Desertman84 The Beatles Anthology is a documentary series about the history of The Beatles. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr all participated in it.The documentary used interviews with The Beatles and their associates to narrate the history of the band as seen through archival footage and performances. It is a series first-person accounts by the Beatles themselves, with no external "objective" narration. Footage in the Anthology series features voice-over recordings of all four Beatles to push the narrative of the story, with contributions from their producer, road manager and others. As well as telling their story through archival footage, the remaining living Beatles - Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison - appear in interview segments recorded exclusively for the series itself.The late John Lennon appears only in historic archival footage. It is a must-see for any Beatles fan.No question about it.It gives you new information of on the greatest band that ever performed.Also,it provides rare performances of the Fab Four that have never been seen before.A gem for anyone who likes the British band.Finally,anyone who loves the legendary band could not get enough in this 11-hour documentary.

runamokprods For a Beatle fan (like me) this 10 hour documentary was both thrilling and just a little disappointing. Thrilling because all the music has been re-mixed, re-mastered and sounds great, because there are lots of details that, even as I fan, I didn't know, because there's more insight than offered elsewhere into their breakup, and more important, into what held them together. A good job is done of combining new interviews with the then 3 living Beatles, and recorded interviews with John from many sources, so his views and insights aren't missing. The last couple of hours go deeper than I suspected, and were quite moving. On the disappointment side there are a few issues. First, at least for me, much of the first half got repetitive. Not much new insight into the birth or meaning of Beatlemania, just lots (and lots and lots) of concert and TV footage, often of them playing the same songs, sometimes obviously just lip-syncing to records. Also, their personal lives are left out entirely. I understand not focusing on relationships, etc, but there's virtually no mention of wives, divorces, affairs, children, or how any of that intersected with their music and work. Last, I was sorry it didn't go deeper into the creation of the music itself. While there are lot of great tidbits from the group and George Martin about specific songs, considering there was 10 hours of program, I didn't get enough of how they worked, how they wrote, how they influenced each other. Nor do we get much of their personal views of the world, politics, etc. And somehow the sense of how much their brief 7 years meant to music and to world culture seems missing, or at least not really explored.Yet, whatever was missing, I tore through the 10 hours in 2 nights, and would have happily seen more.

dbdumonteil Four DVD and it features all that made the Beatles the only historical force in the world of rock.It does not pass over in silence the less glorious moments (for example the Philippine episode or the doomed let it be sessions) .Some will complain because Lennon's comments had not the "Threetles"' hindsight ,but was there another way to deal with that? The fifth DVD is less interesting but it's a bonus so why complain?Its the equivalent of the Anthologies 1,2 and 3 released on CDs in 1995-6 All the important groups and solo artists should have an anthology like this one.It goes without saying that only the greatest ones deserve it!

rkinsler If you could roll the respective significance of `Citizen Kane,' `Gone With the Wind' and `Lawrence of Arabia' into one film, you might have somewhat of an idea what the Beatles mean to contemporary music. Indeed, while Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly laid the groundwork, the Beatles forever defined the musical and artistic boundaries by which all future pop players would be judged. Indeed, the DVD format has provided modern day audiences with a chance to see why the Fab Four's legacy is something much more significant than a mere history lesson. `The Beatles Anthology' (released April 1, 2003 on DVD) picks up where the 2002-issued collector's edition release of `A Hard Day's Night' left off, providing more insight into the minds and music of the band that put Liverpool on the map. In addition to the in-depth chronology taking viewers on a magical mystery trip through the 1960s, new and never-before-seen material features interviews with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the late George Harrison at Abbey Road Studios in May 1995 as they listen to classic Beatles tracks with producer George Martin. The jewel of the release is additional footage of the three one-time mop tops jamming together in George Harrison's garden.DVD extras? You get them here. Indeed, the DVD release features a bonus disc featuring approximately 80 minutes of material more than the deluxe, eight-volume VHS release that expanded on the ABC special broadcast on Nov. 19, 22 and 23, 1995. Needless to say, all fans of rock music and 20th century pop culture should own this collection.