Yesterday was the big celebration of the Beatles fiftieth anniversary of their first performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. The Beatles performed five songs which more than 73 million people tuned in to watch. Much has been made about their music, justifiably so, and the impact that it had on the world, but few have in the last few weeks talked about the films they made and the impact that they had on our culture and film making in general.
The first of the Beatles’ film, A Hard Day’s Night was released 50 years ago this year to both both critical and box office success. Credited as being one of the most influential musical films of all time, Time magazine has named it one of the all-time great 100 films, the movie changed how we looked at the performers and set the stage for the modern music video. It also went on to inspire the 60’s television show The Monkees.
The Beatles went on to make or inspire four more films, the next being the James Bond tinged Help! which featured the Beatles in color and in exotic locations. The comical elements heightened, the action beefed up, but in the end all that matters is the amazing soundtrack which featured songs that we still listen to today and not just because radio has not stop playing them all these years. Each film gives us a glimpse of where the Beatles were at in their lives and career. Nothing more so than their last film Let It Be. Which showed us a band at the end. The tension that fills the screen when the four are together is heart breaking and fascinating at the same time. Not the same band that first appeared on Ed Sullivan, but leaving a legacy of music, amazingly in such a short time span of only seven years, that we will still remember and love for another fifty more years to come.
A Hard Day’s Night (1964) US One Sheet
Help! (1965) French Petite
Yellow Submarine (1968) US Three Sheet.
While the Beatles only appear in the film briefly as themselves (other actors voiced over their voices), this film defined the Beatles and the era. The music, psychedelic and heavy, came from several Beatles album but also include several original songs.
Let It Be (1970) US Three Sheet
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