Ron Howard Directing Beatles documentary
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audi:
"Authorized" accounts rarely please everyone. I'm much more interested in "unauthorized" documentaries. Granted, given his stature, Paul does the best job he can to tell things accurately -- while respecting the legacy, which can mean more "selective" recollections sometimes. While Wingspan was a very, very lovely tribute to Linda McCartney, it really should not have been called Wingspan. The fact that Denny Laine, Steve Holley, Laurence Juber, surviving members of Jimmy McCulloch's family, etc. were not included in the project left a lot of holes in the full story. I would hope that Ron Howard would keep this in mind.
Hope he does, and I definitely agree with you on "Wingspan" and other authorized films. "Imagine: John Lennon" was a bit sanitized, and Scorsese's George movie skipped from "Dark Horse" (just to mention the tour, not the music) in '74 to the end of his life, with barely a mention of anything in between, certainly not the albums themselves. Beautiful films, but they're more for a general audience than for fans who want a deeper look at their legacies.
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Paul and Ringo - and to some extent Yoko and Olivia - are interested in (and should be) protecting the Beatles brand and legacy. While "authorized" accounts may be more sanitized or bland, that is definitely their intension.
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LiveForever:
Paul and Ringo - and to some extent Yoko and Olivia - are interested in (and should be) protecting the Beatles brand and legacy. While "authorized" accounts may be more sanitized or bland, that is definitely their intension.
Yes, absolutely. So we really shouldn't expect anything "juicy" from this Ron Howard film, probably just fond remembrances, mainly.
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I'm actually looking forward to this because I feel like it's focusing on a great part of the Beatles story that tends to receive less attention - they were a kick-ass, rocking, tight, live band. Yes, the Lennon/McCartney songwriting team (and Harrison) was fascinating and magical. Yes, Beatlemania was crazy and kind of ridiculous, and a phenomenon that had never been seen. Yes, the psychedelic period kicked off a summer of love, etc. Yes, their time in the studio ushered in a new way of recording and the results are groundbreaking (that still stand the test of time). All this is great and a big part of the Beatles' story. But I do feel that their abilities as a live band tend to get glossed over in the bigger picture. I'm sure this will be watered down for it to be palatable for casual fans and the general viewing audience, but it has a lot of potential. There's a lot of footage out there that can probably be nice to watch now given the advances in technology. I expect to see a lot of new things and that alone is worth getting excited over.
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They are also asking the public for any Beatles footage or "memorabilia."
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favoritething:
dappa-macca:
Ron Howard isn't a schlub, I hardly think he'll allow interviews of Yoko and Olivia to be part of the main narrative. He'll do it right. They have to be involved because they represent George and John though, so I am not at all surprised. I wonder if Mark Lewisohn will be contributing at all or used as a technical advisor. I kind of hope not because I want him to focus on the next book
I suspect you're right about Yoko and Olivia interviews. Still, in all the years they were married to John and George, it's quite possible they told some stories of those days that haven't been heard before, right? (Some people can't resist hatin' on the wives, can they!!) Ron Howard could do a good job, but he hasn't exactly been on a roll lately with his movies. We shall see!
Oh, I'm sure Yoko was curled up on her mattress on stage at Shea Stadium...or, if not there, then the Budokan in Japan for sure. She'll have footage of that. Actually, I'm more concerned in how the band will sound. They did get a bit sloppy by '66 when they were fed up with it all and couldn't hear themselves...and people didn't come to hear them anyway. and then technology wasn't there.... How they sound will be CRUCIAL in this project. Many people still believe they were not a good live band. This will be used one way or the other for justifying beliefs people have of the band....how they come off in a documentary by Ron Howard!!! Should I be worried? :
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Like any band they had good nights and they had bad nights. They flubbed their lyrics and messed up their harmonies. But in all that chaos it didn't matter. As Ringo said, he felt people didn't come to listen to their music, they came to see them in person. That is why they stopped touring, because nobody could hear anything. Not the audience and certainly not the group. But I have bootlegs which prove when they were having a good night, they were the best! One thing I think Yoko and Olivia can bring to this is the aftermath, during the '70's when all the offers were coming in for a reunion. It will be interesting to hear their recollections of that time before John died.
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Yoko and Olivia shouldn't have anything to do with this movie other than signing off on it as representatives of John and George's interest in Apple Corps. Neither was around during Beatlemania or the touring years.
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DrBeatle:
Yoko and Olivia shouldn't have anything to do with this movie other than signing off on it as representatives of John and George's interest in Apple Corps. Neither was around during Beatlemania or the touring years.
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DrBeatle:
Yoko and Olivia shouldn't have anything to do with this movie other than signing off on it as representatives of John and George's interest in Apple Corps. Neither was around during Beatlemania or the touring years.
That's your opinion and I respectfully disagree. Both of them have valuable insight into their husbands' feelings about the offers for hundreds of millions to tour or to play a one-off as The Beatles. And Yoko met John right as The Beatles stopped touring, and she will know a lot about it. None of that may be in the film anyway, but they are the keepers of the flame, or the film, as it were.
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DrBeatle:
Yoko and Olivia shouldn't have anything to do with this movie other than signing off on it as representatives of John and George's interest in Apple Corps. Neither was around during Beatlemania or the touring years.
I totally agree with you!
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Erik in NJ:
DrBeatle:
Yoko and Olivia shouldn't have anything to do with this movie other than signing off on it as representatives of John and George's interest in Apple Corps. Neither was around during Beatlemania or the touring years.
I totally agree with you!
That being said, I fear Yoko will be ALL OVER this if they decide to include interviews with those who were there that are still around...thing is, they should include Cyn since not only was she around but she went to America in '64 with them!
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DrBeatle:
Erik in NJ:
DrBeatle:
Yoko and Olivia shouldn't have anything to do with this movie other than signing off on it as representatives of John and George's interest in Apple Corps. Neither was around during Beatlemania or the touring years.
I totally agree with you!
That being said, I fear Yoko will be ALL OVER this if they decide to include interviews with those who were there that are still around...thing is, they should include Cyn since not only was she around but she went to America in '64 with them!
Exactly!
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Nancy R:
DrBeatle:
Erik in NJ:
DrBeatle:
Yoko and Olivia shouldn't have anything to do with this movie other than signing off on it as representatives of John and George's interest in Apple Corps. Neither was around during Beatlemania or the touring years.
I totally agree with you!
That being said, I fear Yoko will be ALL OVER this if they decide to include interviews with those who were there that are still around...thing is, they should include Cyn since not only was she around but she went to America in '64 with them!
Exactly!
Absolutely! I really feel confident that Ron Howard is going to do a G-G-G-GREAT job on this documentary! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!
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Can't wait! Should be really interesting to watch. -Rubber Soul13
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5th-beatle:
Wow, thanks for that update. I can't wait to see this! Wonder when it's scheduled for release?
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I've been waiting for this film a long time, I can't wait to see it! I'm a very big fan of Ron Howard, I love watching his films!
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Can't wait to see this. Howard is an excellent director. Hope it has a decent run in theaters -- I want to see it on a big screen.
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jl4761:
I've been waiting for this film a long time, I can't wait to see it! I'm a very big fan of Ron Howard, I love watching his films!
Agree. Knowing his CV, this will be excellent I'm sure!