Director Martin Scorsese is among the producers on an upcoming documentary about the Beatles‘ legendary first trip to the United States slated to stream exclusive on Disney+ starting Nov. 29. According to Variety, Beatles ’64 will feature never-before-seen footage of the band and its rabid fans at the height of Beatlemania.
Scorsese produced the doc directed by David Tedeschi (Personality Crisis: One Night Only), which will also feature new interviews with living Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The film follows McCartney and Starr and late bandmates John Lennon and George Harrison as they land in New York in Feb. 1964, promising to reveal “a more intimate behind the scenes story” of the group’s iconic debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, as well as footage of the Fab Four’s first American show at the Washington D.C. Coliseum.
The quartet made their debut appearance on Sullivan’s variety show on Feb. 9, 1964, a performance that was seen by a record-breaking 73-million people and is often cited by musicians of a certain vintage as their inspiration for starting a rock band. Variety reported that the doc also features rare footage shot by documentarians Albert and David Maysles (Gimme Shelter).
A synopsis of the film reads: “On February 7, 1964, The Beatles arrived in New York City to unprecedented excitement and hysteria. From the instant they landed at Kennedy Airport, met by thousands of fans, Beatlemania swept New York and the entire country. Their thrilling debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show captivated more than 73 million viewers, the most watched television event of its time. Beatles ’64 presents the spectacle, but also tells a more intimate behind the scenes story, capturing the camaraderie of John, Paul, George, and Ringo as they experienced unimaginable fame.”
In addition to Scorsese – who also directed 2011’s George Harrison: Living in the Material World doc — other producers of the doc include McCartney, Starr, Harrison’s widow, Olivia Harrison, Lennon’s son, musician Sean Ono Lennon, and others.
The new Beatles doc will be accompanied by the Nov. 22 release of all seven American Beatles albums in a vinyl reissue collection entitled The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono; the albums will be available individually as well as in a box set. According to Variety, the reissue will include 180-gram albums that have been out of print on vinyl since 1995, including Meet the Beatles!, The Beatles’ Second Album, A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Sound Track), Something New, The Beatles’ Story, Beatles ’65 and The Early Beatles.
