Birth of the Beatles

Rod_Evans · Post by **Rod_Evans** » Tue Dec 05, 2000 10:40 am

Does anyone know if it's possible to get a copy of the 1979 movie Birth of the Beatles? After seeing the NBC movie and watching Backbeat again
I still think Birth of the Beatles was the best and most accurate story of the early Beatles to date. I'll conceed that they got the guitars all wrong(especially the Ricks! Off with their heads!)
but historically it seemed much better. It also didn't contain every cheesy phrase associated with the Beatles. I saw BOTB once on VH1 and once in 1979 and never again. Any ideas?

fatrat · Post by **fatrat** » Mon Jan 15, 2001 2:02 am

I remember it when it was on nbc in 79 and would like to see it too, didnt that snooty guy on Benson play Ringo????
i must have been in the 5th grade then...geez....
I saw the Rutles movie too...thats a great film....I read that George thinks its better that the Anthology....
you might want to repost this with "movie" on the end of botb????
FATRAT

Daniel_Pérez · Post by **Daniel_Pérez** » Mon Jan 15, 2001 9:29 pm

I have a copy of that film, but it's dubbed in spanish, they air this movie once or twice a year here on cable, in Argentina.

pete_arkless · Post by **pete_arkless** » Tue Jan 16, 2001 2:58 pm

BOHB still available in some places here(england) ill have to dig around for you.As i recall one of the actors (who played George) is now in an English soap opera,unfortunately,he playes a low down *******,hohum......

faftrat · Post by **faftrat** » Tue Jan 16, 2001 11:15 pm

Pete,
thats nice of you offering to help with the finding of the vhs tape of BOHB....
I think anyone living in the USA would have to have it dubbed on to a different speed tape to see it on our tape recorders in the USA....
your machines run on a different current and so the tapes are slightly different....

Was the film very well acted and was it true to the story??? what guitars are they using in the film, they dont have George with a 79 Strat in hamburg do they????
i was young when I saw it so I cant remember how good or bad it was...is it an english made film???was it filmed on location in england and germany??? didnt Dick Clark have something to do with it????
I do remember being very disapointed when it came to the end and the story was just up to Ed Sullivan, i always wanted to see part II but they never made one....
FATRAT

Frank_S · Post by **Frank_S** » Fri Jan 19, 2001 12:01 pm

The guitars were all wrong. But historically, it was almost dead on. From the opening audition w/Larry Parnes to the end of the movie it was pretty good. Backbeat was okay, but I think overzealous editing chopped the historical accuracy down a bit. The recent Lennon movies were hit or miss. They seemed too pre-occupied with getting stupid catch phrases into the dialogue than they were about historical accuracy.
The acting wasn't quite as cheesy and overblown.
So Fatrat, if you can get past some of the gear problems, I think you'll find BOTB to be a superior flick to the others out there. If anyone comes up with a copy that'll work in the USA, please let me know.

The_Ed · Post by **The_Ed** » Wed Jan 24, 2001 12:10 pm

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought the NBC Lennon movie was *****. I didn't think it possible, but they turned the riveting, almost unbelievable story of the birth into a schlocky BORING teledrama. With all the hype about location and accuracy, I would have much rather seen some engaging acting. No offense to the Lennon choice, maybe it was just the script, but I see people busking on the streets of NYC who look and sound more like John. Oh well. Yeah - I'd like to find BOTB also.

nolife · Post by **nolife** » Wed Jan 24, 2001 4:12 pm

Did you guys know the Birth of the Beatles was produced by a consortium of shady Brits (like me)alleged to have remote links to a guy who was once SUPPOSED to have been in a bar around the corner form the recording studio when The Wilburys
were laying down a tambourine track? Yep...there's a new book coming out on him - "Me & the Wilbury's". Ironically it has a 12 page introduction by Rod Davies who has little to do with the Wilbury's but was rumored to have played washboards on the rare Wilbury track "Old Guys who once had something to Say". Does anyone know where I can get that track by the way?

The_Ed · Post by **The_Ed** » Sat Jun 09, 2001 10:52 am

Haven't been here in a while, but I see the humor is still as clever as ever....

Actually, that's pretty funny.

Atill can't find BOTB.

jeff · Post by **jeff** » Mon Jun 11, 2001 4:49 am

It was just shown recently during the same weekend as the 'Wingspan' documentary. I beleive it was on the 'True Stories' channel on cable. I wish I had taped it because it was shown without commercials. It could be repeated again soon (I hope). I'll pass any info along if I can if it does show up again.