The Beatles First U.S. Visit [DVD]

From Amazon

Any fan of Richard Lester's A Hard Day's Night will not want to miss Albert and David Maysles' documentary, The Beatles: First U.S. Visit. The Maysles brothers closely followed The Beatles on their first visit to the United States in February 1964, and had the honor of capturing every detail, from concerts to their historic, still-storied debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. Like their later-year counterpart, A Hard Day's Night, this film (also known as What's Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A.) captures the group's unabashed sass with the press and fans, their wide-eyed astonishment at the mayhem they wreaked, their antics filling tiny hotel rooms, and scenes of commuter train lounging and cutting-edge nightclub dancing that could easily have appeared in Lester's film. The only character missing is Paul's grandfather.

The performance footage alone is a must-see for fans. Three appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show are packed with their hits from the era, including "All My Loving," "I Saw Her Standing There," John Lennon's beautiful vocals on "This Boy," and an awkward version of "I Saw Her Standing There" that shows George Harrison on the verge of ejaculating as Lennon and Paul McCartney struggle to harmonize. Blurry, poorly-recorded footage of the Washington Coliseum concert shows the Beatles setting up equipment as if they were managing a local tour. The platform on which Ringo Starr's drum kit rests tilts eerily with every beat... This was certainly a more innocent, vibrant time. This hilarious documentary makes the case that the Beatles phenomenon was bound to happen. (Anne Hurley, Amazon.com)