The Beatles: Rare and Unseen

Such is the appetite for all things Beatles that any related DVD release is bound to generate some interest (especially since the recent proper re-mastering of their catalog, not to mention the debut of The Beatles: Rock Band video game). In this case, Rare and Unseen also means “Unauthorized and Unofficial,” so there is no Fab Four music to be heard, only some vaguely Mersey-esque jangling in the background; nor did any Beatle participate (there are brief excerpts from a 1975 John Lennon French TV interview, but that's it). What we get is a parade of talking heads telling stories, offering insight, and generally basking in the band's reflected glory. Some are legit (like Phil Collins, who as a lad appeared in A Hard Day's Night; Gerry Marsden, leader of fellow Liverpool group Gerry and the Pacemakers; Norman “Hurricane” Smith, engineer on many Beatles recordings; and former press officer Tony Barrow), others considerably less so (Len Goodman, “former champion ballroom dancer”). The best moments come from the various clips, which include what's billed as “the earliest known footage of the Beatles on stage” (from Liverpool in 1962), the “only existing film” of the boys in Scotland, and some interesting shots of them performing at the Olympia Theater in Paris, where they shared the bill with Trini Lopez and French singer Sylvie Vartan. But since none of these segments feature the Beatles' music, this program is for completists only. Aud: C, P. (S. Graham)