If your a beatle fan this film shows the base ...
926304
If your a beatle  fan  this film shows the base on which  became the iconic band
1827121
This book give a great account of everyone of the Beatles in film and the stories of the movies they made and those they almost made. I would recommend this book for any Beatle's fan or anyone who loves a great film
3437895
I only knew Jazz trumpeter Don Ellis from his one hit Lp Don Ellis Band Goes Underground  back in 1969. And, honestly, I forgot all about it until I received this new DVD documentary on Ellis for review.  In 2007 documentary film director John Vizzusi decided the time had come to give Ellis his due and this 71-minute film is the result. Vizzusi interviews many of the original members of the Ellis band as well as using archival footage from an interview with band leader  Maynard Ferguson (who  died in 2006). Ellis was a member of trumpeter Fergusons band before heading out on his own to expand the definition of jazz. (There is also some archival audio from Stan Kenton).  Elliss electric  band played jazz, but it was infused with classical and rock moments. They often played with rock bands on the bill at the Fillmore West. In 1972 Ellis composed the score for the hit film The French Connection (and won a Grammy for the soundtrack album). He followed up with more film scores including The Seven-Ups and Kansas City Bomber.

There are moments from an archival video interview with Ells (who died in 1978 in Los Angeles at the young age of 44) held at Alfred University in 1978.  And there are other brief moments from a public TV show (undated) produced by KQED-San Francisco titled Music Art San Francisco where Ellis and his band perform music among the art in an art museum.

The DVD provides a real nice bonus. The complete Music Art San Francisco film (running time is 57 minutes).

The  DVD release comes from the German Arthaus Musik label, distributed in the US by Naxos.  There is a 16-page booklet with photos, a 2-page intro by the Director and a four page essay on the musician, which is repeated in German.

Footage of Ellis and the band come from the UCLA Ethnology Dept and were restored the best they could be but the images are not always sharp. So don't expect HD quality. But, after all, its all about the music and its time Ellis got his due.

I hope you found this review both informative and helpful.

Steve Ramm
Anything Phonographic
1236889
The "Across the Universe" film is plagued by a diluted meandering script that manages to rise above mediocrity when the songs are playing....the musical segments are original and at times, stunning.

 No gripes about the vocal performances; the re-worked Beatles songs are treated with respect and convincingly sung by the cast. I have my favorites, but I can say that there's not a clunker in the bunch.

The film would have tanked without the Beatles music and the love of fans from across the generations. I am also pleased to find out that so many kids are finally understanding why my generation thinks the Beatles are the greatest rock band ever.

P.S.  I feel that the most effective use of adapted Beatles music was in the film "I Am Sam". Great heart wrenching script, stellar acting, and great versions of Beatle classics. Buy that soundtrack with this one!
49715
I absolutely thought this movie was the best Beatle movie I've seen. I laughed, I cried, and it's got a great soundtrack too!! My sister and I are die hard Beatlemaniacs and she watches it almost everyday. It's one you never get tired of! The plot's based around Ringo so that makes it even more interesting! Buy it and enjoy!
4227258
Album is quite reminiscent of the Beatle's psychedelic days but not a knockoff. Wish I could have seen the band at Coachella!
4209422
This is for the die-hard Beatles fan only. The group is not a tight as they would be after eventual signing by EMI records, but they do show potential. Pete Best does not keep time as well as Ringo which is probably why he was let go. If you want the raw beginnings of the Beatles,  a bit rough around the edges but betraying much heart, this is a good documentary.
4454515
The Beatles "A Hard Day's Night" DVD set is a must have for all Beatles fans if you don't already have this movie on a previous DVD release.  The movie itself is excellent.  Although I'm American and I don't get all of the British humor (plus the fact that I wasn't around in the 60's), I find it very funny anyway.  It's a good mix of comedy and music.
I think A Hard Day's Night is the most underrated Beatles album.  It's the first Beatles album of completely Lennon/McCartney originals, and I think it's a turning point in the progress of the quality of their songs.
Some of the songs are at the wrong speed and key, which is annoying.  I wish that would have been fixed, but that's ok.  The sound is some kind of fake stereo/5.1 mix.  A true stereo mix would have been excellent.  These are the biggest let downs of this DVD set.
The bonus disc is interesting at times, but quite boring at others.  It's an in depth look at the producers, directors, and actors.  I'm a Beatles fan, so not everything on this disc is enjoyable to me.  However, there's a lot of good information about the movie to be found there.  I think George Martin's thoughts on each song from the soundtrack are the most intersting to me.
I don't think it's a great DVD set as far as what DVD can do and special features, but the movie itself carries the set to 4 out of 5 stars.  If you've never seen this movie, but enjoy the Beatles' music, you should at least see this movie.  It's very enjoyable to me and I think most Beatle fans would like it.
2790215
some might not agree.
The mono/singles are significantly different from the album versions.  BOTH in editing and mixing.  That is interesting to people who like to listen closely.  (Ask a Beatles fan...God knows how much hay's been made in THAT wheelhouse.)  More & More is a good example of there being significant deviation from the album recordings in terms of mix.  (The ending in particular....)
I'd been harping at Wounded Bird records to try to license The O&P Soundtrack recordings since at least 2000.  I'm not the person who apparently convinced them (I think I annoyed them, so I'd take an assist credit.....along with many other trumpet players who advocated for the Columbia Maynard Ferguson & Don Ellis discographies) so I'm OVERJOYED that they're out now without the sniping of the principal characters from the movie all over it.  The movie session tapes are DRY.  NO reverb whatsoever.  That will hit your ear as  strange after the post production movie & Soundtrack LP have been in your ears for 40ish years.  But there are GREAT moments on these and it is EASILY worth the purchase price.
4699528
This is a must see DVD for not only die hard CLASH fans but for those who follow the history of popular music. The desperation of the times is truly captured in a massive collection of archival footage and interviews with friends and foes alike. Joe Strummer came out of a bohemian existence to lead the ONLY BAND THAT MATTERS to worldwide acclaim and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This documentary follows Strummer's humble pub band beginnings to starting the Clash starving the whole way thru flare ups,arrests, controversies and ultimately...success. The most important message throughout is that the band never really compromised their vision. Though detractors fault them for experimenting in different styles and the Clash were in effect always trying to make that next step forward. True the band burned out rather than fade away, but their place in history was all secured in a few short incendiary years.. The sorry part of watching The Future is Unwritten is the fact that Joe Strummer is no longer with us to make thought provoking music...but what a legacy he left behind...this is a must see !!!
3336636
Anthology One is, as many other reviewers have said, a collection intended primarily for hard core Beatle fans.  The sound on many of the early recordings is, as you might expect, raw and rather poor in quality.  But rather than whining about "scraping the bottom of the barrel", fans of the fab four should delight in gaining valuable insight into the early days of the band.  Fortunately for us John, Paul, George, and Ringo all became better musicians and vocalists.
I avoid comparisons between the two discs in this set because I believe they complement one another.  In the second disc one hears an obviously more polished, professional sound than on the first, but that doesn't mean the first disc is rubbish-far from it.  My favorite tracks on the set are "Three Cool Cats", "Besame Mucho", and interesting live versions of "This Boy" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand".  My least favorite tracks are "How Do You Do It", which George Martin had intended to be the Beatles' first single (fortunately, the band persuaded him to release "Love Me Do" instead) and "Free as a Bird", which suffers from overproduction by Jeff Lynne and sounds more like ELO than the Beatles (I have this same complaint about "Real Love" on Anthology Two as well as most of George Harrison's "Cloud Nine" album).  In the hands of a different producer, I'm sure this song would have sounded more "Beatle-like".
Despite the few negatives, Anthology One is overall a very good collection and a must have for diehard Beatlemaniacs.
548973
I love Beatles' music.  That said it is nice to sometimes hear new versions on old classics.  Across The Universe is a wonderful recreation of Beatles' music...the movie is also great.
98248
This is a film I watched in a theater in 1969, when it was first released.
It is the Beatles breaking up on film.
It is also a statement from the top of London, to the establishment of the time, saying this is it, so f@*k you ! This is what we earned !
I just watched it again and the message remains the same ! They knew it was over !
What a sad message for us, but a strong one from them !
Everyone that grew up with this music, should own this dvd.
4531579
You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to really enjoy this film. It celebrates the Beatles razor sharp wit and playful relationship with both the media and fans.  So packed with information you'll have to watch it again and again, it leaves you with plenty to think about. The sheer number of clues is staggering and will leave a even the biggest cynic a little unsure about what to believe. Filled with tons of great Beatles footage a must see for any Beatles fan. The legend of the Beatles continues to grow thanks to this great film.

A. Peers- Panorama City, CA
4771364
Such a great film with great music. As a woman I liked hearing my favorite beatles songs song by girls and I love prettty much all the adaptions. My personal favorite it Because.
This album was worth every penny.
3419800
We tend to take the Beatles for granted and put them on the shelf, listening instead to more modern stuff.  That's a mistake because the Beatles covered so very much ground.
Their early works were a bunch of 'bubblegum' 45rpm hits which you can trace on up to the more mature but still disconnected 'White Album'.  Then there was the studio Martin(music producer/director) works that lead into the Sgt. Pepper blended songs where everything followed a theme.  The Abbey Road album was a crossroads, with one side individual hit songs while the other was the more refined studio blend of songs, all interrelated.  To me, this was the definitive Beatle album.

Music is a matter of taste and to me, Abbey Road(made, ironically, after the group had broken apart) was the best Beatles album and as such, a must have for any rock music lover.  You get the old Beatles on one side and the 'advanced' mature Beatles on the other.  Enough said...
2113802
I also saw this film at the theatre when I was young.  I also have this in VHS and now in DVD.  I'm happy with my purchase of this dvd.  It's like watching a long music video but better.  Funny as the first movie they made.  I also recommend this film to Beatles' fans as it has a lot of action and comedy.  Even folks who don't know the Beatles' that well can't help but like this one.