The Ron Howard Beatles documentary ‘The Beatles Eight Days A Week’ will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on 18 November and while it will be chockers with bonus material the controversial Shea Stadium concert will not be included.
The Beatles faced legal action for using The Shea Stadium footage by the copyright holders claiming Sid Bernstein, the promoter of the original show, held the intellectual property.
The judge hearing the case dismissed the claim.
While the complete Shea Stadium footage will not be included in the DVD release, the following bonus footage is:
2-disc Deluxe Collector’s Edition (DVD/BD) includes:
1 x BD/DVD feature disc + 1 Bonus Disc (containing approx. 100 minutes of extras, highlighted below)
64-page booklet with an introduction from director Ron Howard, essay by music journalist and author Jon Savage and rare photos from The Beatles’ private archive
Words & Music (24 mins)
John, Paul, George & Ringo reflect on songwriting and the influence of music from their parents’ generation, Lennon/McCartney writing for other artists, The Beatles as individual musicians, and the band as innovators. Also featuring Howard Goodall, Peter Asher, Simon Schama and Elvis Costello. The interviews with Paul and Ringo are unseen.
Early Clues To A New Direction (18 mins)
A special feature touching on The Beatles as a collective, the importance of humour, the impact of women on their early lives and songwriting, and the band as a musical movement. Featuring John, Paul, George & Ringo, along with Paul Greengrass, Stephen Stark, Peter Asher, Malcolm Gladwell, Sigourney Weaver, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Curtis, Elvis Costello and Simon Schama. Again the interviews with Paul and Ringo are unseen.
Liverpool (11 mins)
The early days in Liverpool of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s are brought vividly to life by those who worked closely with them at that time including fan club secretary Freda Kelly, Allan Williams an early manager, and Leslie Woodhead multi-award winning documentary film director.
The Beatles in Concert (12 mins)
Five great but rarely seen full-length performances of The Beatles live in concert – Twist and Shout, She Loves You, Can’t Buy Me Love, You Can’t Do That and Help!
Additional features are:
• Three Beatles’ Fans
• Ronnie Spector and The Beatles
• Shooting A Hard Day’s Night
• The Beatles in Australia
• Recollections of Shea Stadium
• The Beatles in Japan
• An alternative opening for the film
Cert. 12 | Feature Running Time: 100 mins
