The Unseen Beatles

Despite its moderately muckraking tone and emphasis on the dark side of the Fab Four phenomenon, The Unseen Beatles is essential viewing for any fan of the lads from Liverpool. Although it's strictly unauthorized (and no actual Beatles music is featured), this BBC-aired documentary is a serious and well-made exploration of the hardships that were part of the Beatles' spectacular success, and it's unlikely that surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr (conspicuously absent) would find anything objectionable here. Presenting a combination of fascinating new material (including rare and previously unseen photos and newly discovered archival footage) and in-depth interviews with many who were firsthand witnesses to the Beatles' rise, peak, and breakup, the interviewees here include the band's first manager (pre-Brian Epstein), roadies, journalists, radio hosts, recording engineers, and others who tell revealing stories about the trials and tribulations of being in the vortex of Beatlemania. Topics covered include the backlash that resulted when John Lennon observed that the Beatles were "more popular than Christ" in 1965; the repercussions of snubbing President Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos while performing in the Philippines; the constant wear-and-tear of an increasingly demanding and creatively unrewarding tour schedule; and the gradual disillusionment that preceded the Beatles' breakup in 1970 after a grueling decade of whirlwind success. DVD extras include extended interviews and rare home-movie footage. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Shannon)