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It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt Pepper & Beyond

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It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt Pepper & Beyond

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Summary

An insight from filmmaker Alan G. Parker into the creation of one of the most ground-breaking and influential albums in music history, including interviews with fellow musicians and family members

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 1 out of 5.

Jamie Healy

To produce a Beatles documentary without the help of Paul, Ringo or indeed anyone who had creative input into their work would seem like folly. But to do so without securing the rights to any of the band's songs is just a waste of everyone's time. Those are the fundamental flaws with this cash-in feature, released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the group's grand artistic statement, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Not that there's much insight into the album itself, with Apple associate Tony Bramwell dismissing the sessions as "long and boring". The "and beyond" aspect of the film's title proves more prophetic, with the inclusion of copious newsreel covering the Beatles' final 1966 tour, their association with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the death of Brian Epstein and the rise and rapid fall of the Apple boutique. Many reputable names have been assembled to share their stories, including biographer Hunter Davies, DJ Andy Peebles and erstwhile Fabs sticksman Pete Best, but there are precious new revelations amid the overly familiar and often rambling testimony. For an album judged to be the best of all time by Rolling Stone, this instantly forgettable tribute has all the allure of a bunch of cobbled-together DVD extras.

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5.6/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenamePete BestPete Best (2)Hunter DaviesHunter DaviesSimon Napier-BellSimon Napier-BellAndy PeeblesAndy Peebles

Crew

rolenameDirectorAlan G Parker

Details

Theatrical distributor

Kaleidoscope

Released on

2017-05-26

Languages

English

Guidance

Swearing, sexual/drug references.

Available on

DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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