The Beatles - The First U.S. Visit

Starring:Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Ralph Rennick, Murray the 'K', Brian Epstein, Ed Sullivan, Walter Cronkite, John Lennon, George Harrison
Director: Susan Frömke, Kathy Dougherty, Albert Maysles
Studio: Mpi Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Any fan of Richard Lester's A Hard Day's Night won't want to miss the documentary The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit by Albert and David Maysles. The Maysles brothers were given extraordinary access to the Beatles during their first trip to the U.S., in February 1964, for several concerts and their seminal first appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Like Hard Day's Night, which came out later that year, this film (also known as What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A.) shows lots of spontaneous cheekiness with the press and fans; the Beatles' wide-eyed bemusement at the hysteria they caused; as much cutting up as a tiny hotel room allows; and even specific scenes--goofing off on a commuter train, mod dancing in a nightclub--that would later appear in Lester's film. The only thing missing is Paul's grandfather.

Amazon.com

Any fan of Richard Lester's A Hard Day's Night won't want to miss the documentary The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit by Albert and David Maysles. The Maysles brothers were given extraordinary access to the Beatles during their first trip to the U.S., in February 1964, for several concerts and their seminal first appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Like Hard Day's Night, which came out later that year, this film (also known as What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A.) shows lots of spontaneous cheekiness with the press and fans; the Beatles' wide-eyed bemusement at the hysteria they caused; as much cutting up as a tiny hotel room allows; and even specific scenes--goofing off on a commuter train, mod dancing in a nightclub--that would later appear in Lester's film. The only thing missing is Paul's grandfather.

The performance segments alone are a must for fans. The three Ed Sullivan appearances show a great cross section of their hits at the time, including "All My Loving," "I Saw Her Standing There," a beautifully delivered "This Boy" by John Lennon, and a wobbly "I Saw Her Standing There" so out of tune George Harrison nearly cracks up as he listens to Lennon and Paul McCartney struggle for harmony. The blurry, badly mic'd footage of the concert at the Washington Coliseum shows the Beatles acting as their own roadies, setting up their instruments; the platform Ringo Starr drums on lurches ominously with each downbeat. It was a more innocent, exuberant time, to be sure, and this sweet documentary lets the Beatles phenomenon speak for itself. --Anne Hurley

Customer Reviews:

You Need this Dvd !.......2007-05-21

This is the original film documentry by the Maysles brothers, of the Beatles' first American visit. When the boys came to our shores in February 1964, the Maysles were commisioned to follow them around with cameras, detailing their every move during the entire brief tour. The result is now on dvd, fully remastered and really fun fun fun to watch.

A visual diary of Beatlemania unfolding for the first time, in America, the cameras follow them from the minute they descend the steps of the aircraft until they ascend again. In keeping with the cinema verite' style, there is no narration, only diologue, and events captured as they unfold. The camera captures the fan hysteria at the airport, in front of the Plaza Hotel, and of course in the Ed Sullivan studio, during the live taping of their historic appearances. It even eavesdrops on Murray the K as he counts down on his WINS radio show, the minutes to their arrival. But of course, 99% of this film is the Beatles themselves, just being themselves. (Or as natural as you can be if you have a camera in your face all the time.) You see them in the car going to the hotel, in the hotel , in Central Park, at the Peppermint Lounge,... everywhere, including their excursion to Miami Beach.

It's fun to note their excitement as they witness their impact on America, and realize that they are the first British act to actually win the hearts of this big, intimidating country. Their excitement is obvious and unrehearsed, especially Paul's. When I first watched this dvd, I hadn't seen The Beatles for a long time, and I was so overjoyed to see and hear them again. I had forgotten how young they were. I was also surprised that Paul comes across as the most natural, and the one who wears his heart on his sleeve (so to speak) more than the others. He can barely contain his excitement, and happiness in this film, and he doesn't bother trying. I was really surprised by how funny he is. In almost every scene, he is doing a funny accent or impersonation of someone, and he's really good. People seem to associate John with this sort of humor, but Paul was just as funny. John on the other hand, plays the cool man, putting a check on his excitement. In the car going to the hotel, John and Ringo look on with affectionate amusement as Paul,barely able to contain himself, practically bounces out of his seat, waving a transister radio around. George and Ringo are seen doing some slapstick on the train going to Washington D.C. but it isn't as funny as the droll one liners that both of them became known for as time went on. And in this particular film, they are not as fun to watch as dear Paul...and ultra cool John. The extras offered with this treasure of a dvd are also worth it. They contain out takes from the original film which include more clowning around,more McCartney craziness, ( in one scene with Murray the K, and later by the Plaza elevator, Paul almost seems,dare I say it,...high.) They had just left the Peppermint Lounge so who knows? Also of interest, are interviews on the street with snobby music students as they pontificate about the Beatles. If you're over a certain age (or you've seen the movie, Animal House), you know the type. Those early 60's folky type girls, with long hair,very well spoken, intellectual, and talking about how they don't normally listen to pop music, only folk and classical. Yeah yeah yeah. Anyway this is a very important addition to the Beatlephile library and I cherish it for it's historical and entertainment value. You will too.

Back in the day............2007-03-25

Awesomely nostalgic. Lots of stuff that you most likely haven't seen before. Definitely recommended for anyone who lived the experience "back in the day"

The Beatles - The First U.S. Visit.......2007-02-10

This was great! We all loved it! If you are a Beatle fan, it is a must.

A Must See For Even The Casual Beatles Fan.......2006-09-18

The Beatles' First U.S. Visit is, behind "The Compleat Beatles" and their self-produced "Anthology", the most entertaining and revealing about this musical group of four doing what they were born to do, on the way to the crest of their musical creativity. The performances on the American "Ed Sullivan Show" are entertaining for fans and interesting as historical documents, but the true gems are the sequences of non-performance documentary footage of all four members of the group, Brian Epstein, and (briefly, hush-hush ;)) Cynthia Lennon. This footage provides a window into The Beatles' emotional state during this life-altering point in their career. They balance organized professionalism (largely achieved by Brian Epstein, often under-appreciated in that he was managing a musical act achieving unprecedented popularity with no precedented business or professional model) with their excitement of their success in America. Then and now, largely the Holy Grail of success in entertainment. Paul, as would seem to be his role in their entire career together, acts as a conduit between George, John, Ringo and their handlers, like encouraging Ringo to pack his suitcase thouroughly in a "mother hen" voice. Watching them listen to themselves on the radio in America, seeing footage of car-mobbing people from the INSIDE of their car, seeing John tease instrumental DJ Murray The K (none the wiser) with pervy English slang, and The "Ed Sullivan" performances themselves is priceless. Though by February 1964 they were well versed in Hotel Room culture, their upbeat moods reveal their happiness (and reported surprise) at their reception from the moment they stepped off the trans-Atlantic airplane. Seeing this week of pivotal events in rock n' roll history from is a wonderful peek behind the Beatles' curtain on par with their "Anthology" and not to be missed by any casual or greater fan. Probably, if purchased, one of the Beatles-related home media films you will find yourself repeat watching more than others. Well shot by the Maysles brothers, directed and edited. Highly recommended.

Really great stuff.......2006-03-22

This is a great documentary that a fan can watch over and over again. Although my favourite Beatles' era is their middle period (RS through MMT), followed by their late period (1968 to the end), there's a charm and sweetness to their early years as well, even though their songs were more lightweight and poppish. They also looked so alike in this period, and it's charming to see how naturally they conducted themselves in front of the camera, just four innocent boys who had recently made it big and were having a great time on their first visit to America (although George had already been on his own in 1963 to visit his sister). Nothing was faked or staged, and nothing is boring either. The wit and charm was just so natural. The documentary of outtakes is also very good, and serves to give a fuller picture of what went on during the filming.

However, as others have said, this documentary contains footage of their performances on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' and at the Washington Coliseum, footage which is already available on other DVDs (although since I'm not one to nitpick over minor technical details in lieu of the big picture, I won't go into which has better audio or visual quality). It seems as though they could have put in the unused scene they shot when they went into the nearest apartment to watch the show with a family, instead of putting in footage already available elsewhere. I also found the audio commentary to be rather lacking. There were way too many long pauses and not nearly enough comments or observations. How hard could it have been to fill up the nearly 90 minutes with practically nonstop comments and observations, particularly when we're dealing with The Beatles?

Average customer rating:

You Need this Dvd !
Back in the day.....
The Beatles - The First U.S. Visit
A Must See For Even The Casual Beatles Fan
Really great stuff

The Beatles - The First U.S. Visit
Starring: Paul McCartney , Ringo Starr , Ralph Rennick , Murray the 'K' , and Brian Epstein
Director: Susan Frömke , Kathy Dougherty , and Albert Maysles
Manufacturer: Mpi Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Four Complete Historic Ed Sullivan Shows featuring the Beatles and other Artists
A Hard Day's Night
Fun With Fab Four & Beatles Unautorized (2pc)
Beatles: From Liverpool to San Francisco
The Beatles Anthology

ASIN: 6305073686
Release Date: 1998-07-29

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

You Need this Dvd !.......2007-05-21

Back in the day............2007-03-25

Awesomely nostalgic. Lots of stuff that you most likely haven't seen before. Definitely recommended for anyone who lived the experience "back in the day"

The Beatles - The First U.S. Visit.......2007-02-10

This was great! We all loved it! If you are a Beatle fan, it is a must.

A Must See For Even The Casual Beatles Fan.......2006-09-18

Really great stuff.......2006-03-22

The Beatles ~ First U. S. Visit (Original Version) [Import, All-region] (Dvd)

Average customer rating:

The Beatles ~ First U. S. Visit (Original Version) [Import, All-region] (Dvd)

Manufacturer: Sun Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

A Hard Day's Night
The Beatles - Help
With the Beatles
Beatles: From Liverpool to San Francisco

Product Features:

The Arrival - February 7, 1964
2. All My Loving .. 3. Till There Was You .. 4. She Loves You .. 5. I Wanna Hold Your Hand .. 6. I Saw Her Standing There .. 7. I Wanna Be Your Man ..
8. She Loves You .. 9. From Me To You .. 10. This Boy .. 11. All My Loving .. 12. Twist and Shout .. 13. Please, Please Me .. PLUS!
The Departure, February 21, 1964
Import from Korea made for the USA/Canada/Korea (NTSC, All-Region). Original English Soundtrack. Subtitles: English; Spanish; French; Korean

ASIN: B000NNJ95G

Product Description

This is THE BEATLES: THE FIRST US VISIT, a day-by-day audio visual account of the group's arrival on U.S. shores. This full-length film takes us on an historic, musical ride back in time. This is the real Hard Day's Night, culled from hours of footage--some of which has never been seen before--and the Ed Sullivan appearances. Audiences of all ages have an opportunity to relive a time of glorious, innocent mayhem. People will be able to see and hear what happened, as it happened. Such a time will never come again. This DVD contains more than 13 performances which have been visually restored to near perfection. The tracks have been digitally remastered to produce a superb stereo sound.

Average customer rating:

"For Those of [Us] in the Cheaper Seats, Clap Your Hands" [for an Affordable Beatles' Collection]
missing Movies
Fans of the wonderful Beatles will be ecstatic!
The Best Available DVD offering of the Beatles
Where's the rest?

The Beatles DVD Collector's Set
Starring: Beatles , John Lennon , Paul McCartney , Ringo Starr , and George Harrison
Director: Richard Lester
Manufacturer: MPI Home Video / Apple
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

Yellow Submarine
A Hard Day's Night
The Beatles Anthology
The Beatles - Let It Be - Limited Collector's Edition
The Beatles - Help!

ASIN: B00004U0ZP
Release Date: 2000-08-08

Amazon.com

This four-disc set includes two feature films and two documentaries (all previously available on DVD). Help! (1965), in which a religious sect is in pursuit of a sacrificial ring stuck on Ringo's finger, is a broad spoof of the spy flicks of the time, with James Bond-like themes and locales. Songs include "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and "Ticket to Ride." Only two years later but strikingly different in mood and tone, Magical Mystery Tour (1967) is chiefly a series of psychedelic music videos, including "Fool on the Hill," "I Am the Walrus," and "Blue Jay Way," loosely organized around a plot of a bus trip through the English countryside.

The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit is an 83-minute black-and-white documentary by acclaimed directing brothers Albert and David Maysles that captures the group's trip to the U.S. in February 1964. It includes plenty of songs as performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, of course, as well as footage of the band riding the train or sitting in their hotel room watching television coverage of themselves. A subsequent performance in Washington, D.C., suffers from grainier footage and spotty microphones, but still captures the frenzy of the fans.

You Can't Do That!: The Making of "A Hard Day's Night" is an hourlong documentary that traces the creation of the historic 1964 film. Hosted by Phil Collins, who appeared in the original among a crowd of screaming teenagers, the film features extensive clips and interviews with those involved with the movie (though George Harrison is the only Beatle whose voice is heard). A highlight is "You Can't Do That," a performance that was cut from the original film. Obviously, a perfect DVD set would include A Hard Day's Night itself, but rights issues have kept it out of circulation. --David Horiuchi

Description

The Beatles DVD Collector's Set includes:

Help!
Nominated for two British Academy Awards, this 1965 theatrical feature takes the Beatles on a worldwide comedy adventure. After a magical ring gets stuck on Ringo's finger, a group of oriental mystics and a mad scientist stop at nothing to try to get it back. Special features include a fully restored print from the film's original negative, a digitally remastered soundtrack, 15 minutes of bonus footage, Spanish and French audio tracks, and English, Spanish, and French subtitles. Songs include "Help!", "You're Gonna Lose That Girl," and "Ticket to Ride."
Color, approx. 90 minutes, Dolby Digital

Magical Mystery Tour
A musical film fantasy that follows the Beatles on a psychedelic bus tour along the English countryside. It made its British debut on Christmas day 1967. Special DVD features include a fully restored print, a digitally remastered soundtrack, bonus newsreels, a history of the project, and English, Spanish, and French subtitles. Songs include "Magical Mystery Tour," "I Am the Walrus," and "Fool on the Hill."
Color, approx. 54 minutes, Dolby Digital

The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit
An historic, musical ride back in time as the Beatles come to America for the first time on February 7, 1964 and appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. Special features include 13 Beatles performances, a fully restored print, a digitally remastered soundtrack, a Beatles chronology, discography, and other statistics, and English, Spanish, and French subtitles. Songs include "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "Till There Was You," and "Twist and Shout."
Black and white, approx. 83 minutes, Dolby Digital

You Can't Do That: The Making of "A Hard Day's Night"
The extraordinary evolution of the Academy Award-nominated film that convinced the world that the Beatles could be as influential and memorable as the music they sang. Hosted by Phil Collins. Special features include cast profiles, A Hard Day's Night trivia quiz, biography and discography for Phil Collins, and English, Spanish, and French subtitles.
Color and black and white, approx. 65 minutes, Dolby Digital

Customer Reviews:

"For Those of [Us] in the Cheaper Seats, Clap Your Hands" [for an Affordable Beatles' Collection].......2006-10-16

The value of this collection is in some ways priceless. "Imagine" a collection that could get us all five Beatles' films for an affordable price. The two-star rating isn't for the very good release, 'Help' or for the flawed, idiocyncratic, random, but sometimes groundbreaking and interesting 'Magical Mystery Tour' and all of the gravy of the accompanying "rockumentaries". Hopefully, the capitalist version of trickle down economics will materialize--the way it did for C.D. players and Walkman--when the prolitariat will be able to afford all five Beatles' (movie) DVD's, either separately or together. By the way, although the bickering on 'Let It Be' (not included here--or barely anywhere else) is legendary, so is the music. For those who have seen the last Beatle film, the strife is enlightening, but overrated. Can we have that movie, please? (For myself, I only saw it once: At a Mark Lapidos' Beatles' convention in 1980.) I hope trickle down theory works, and someday the rest of us will get the movies we want.

missing Movies.......2006-01-23

This Is an Alright set, But it is missing 3 great movies! Where is "A Hard day's Night"? The First Beatle Film. Also Where is "Let It be"? Let It Be is too hard to find! so they need to put that in there! Plus they are also Missing "Yellow Submarine" I Think they should Have put the Behind The Scenes in another set!

Fans of the wonderful Beatles will be ecstatic!.......2004-01-25

"The Making of A Hard Day's Night" is a very interesting 'Making Of" (well, of course its a Making Of!) and is hosted by Phil Collins. The Beatles are in their usual charming and funny selves and, YAY, this video introduces a song which was cut out from the film, which is, "You Can't Do That." It is one of my favorite Beatles songs and I just love the guitar intro.

"A Hard Day's Night" is a great Beatles movie and it definitely deserved a "Making Of." The Beatles are very entertaining in it and in this VHS as well. John, Paul, George, and Ringo! Aaah!

The reason why I added a four star is because I would have liked more of the Beatles. After all, they are the main cast. But then, I do understand why they didn't have them in this, because they weren't there at the time and they probably didn't have much of their behind-the-scenes stuff. Also another reason is because I think only a Beatles fan would love it. (Ahem, that reason leads me to the fact that tells me that only Beatles fans would get this...) Some parts were rather boring, but that's the only complaint I have.

My favorite part in this VHS is Abbey Road Studios where the Beatles are composing their songs for the film ("A Hard Day's Night"). John and Ringo are hilarous in it. It makes me laugh just thinking about it. Haha!

All in all, I enjoyed most of this one hour (and 5 minutes) "Making Of" with the writer, producer, director, and cast members of "A Hard Day's Night." I definitely recommend it for Beatles fans.

The Best Available DVD offering of the Beatles.......2002-07-27

Until A Hard Day's Night and Anthology are released in DVD, this, along with the remastered Yellow Submarine DVD, is basically it. You can save money by buying the packaged product. The First US Visit is like traveling in a time machine. Note how George is the only one who looks into the camera and mugs for it on the Sullivan Show debut. As far as I can tell, all the Sullivan appearances are on here.

Help! is essential for the true Beatles fan & collector. Making of AHDN is loads of fun, as well. A nice preview for the upcoming release of that cinematic classic this fall. Yes, Mystery Tour is tough to watch, though the Walrus Video established an MTV type years later. Love to have Let It Be out on DVD, as well, but no signs of that just yet.

Where's the rest?.......2002-05-10

Along with sebastian, I also wonder why "Let it Be" isn't avalable and also the excellent footage from the television special "The Beatles at Shea Stadium" some of which was also included in the "Anthology" series.

Average customer rating:

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR...

The First U.S Visit
Director: Susan Froemke
Manufacturer: INGDVD
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Customer Reviews:

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR..........2006-05-25

This is an engaging documentary of The Beatles' first U.S. visit. What makes it so fascinating are their performances on the Ed Sullivan show, which are captured here. Digitally remastered, this early television footage has been expertly restored, enabling the viewers to see and hear The Beatles, as they first appeared on American television.

Cheeky and exhuberant, The Beatles, occasionally off key but having the time of their lives, have not lost the capacity for knocking the socks off the viewer, as they are brimming over with vitality and the joy of life. They are truly wonderful to watch, as well as hear. Fortunately, the video covers all their performances on Ed Sullivan, and what a treat they are! It is sad to think that already two of them, John and George, are no longer with us.

The film documents a more innocent and simple time. It captured The Beatles on the threshold of international fame. It memorialized for all time their first U.S. visit with footage shot in railroad cars, hotel rooms, and limousines. Some of it is somewhat self-conscious, and some of it is playful fun. It also memorialized the reactions of their fans. The film is a daily cinema verite testament to that first visit.

This is a very good documentary that is well worth having soley for the performances of The Beatles. There are over thirteen of them, and the tracks have been digitally remastered for your listening pleasure. Overall, however, the documentary lacks some cohesion, due to the cinema verite nature of the film. Still, it is a worthwhile documentary to have, if only for those wonderful Ed Sullivan performances. If one wants a historical overview of The Beatles, one may also wish to view the more in depth and complex documentary, "The Compleat Beatles".

The Beatles - The First U.S. Visit (1991) [Jewel Case]

Average customer rating:

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR...

The Beatles - The First U.S. Visit (1991) [Jewel Case]

Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

DVD Features: Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo) Commentary by director Albert Maysles "The Beatles First USA Visit" - 81 minutes (black and white footage) "Making of Feature" - 51 minutes (color footage of Albert Maysles and b/w footage of outtakes from the original production.)

Customer Reviews:

ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR..........2006-09-28

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