| Beatles Stories | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Seth Swirsky |
| Produced by | Seth Swirsky |
Production company | Julukesy Films |
| Distributed by | Cinema Libre |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Beatles Stories: A Fab Four Fan's Ultimate Road Trip is a 2011 documentary film. It consists of filmed interviews thatSeth Swirsky conducted with people who had a personal story or recollection about themselves and one or all of The "Fab Four".[1]
SongwriterSeth Swirsky grew up in the 1960s, a fan ofThe Beatles.[2] As he got older he noticed that whenever someone told a story about themselves and his favorite band he was all ears.[3]
So he bought a video camera and set out on an 8-year journey to film personal stories about his heroes from those who had one.[4]
Some of the more than 110 individuals that Swirsky interviewed for the film are former personal assistant Fred Seaman, SirBen Kingsley,Graham Nash,[5]Art Garfunkel,Justin Hayward ofThe Moody Blues, actorJon Voight,Susanna Hoffs, U.S. president daughterLuci Baines Johnson, formerNew York YankeeBernie Williams,Rick Nielsen ofCheap Trick,Brian Wilson ofThe Beach Boys, actorHenry Winkler,Indianapolis Colts football ownerJim Irsay,Smokey Robinson,Donovan, Beatles longtime producer SirGeorge Martin, Lennon ex-girlfriendMay Pang, Beatles engineersNorman Smith,Ken Scott and John Kurlander and American cultural iconsFrank Gifford andBob Eubanks, among others.[6][7][8][9]
Beatles Stories[4] was chosen as an Official Selection at the 2011European Independent Film Festival[10]—considered the Sundance of Europe[11][12]—and had its world premiere in Paris, France, on April 3, 2011.[13][14] It was an Official Selection at The 2011Newport Beach International Film Festival, where it made its North American premiere on April 29, 2011.[15][16] It made its East Coast premiere at The Gold Coast International Film Festival on June 2, 2011.[17]
It was also an official selection at The 2011 Las Vegas Film Festival,[18]Santa Fe Independent Film Festival,[19][20] Bend Film Festival,Kansas International Film Festival[21] and the 2012 Fargo Film Festival.[22]
In June 2012, it was screened in London, Manchester and Liverpool.[6]
The DVD of the documentary as well as a bonus disc containing an additional 25 interviews was released on June 6, 2012.[6] The DVD also contains a director's commentary track and a featurette with Norman "Hurricane" Smith, the engineer who worked on many of the Beatles' songs.[6][23]
Beatles Stories made news when it was revealed byJohn Lennon's former personal assistant—one of the over 50 interviewees in the movie—that, by the time of his death, Lennon would have voted forRonald Reagan in the 1980 elections and, that by the end of his life, he was embarrassed by the naivete of his song "Imagine".[24][25][26]
Beatles Stories was nominated for Best Score for an Indie Film or Documentary at the 2013Hollywood Music in Media Awards.[27]
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