The Beatles Films Podcast

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Latest Episodes:

The US vs John Lennon Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

We're talking about David Leaf and John Scheinfeld's 2006 documentary on John Lennon's activism, with its dizzying array of intellectual heavyweight talking heads. There's a lot to unpack here, from how it doesn't shy away from showing John's naivety, to the value of pop stars using slogans to promote political causes, and whether you should expect them to contribute more than a catchy chorus.

You can rent/buy the film on Amazon, iTunes and Apple TV at the moment: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/the-u-s-vs-john-lennon. But as we mention in the episode, get the DVD for the extras: Yoko Ono reading out her letter to Mark Chapman's 2000 parole hearing is really remarkable. More than worth £3 on eBay.
Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/CmdiVvlPEtI

Meet the Beatles Films Podcast

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/beatlesfilmpod
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/
Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wonderwall Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

The film whose soundtrack yielded the first Beatle solo album, and the first release on Apple Records, 1968's Wonderwall is on the face of it just a mad, psychedelic wig-out about a nutty professor. But is it saying something deeper about British repression and how the flower power generation chipped away at it? What did it mean to George Harrison to go off and do this on his own, given how he was developing as a songwriter? And how many feeble Oasis puns can we shoehorn in?

There's a good quality version of Wonderwall on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4qOyVdwgzZI

Meet the Beatles Films Podcast

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/beatlesfilmpod
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/
Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Brian Epstein Story Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

Originally released in two parts in the BBC's Arena strand (as The Sun Will Shine Tomorrow and Tomorrow Never Knows on Christmas and Boxing Day 1998), The Brian Epstein Story was later re-edited and has aired twice on BBC4 with this title. The version we're discussing is this single edited version, which you can see on YouTube with some sound missing for copyright reasons at https://youtu.be/apKqMVej1cw.

Do its techniques do Brian justice? We also discuss how the nineties was a sort of golden age for Beatle insiders contributing to documentaries, and how this brought with it a tendency for people to place themselves at the centre of the story. Plus: why is Paul McCartney so coy about the Brian Epstein/John Lennon affair rumours, given that in later years he dismissed them?

Meet the Beatles Films Podcast

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/beatlesfilmpod
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/
Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That'll Be The Day Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

It's 1973: The Beatles are no more, but don't worry, David Essex has 100% filled the void. Here he stars as Jim MacLaine, a wayward youngster trying to make it after leaving home. His best work friend is played by none other than Ringo Starr, and neither of them is all that nice. How shocking is it to see Ringo playing a womaniser? Do we see his bum, or is it a stunt bum? (This gets more discussion than it arguably merits.)

NOTE: Matt might sound a bit tinny in this episode, because of his laptop wiping his recording, so what you hear is all recorded through Ed's mic. We hope it doesn't spoil anything for you. Where's Peter Jackson's AI audio capture software when you need it?

Meet the Beatles Films Podcast

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/beatlesfilmpod
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/
Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

It's time to kill a sacred cow like the tiresome contrarian clickbaiters we are: is The Rutles actually terrible? Well, no, it's good, but we're not wholly convinced. Does it work as a parody, or does it too often just imitate rather than parody? (We say "parody" a lot in this episode.) Join us as we deconstruct it until you're no longer able to enjoy a thing you once loved. It's why the internet exists.

Meet the Beatles Films Podcast

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/beatlesfilmpod
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/
Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

McCartney 3, 2, 1 Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

McCartney 3, 2, 1 arrived on Disney Plus and Hulu as a sort of Get Back appetiser in 2021. Rick Rubin asks Paul about his craft and runs through isolated tracks from some of his most famous songs. What does it tell us about Paul, his creative process and his role within The Beatles? How does he come across, given the reverential tone? How impressive was the portable camping stove he had in his teens? Find out!

Meet the Beatles Films Podcast

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/beatlesfilmpod
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/
Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I Am Sam Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

We're looking at Jessie Nelson's 2001 film, which features an Oscar-nominated performance by Sean Penn as a man with learning disabilities and a Beatles obsession, fighting for custody of his daughter, soundtracked by Beatles songs played by contemporary artists. Is Sam's Beatles fixation used effectively as a motif? What's it like to watch portrayals of disability from this period compared to contemporary treatments?

You can watch I Am Sam on YouTube and other places for £3.50 or so, and it's currently on Apple TV.

Meet the Beatles Films Podcast

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/beatlesfilmpod
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/
Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Birth of The Beatles Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

Arguably the only actual proper Beatles biopic, 1979's Birth of The Beatles has big leather cowboy boots to fill. Can Nick Cotton from Eastenders pull off the role of George Harrison? Why is the guy who plays John Lennon about sixty? We also discuss how this is the only real template we have for the inevitable Beatles narrative film, and Matt gives his pitch for making one.

Meet the Beatles Films Podcast

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/beatlesfilmpod
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/
Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nowhere Boy Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

We're back for season two, with the potentially warmish potato of Sam Taylor-Wood's Nowhere Boy, a 2009 telling of teenage John Lennon's relationship with his Aunt Mimi and his mother Julia just before her death. How good are the performances and casting, and where does Aaron Taylor-Johnson rank on the Lennometer? Did John really want to be, uh, in an Oedipus's Garden in the shade? Do we buy the kid from Love Actually as Paul?

Stream Nowhere Boy, https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/nowhere-boy
Read Matt's review from 2009: http://www.theshiznit.co.uk/review/nowhere-boy.php

Meet the Beatles Films Podcast

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

Twitter https://twitter.com/beatlesfilmpod
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/304654901827622/
Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Help! (Part 2: The Film) Aug 15, 2022

Show notes

In part 2 of our season one finale (so, the last one, the actual FINALE finale, the episode_final-FINAL(1).mp3), we're looking at Richard Lester's Help! and in particular the story and the film at large. For a discussion of the music and how it's treated in the film, see part 1. Or just listen to them both in a row.

Is it, inevitably, a bit problematic seen through today's lens? Does the story make sense? Does any of this matter because the whole thing's just so ruddy joyous?