Film Review: History & Pure Fun in ‘The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years’

Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 20, 2016 - 9:32am

CHICAGO – They were the greatest show on earth, for what it was worth. But what they also were was one of the most fascinating show business stories in history. Director Ron Howard encapsulates John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr during their initial meteoric rise in the descriptively titled ‘The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years.’

Rating: 5.0/5.0

The Beatles history, in ten short years, continues to intrigue and delight rock music scholars and admirers. Ron Howard does a spectacular job of focusing on three crucial years, the years that The Beatles were a traveling road show. Beginning with their conquering of America in February of 1964, through their last organized live concert in San Francisco on August 29th, 1966, the four boys in the band became men, and faced a tsunami of adoration, backlash, surreality and collective joy. This is a love fest by Ron Howard, dedicated to the legions of his fellow baby boomer travelers, and subsequent devotees of a music group that still resonates to today.

In 1957, at a church festival in Liverpool, England, two teenagers met who were destined to re-create rock music. John Lennon and Paul McCartney got together and decided to form a group, and McCartney helped out by bringing in his young friend (and guitarist) George Harrison. After a series of intense roadshows in the next four years through their hometown, wider England and Hamburg (Germany), the last piece of their puzzle came together when they switched drummers to Ringo Starr in 1962.

As their popularity soared in England and Europe, America was the final frontier. One month after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, a Beatles fan in Washington, D.C., called a radio station to introduce the song “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” to the these United States, and two months later The Ed Sullivan Show featured the band itself. From 1964 through 1966, from city to country, The Beatles were the most popular act in the universe. 

”The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years” is in Chicago at the Music Box Theatre – 3733 North Southport Avenue – through September 29th, 2016. See local listings for other theatrical releases and show times. Also available as a download on HULU.com. Featuring the music and memories of The Beatles – John Lennon. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Written by Mark Monroe. Directed by Ron Howard. Not Rated.