New film announced - What do you think?

Did you read the news yesterday (see below) about this new film?  Many fans have patiently been waiting years for the official release of Let It Be, the film originally created from the same footage. What are your thoughts?  Are you excited for the new film or disappointed that the original isn't being released?

OFFICIAL NEWS FROM THEBEATLES.COM

New film collaboration between The Beatles and acclaimed Academy Award winning director Sir Peter Jackson announced

London – January 30, 2019 - Apple Corps Ltd. and WingNut Films Ltd. are proud to announce an exciting new collaboration between The Beatles and the acclaimed Academy Award winning director Sir Peter Jackson. The new film will be based around 55 hours of never-released footage of The Beatles in the studio, shot between January 2nd and January 31st, 1969. These studio sessions produced The Beatles’ Grammy Award winning album Let It Be, with its Academy Award winning title song. The album was eventually released 18 months later in May 1970, several months after the band had broken up.   The filming was originally intended for a planned TV special, but organically turned into something completely different, climaxing with The Beatles’ legendary performance on the roof of Apple's Savile Row London office — which took place exactly 50 years ago today. Peter Jackson said, "The 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us, ensures this movie will be the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about - it’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together.”    Although The Beatles were filmed extensively during the 1960s - in concerts, interviews and movies - this is the only footage of any note that documents them at work in the studio. The Let It Be album and movie, having been released in the months following The Beatles’ breakup, have often been viewed in the context of the struggle the band was going through at that time.    “I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth,” continues Jackson, “After reviewing all the footage and audio that Michael Lindsay-Hogg shot 18 months before they broke up, it’s simply an amazing historical treasure-trove. Sure, there’s moments of drama - but none of the discord this project has long been associated with. Watching John, Paul, George, and Ringo work together, creating now-classic songs from scratch, is not only fascinating - it’s funny, uplifting and surprisingly intimate”.      "I’m thrilled and honoured to have been entrusted with this remarkable footage - making the movie will be a sheer joy.”   Jackson will be working with his They Shall Not Grow Old partners, Producer Clare Olssen and Editor Jabez Olssen. The footage will be restored by Park Road Post of Wellington, New Zealand, to a pristine standard, using techniques developed for the WW1 documentary film which has been nominated for a BAFTA for best documentary.   The untitled film is currently in production and the release date will be announced in due course. This film is being made with the full co-operation of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, and Olivia Harrison.    The Executive Producers are Ken Kamins for WingNut Films and Jeff Jones and Jonathan Clyde for Apple Corps.   Following the release of this new film, a restored version of the original Let It Be movie directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg will also be made available.

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Mersey Boys: A Letter From Al Moran

“Mersey Boys: A Letter From Al Moran,” a ten-minute concept film about the Beatles, has been submitted to several film festivals. The movie was produced by Celtic Badger Media Films of Limerick, Ireland, and was shot in Galway and Wicklow, Ireland in October of 2018.

The film was directed by Paddy Murphy who also adapted the screenplay from the original novel, “Mersey Boys,” by American author Steven Gerard Farrell (Celtic-Badger Publishers, 2013).

The Beatles are played by Irish actors Robert Bourtke (John), Mikey Casey (Paul) and Ben Collopy (George). Irish actor Fiach Kunz is the male lead (Professor Al Moran) and British actor Jessica (Ginny Browne) is the female lead.

Veteran British actor Graham Gill (Squire Clancy), American actors Rachel Cobb (Moira Moran) and Steven Gerard Farrell (Gerard Moran) round-out the international cast.

Read about the plot here. 

Cast & crew (Robbie Milton)

Jessica Messenger (Paddy Murphy)

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Paddy Murphy and Steven G. Farrell (Rachel Cobb)

Film Cover: Mikey Casey, Robert Bourke,  Fiach Kunz & Ben Collopy (Robbie Milton)

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Mikey Casey, Robert Bourke & Ben Collopy (Robbie Milton)

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Steven Gerard Farrell and Rachel Cobb (Robbie Milton)

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Here There and Everywhere - A Film made by Fans for Fans!

A Film made by Fans for Fans! Supported by The Cavern Club, The Beatles Story Museum, The Hard Days Night Hotel, The Fest For Beatles Fans, Abbey Road on the River and The British Beatles Fan Club.

Here There And Everywhere (HTAE) is an 80-minute ‘love letter’ spanning the band’s history as seen through the eyes, felt through the hearts and as told through the memories of their fans . . . from those who organise the fan festivals and tribute concerts . . . the memorabilia collectors who amaze and delight with their rare and unseen photographs and films. . . The Club runners who keep the fans together, to the authors and artists who continue to breathe fresh life into the never-ending magical mystery tour.

The film will feature never-before-seen, restored fan footage and photographs, providing a first-hand history about the opportunities created through the love of the band. Many artists and bands will pack HTAE with performances. Special licensed recordings will also be produced, featuring musicians and vocalists from around the world, creating a global Beatles  soundtrack.

Contributors to the Pledge campaign will receive a signed DVD of the movie before the launch. Those who pledge for the DVD offerings will also see their name on the film’s credits, if they pledge during the campaign. So yes, that’s right, your name will appear up in lights on the credits of this film.

As part of the ongoing production the producers will also encourage artists and animators around the world to include their Beatles-inspired interludes in the film. But perhaps most importantly, if you fans have a story to tell, then get in touch and we will look to see if we can include you and your story in the film. This is a fans film, so amidst the array of interviews and performances we want to include you! 

The film will launch at a number of iconic venues after release, with a TV network broadcast release at the conclusion of the project. The film will also be streamed on partner websites, with exclusive introduction interviews and extended excerpts at each partner site. Here There And Everywhere will also be shown at a number of film festivals, along with other staged releases,  including preview theatre and launch screenings in the UK, USA and Europe; to be confirmed. Production starts in late February/early March, 2017.

Click here to learn more.

Eight Days a Week Premiere is just days away

Excitement is building as the premiere date approaches.  The film will be screened around the world at selected venues.  We've also learned that a DVD version will be released in November in case you don't live near one of the venues.

Find out where you can watch at the film's website.  Just change to your country in the top right corner of the site.

We had a chance for a preview look yesterday. This post below is about what we saw but warning, it has spoilers.

"Bigger Than Jesus" film in the works

Producer Dave Long with Maureen Cleave

We've learned of a new film in the works  about the impact of John's fateful words back in 1966 when he commented that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus.

This documentary documentary feature film is being made about the 'Bigger than Jesus' conspiracy by a prize winning British TV producer and the production will include a vast array of interviews both in the UK and the USA - including one of the last given by Tony Barrow.  Also interviewed was with the wonderful Maureen Cleave, who carried out the original interview with John in early 1966.

To date the project has been privately funded, but a crowd-funding campaign to help finish it off  will kick off before year end.  In the meantime, there is a Facebook site designed to create a community of fans who are interested in this story and to keep fans informed of the progress of the project.

We will report again on this project later in the year when we learn more. In the meantime, if you are interested "like" the Facebook site.

8 Days A Week film - September 15, 2016 - updated

Updated:  The link below takes you to the main site.  In the top right hand corner you can change the country to see what's happening in your country.

Ron Howard's authorized biography film "The Beatles Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years" will be screened in London on September 15th  Use this link to find out more about the film, the companion album (CD and Vinyl) and how to get your tickets.

It will release in the USA on September 15th as well but only in selected cinemas and then be available for streaming on Hulu.  Get tickets from these cinemas.

EXCLUSIVE TRAILER FOR 'THE SESSIONS: A LIVE RE-STAGING OF THE BEATLES AT ABBEY ROAD

FIRST LOOK: EXCLUSIVE TRAILER FOR 'THE SESSIONS: A LIVE RE-STAGING OF THE BEATLES AT ABBEY ROAD

Blockbuster stage show and spectacular access-all-areas musical documentary ‘The Sessions: A Live Re-Staging Of The Beatles At Abbey Road’ is set in a state-of-the-art reproduction of the iconic Abbey Road Studio 2. The show will stage breath-taking live renditions of the timeless albums recorded there by The Beatles, to take you on a thrilling and historically authentic voyage through the events that shaped popular music history.

WATCH THE EXCLUSIVE TRAILER HERE

Executive Producer Stig Edgren said: “This video is a small window into what we’re trying to achieve, and the passion and expertise in which we'll do it. With the world class team we’ve assembled, the clarity of our vision and the amazing venues we’ll be touring, we have an incredibly exciting opportunity to create the biggest, most spectacular, most musically authentic Beatles show ever. We wanted to give people a taste of the process by which we will bring THE SESSIONS to life, and hope they see our commitment to delivering the finest Beatle production ever."

 

World Premiere: The LENNON v McCARTNEY film - June 2

The world premiere of the LENNON v McCARTNEY film is at the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield, Dublin, next Tuesday (June 2nd) at 5.30pm. 

 

Originally a stage play by Stephen Kennedy, LENNON v McCARTNEY has now been made into a short film by Eddie Jackson.  The film stars Rúaidhrí Conroy and Seamus Brennan.  Rúaidhrí was the main star in Six Shooter – a film which was written and directed by Martin McDonagh and won an Oscar.  Rúaidhrí also won the Theatre World Award for the title role in Martin McDonagh's play The Cripple of Inishmaan.  And Seamus Brennan has acted in plays such as Christ Deliver Us at the prestigious Abbey Theatre. 

BRIEF BIO OF STEPHEN KENNEDY

Stephen Kennedy is a writer from Ireland.  His poetry has been published in the Irish Times, The Stinging Fly, Books Ireland, Sunday Tribune, and many other publications – including two recent collections – If Ever You Go: A Map of Dublin in Poetry and Song and New Planet Cabaret.  Stephen has been nominated for the RTE PJ O’Connor Radio Play Awards and shortlisted for the Hennessy XO Literary Awards.  His plays have been performed in Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany and the US – and he is also Director of the Dublin Beatles Festival.

Competition time! - Win tickets (CORRECTION)

Notice - the film company contacted us to say they can't provide the poster as promised so the prize has been changed to two free tickets to see the film.

It's been awhile since our last competition so when the makers of this wonderful new film featuring John Lennon's music asked if we would like to have free tickets to the film to offer as a prize, we jumped at the chance!

To make it fun, we took our inspiration from the film.  Since the film is about a letter from John Lennon to Danny Collins, we've created a fictitious letter from John that he might have written while out in Almeria Spain filming "How I Won the War" in 1966.

All you have to do, is deduce from the clues in the letter,  to whom the letter was written.  All correct entries will be put in a hat for a drawing and the lucky winner will be randomly selected on May 29th, the date the film Danny Collins is released in the UK.

The Contest Details

• The Prize: The winner will receive a film poster for Danny Collins signed by Al Pacino
• The Task: Read the letter in the image at the bottom of this post, and figure out who the letter was written to from the clues in the letter.
• Who can enter: You must be a current BBFC member with a membership number and membership dues current.
• How to enter: Send an email to website@britishbeatlesfanclub.co.uk containing:
• Your name
• Membership number
• Email address
• Mailing address (to send the prize to)
• Answer to the question "Who was John writing to in the letter?"
• Be sure to put "Danny Collins Contest" in the subject line

Danny Collins - Fab new film out Friday May 29

Watch this space! Tomorrow we launch a competition with a prize supplied by the filmmakers.

Al Pacino stars as Danny Collins in this hilarious new drama. An ageing rock star receives a life-changing letter from John Lennon, which was written 40 years earlier but never delivered. Upon its discovery, he embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family and himself. Inspired by a true story, Danny Collins also stars Annette Bening, Jennifer Garner, Bobby Cannavale and Christopher Plummer.

 

Danny Collins is in cinemas nationwide on Friday May 29. 

 

New digitally restored A Hard Day's Night film coming soon