Ok, now for some real thoughts on Eight Days A Week.
When I first heard about this documentary, I was a little disappointed that there wouldn't be a "studio years" installment, which in my mind would've been much more interesting. But after watching the film, I appreciate the focus on the touring years, because: 1) It reminds us just how nuts Beatlemania was, and 2) It's super interesting to see how the Beatles affected everything that was going on culturally and socially in the mid-60s (their refusal to play segregated venues, the Jesus quote debacle, etc.). I mean, that continued into the late 60s too, but when they were touring, they were much more in the spotlight. Oh, and 3) The press conferences. So many zingers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZDAsKXl7oY
Here's a rundown:
The good:
- New stuff for die-hards. Although I'd seen most of the concert and interview footage over the years, it was nice to see some new material. Like interviews with fans ("George has sexy eyelashes!"), the German press conference where a reporter asked the Beatles why they're so snobby (good job deflecting that one, Paul), and a fan's home video of the '66 Candlestick show.
- Restored audio. I never really liked watching Beatles concert footage because the sound was so atrocious (it's just...all teenage screaming). But Giles Martin a.k.a. Son of God worked his magic on the recordings and they actually sound pretty amazing.
- The #dreamteam. I'm glad that appropriate tribute was paid to Brian Epstein and George Martin, and that Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall, and Derek Taylor didn't go unnoticed either. The Beatles had a surprisingly small entourage when touring the world from 1964-1966, and I've always admired how close they all were with these guys.
- Shea Stadium. (You only got to see the whole concert if you watched the movie in theaters.) The shots of the fans are priceless and the Lennon antics are at an all time high.
- George comparing the Beatles to rhubarb. He would.
The meh:
- Questionable Lennon censorship. I thought it was kinda weird they corrected John's lyric flubs for some of the live performances (personally, I think they're endearing). Although it's probably for the best that they edited out his clap hands/stomp feet routine...
- Random interviews e.g. "we're gonna bring in Eddie Izzard to talk about how the Beatles responded to media hecklers, and we're gonna show him juuust long enough to make you think, wait, what's Eddie Izzard doing here?"
- Colorized film. Unnecessary. It makes everything look so fake and bad.
whyyyyyyy
The film is available on Hulu, but seeing it in a theater of fellow Beatlefans was pretty entertaining, if you get a chance to do so. Like the audible horror at the colorized footage, everyone clapping along to "Eight Days A Week," and the guy in the front yelling along with "GOOD OL' FREDA!"
I think Ron Howard did an excellent job bringing Beatlemania back to life, while also capturing what made people like me fall in love with the Beatles in the first place: their wit, charm, and boundary-pushing music. Ending the film with the rooftop concert was expected, but it still made me tear up. The Beatles and their music came such a long way in such a short amount of time, it's insane. Their fans grew up, too: from screaming, crying teenagers to young men and women quietly watching from rooftops across the street. Whenever I start thinking about the arc of the 60s and how the Beatles influenced it, I get all emotional, so I'm just going to stop right here.
TL;DR: Eight Days a Week is definitely worth a watch. There are some weird bits, but the great restored footage and cheeky interviews more than make up for it.
Thanks guys, you're the best.