NXT Rockumentary Film Series: The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit (1991)

David & Albert Maysles, 1h 23m

Two years after the landmark Lonely Boy brought cinema vérité techniques backstage, the Maysles Brothers hitched a ride with the Fab Four on their first trans-Atlantic trip. Although Richard Lester would (lightly) fictionalize similar scenarios in A Hard Day’s Night, no camera before or since ever got so close to capturing John, Paul, George and Ringo in anything like their natural state; you can almost see the walls coming up as they realize how unavoidably public their lives are about to become. This DVD version, retitled The First U.S. Visit (originally released as What’s Happening! The Beatles in the U.S.A.), swaps out some scenes highlighting the drudgery of promo-tour obligations in favor of the band’s Ed Sullivan Show performances. – Rolling Stone

Co-presented with Next Chapter Records