Beatles and Film

<p>This concise yet comprehensive study explores the emblematic journey by four young men from Liverpool from the epicentre of teen-led youth culture to the experimentation of the counterculture and beyond. </p><p>Beginning with the celebration of Britain’s own ‘youthquake’ in the joyous and genre-shifting <i>A Hard Day’s Night</i> (1964) the author delves into how the Beatles’ film work allows us to chart their subsequent musical maturation and retreat from the tribulations of stardom in <i>Help!</i> their tentative attempts at improvised filming in the televised <i>Magical Mystery Tour</i> (1967) their acceptance of cartoon representations as leaders of the hippie counterculture in <i>Yellow Submarine</i> (1968) and the final implosion of their musical dynamic in the recording studios of <i>Let It Be</i> (1970). The book analyses how as they grew with their fanbase the Beatles’ films alternate stylistically between mimetic representation and allegorical interpretation and switch narratively between fan-filled and welcoming worlds to films relaying introspection and isolation.</p><p>Offering an in-depth case study of the successes and failures of British youth culture in a volatile decade <i>The Beatles and Film</i> is an engaging text for both scholars and general readers alike. </p>