in New York City, has been demixed by WingNut Films (a frequent collaborator of Peter Jackson’s) and remixed by Giles Martin, son of George Martin. There’s also newly filmed interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
The Beatles in America
It’s now been just over 60 years since the Fab Four made their first visit to the U.S., touching down in New York City on February 7, 1964. Two nights later they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, where they were watched by millions of people. From there the Beatles also traveled to Washington, D.C. and Miami, Florida, stirring up the phenomenon that would come to be known as Beatlemania in America.
Last year, Paul McCartney released a book of his own photography from that period of time, titled 1964: Eyes of the Storm. Many of those photos were also put on display this summer at the Brooklyn Museum in NYC.
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“Anyone who rediscovers a personal relic or family treasure is instantly flooded with memories and emotions, which then trigger associations buried in the haze of time,” McCartney said in a press release last year, speaking about the images he took. “This was exactly my experience in seeing these photos, all taken over an intense three-month period of travel, culminating in February 1964.”
In addition to the new film, there’s also a new Beatles box set on the way, The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono, which will be released on Nov. 22.
How Beatlemania Conquered the World in 1964
It was a history-making year for the Fab Four.
Gallery Credit: Allison Rapp
