Top 10 Must See Films About the Beatles
#10: “Good Ol’ Freda” (2013)
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Big fans will already know the story of the Beatles’ career by heart, but they may not know much about Freda Kelly, their long-time secretary. This interesting documentary puts a fresh spin on the Beatles’ history, following Freda’s role from when she joined the crew in 1962, staying until the break-up was finalized in the early 1970s. Rumors swirled around Freda just like everybody else in the band, including that she was getting married to Paul McCartney at one point. She was there through thick and thin, and it’s clear from her charisma in the talking heads why she became so popular.
#9: “Magical Mystery Tour” (1967)
Of all the movies the Beatles made themselves, “Magical Mystery Tour” performed the worst critically; but that doesn’t mean it’s not required viewing for any Beatles aficionado. This one was made for TV alongside the soundtrack album of the same name, originally airing on the BBC in the UK but getting a brief theatrical release in America some years later. It follows the band, of course, on a strange and surreal tour shot primarily in an abandoned, British air base. But Lennon eventually spoke out against the film’s poor critical reception, blaming the BBC for airing it in black-and-white. Yeah, black-and-white certainly will ruin a colorful, surrealist musical adventure.
#8: “Help!” (1965)
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Unlike the first film starring the Beatles, this one was shot entirely in color, and they definitely took advantage of that by building big, exciting, colorful sets for the boys to inhabit. This time, Beatlemania is even more sinister, with an entire cult out to get Ringo; they’re left with only each other for protection as they flee from the various people who are after them. It didn’t do as well as its predecessor, but it’s a look at the Beatles just before their music began to evolve into the surrealism they became known for in the latter part of the decade. Years on, and “Help!” is more than just a gimmick; it still stands up as a classic.
#7: “Nowhere Boy” (2009)
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Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars in this biopic of John Lennon’s early life, which begins with his time at school as a teenager and ends when he, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison left for Hamburg in 1960. Though they were all equally talented, Lennon was really the core member at the beginning who brought the others together through his previous band, the Quarrymen – which you’ll see in this movie. But more than that, it’s about Lennon’s complex family, as he was raised by his Aunt Mimi and only reconnected with his mother Julia as a teenager. It’s a sad but heartfelt portrayal of one of history’s greatest songwriters, with its title being inspired by the “Rubber Soul” song, “Nowhere Man.”
#6: “George Harrison: Living in the Material World” (2011)
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Martin Scorsese is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, so it’s only fitting that it was he who examined one of the greatest musicians of all time in this documentary about George Harrison. He’d already sadly passed away in 2001, a decade before the documentary was made, but his widow Olivia Arias provided Scorsese with a wealth of personal material and home videos to help craft this beautiful portrait. Harrison was arguably the one driving the Beatles’ change of sound in the late ‘60s, despite his famously quiet demeanor; it was his idea to go to India, for instance. He was a more than worthy subject for this three-and-a-half-hour masterpiece.
#5: “Yellow Submarine” (1968)
Taking inspiration from the “Revolver” track of the same name, “Yellow Submarine” exemplified the psychedelic flower-power imagery of the late 60s. Other than a live-action closing appearance, The Beatles themselves weren’t too involved with the movie, which was directed by George Dunning with a story by Lee Minoff based on “Yellow Submarine” that was subsequently adapted into a screenplay by a few collaborators. A few as-yet-unheard songs also debuted in the film, however, like George Harrison’s “Only a Northern Song”. Despite the fact that their cartoon counterparts were voiced by other people, the Beatles did like the musical comedy in the end, with Lennon even showing it to his son. It was certainly an “Alice in Wonderland” for the twentieth century; thankfully, the planned CGI remake was canceled.
#4: “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years” (2016)
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In 1966, following four solid years of Beatlemania, the band decided to retire from touring and live performance. This documentary takes a close look at what those chaotic four years were like, going from when the Beatles first made it big through their successful US tour and huge performance at Shea Stadium, and ultimately ending after a difficult American tour and the backlash that erupted following Lennon’s contentious comments about Jesus. They then retreated into the studio and gave the world “Sgt. Pepper.” It is quintessential viewing to understand their meteoric rise to fame, their immense talent, and the vital role their manager Brian Epstein played in their discovery and marketability.
#3: “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964)
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Undoubtedly the best Beatles movie starring the actual Beatles, “A Hard Day’s Night” was a smash-hit in 1964 and remains a cultural touchstone for the era; no movie captures the zeitgeist of Beatlemania like this one as we see them battling to escape their legions of dedicated fans. Much like their other movies and, indeed, the music itself, “A Hard Day’s Night” is both an emblem of the decade and absolutely timeless. It’s still fresh, it’s still funny, and still a relevant testament to how pretty much everything the Beatles ever touched turned to gold. They were as fun and chaotic as they were talented.
#2: “Imagine: John Lennon” (1988)
Released over 7 years after Lennon’s tragic murder in New York, “Imagine” is Lennon in his own words, carefully constructed from never-before-seen footage recorded before his death. It’s probably the closest thing we have to a look at Lennon’s life the way he wanted people to see him. In fact, it was commissioned by his widow,Yoko Ono, hence why the filmmakers were able to get such close access to Lennon’s personal effects. And it goes beyond his time with the band through his long solo career of the 1970s, in which he generated many more classics. We see him compose his masterpieces, talk about his home life, put together his and Yoko’s protests against the Vietnam War and more. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few Honorable Mentions: “Yesterday” (2019) In a World with No Beatles, Can One Man Bring Them Back? “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” (1978) Will These Beatlemaniacs Ever Get to Meet their Favorite Band? “That Thing You Do!” (1996) If the Beatles Were American, They’d Have Been the Wonders “The U.S. vs. John Lennon” (2006) It Shows How American Authorities Repeatedly Failed to Deport Lennon
#1: “The Beatles: Get Back” (2021)
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In 1970, the documentary “Let It Be” was filmed and released alongside the album - but none of the Beatles showed up to its premiere. Capitalizing on the in-fighting just before they broke up, it was the only version of this story we had for a long time. However, Peter Jackson’s mammoth, almost eight-hour documentary, for which he had access to the original 60 hours of footage from “Let It Be” changes history; and yes, because it was originally meant to be a feature film, we’re counting it as one despite its division into 3 parts on Disney+. In “The Beatles: Get Back,” we see that the Fab Four didn’t only have fun together writing songs despite the impending breakup, but also that they tried to talk out their issues. It puts to rest many myths about the Beatles and gives an incredible insight into their process.
