‘Beatles ’64’ Documentary Hits Streaming With Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score

Produced by Martin Scorsese, the new documentary Beatles ’64 has debuted on Disney+ with an impressive critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by David Tedeschi, Beatles ’64 traces the cultural impact of The Beatles on the United States in the aftermath of their inagural three-week visit to the country in February 1964, following their historic first performances on The Ed Sullivan Show. The film is the latest in a long line of musical documentaries for Scorsese, who directed Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, as well as another doc about a Beatle – George Harrison: Living in the Material World.

Beatles ’64 debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a near-perfect score of 97% based on 30 reviews. The Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw rated it 5/5 and called it “An amazing split-second of cultural history.”The Wrap‘s Matt Goldberg said, “Perhaps ‘Beatles ’64‘ will only appeal to Beatlemaniacs like me, but that doesn’t diminish its strength showing the birth of Beatlemania in America.” David Ehrlich of IndieWire rated it a B, saying, “Though it’s much shorter than [The Beatles: Get Back], Tedeschi’s 106-minute film operates on much the same principle: It never feels the least bit new or necessary, and yet almost every second of it sparks the joy of a genuine revelation.”

Beatles ’64 marks the second major Beatles-themed documentary project overseen by an Academy Award-winning director to air on Disney+ during the Thanksgiving weekend. The first was The Beatles: Get Back, by Peter Jackson. That three-episode documentary implemented unused footage and audio detailing the recording of the Fab Four’s final album, Let It Be. One episode was released each day over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2021, from November 25 to November 27. The Beatles: Get Back currently sits at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes with 119 reviews.

We’re Experiencing Beatle-Mania 2.0

Beatles ’64 high Rotten Tomatoes score also follows the news that The Beatles’ long-awaited final single, “Now and Then,” has been nominated in the 67th Annual Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance. “Now and Then” is the last Beatles song, reusing an abandoned John Lennon-written track completed by surviving Beatles members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr with old recordings of George Harrison’s guitar from a 1995 session. Lennon’s voice was extracted from the demo using the machine-learning-assisted audio restoration technology commissioned by Peter Jackson for The Beatles: Get Back. The Grammys will be held on February 2, 2025, and there is a strong chance The Beatles might win in their respective categories, something fans never thought possible.

The Beatle-mania revival certainly isn’t slowing down. Director Sam Mendes is working on four separate biopics centered around each member of The Beatles. Ringo Starr seemingly confirmed that Barry Keoghan would be playing him, while Harris Dickinson and Joseph Quinn are rumored to be playing John Lennon and George Harrison, respectively. Beatles ’64 showed how the Fab Four became one of the biggest bands in the world, and their impact is still being felt today through documentaries, feature film adaptations, and even a fitting new song. While many thought they would be saying goodbye to the Beatles, they are instead saying hello.

Release Date

November 29, 2024

Director

David Tedeschi

Cast

Paul McCartney , Ringo Starr , John Lennon , George Harrison , Martin Scorsese