It Was Twenty Years Ago Today (film)
It Was Twenty Years Ago Today | |
---|---|
Granada Television | |
Release date | 1 June 1987 |
Running time | 105 mins (approx.) |
Country | United Kingdom |
It Was Twenty Years Ago Today (also known as Sgt. Pepper: It Was Twenty Years Ago Today)
The film was directed by John Sheppard for
Its release was accompanied by the book It Was Twenty Years Ago Today, written by Taylor. After the documentary's initial broadcast on the ITV network in the UK, it was shown by PBS in the US on 11 November 1987.
Historical context
Together with the
Pop's maturity beyond the category of teenage entertainment had only recently been recognised at this time.
It Was Twenty Years Ago Today was directed and produced by John Sheppard,
Film content
The film includes footage from ITN's report from outside EMI Studios on 20 December 1966, early in the recording sessions for Sgt. Pepper. Each of the Beatles is asked to comment on rumours that the band are splitting up in the wake of an announcement that they had retired from live performance.[19] Recalling the inspiration behind the album twenty years later, Paul McCartney says: "we started to incorporate more of the crazy life that we were living at the time into the music. We started to believe there weren't that many frontiers, not too many barriers, really …"[7]
Among footage used to establish the context of 1967 is film of Jagger and Richards' court hearing
Performances are shown from the Monterey Pop Festival,
Release and reception
It Was Twenty Years Ago Today was broadcast on the ITV network in Britain on 1 June 1987. It was one of many television and radio programs honouring the twentieth anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper, although the actual release date in 1967 had been brought forward to late May.[25] In addition to the publication of Taylor's book, the album was issued on compact disc for the first time[26] and peaked at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart.[27] In a contemporary interview, Taylor said: "I haven't seen anything like this in a number of years. I have a feeling of dread that we have Beatlemania back again."[26] The documentary was shown by PBS in the US on 11 November.[28]
The documentary received highly favourable reviews.[18] Richard Harrington of The Washington Post described it as "much more than musical nostalgia or a Beatles memorial. It's a thoughtful, expansive look back at the times, the dreams, the rude realities and the untarnished aspirations of many of its key players." He said that Harrison offered the most insightful comments on the times, and added: "One comes away from 'It Was 20 Years Ago Today' with a remembrance of the invitations that defined the era. Invitations not just to 'feed your head' or 'turn on, tune in, drop out,' but to participate in a new community, to explore changes and exchanges, to experiment, to join in a 'tide of playfulness.'"[3] Writing in The New York Times, John Corry welcomed the two former Beatles' insights, although he rued the presence of Leary, Hoffman and Fonda, and that the frequent interview comments limited the amount of music that was heard. Corry also questioned the filmmakers' contention that the Beatles were solely responsible for the cultural changes of 1967 and said that "The paradox in the documentary is that Mr. McCartney and Mr. Harrison ... claim a good deal less than their apostles."[2]
Hoffman said that Sheppard's film was "simply brilliant" and "the only thing I'm ever going to recommend to anybody about the 60s".[18] When asked in a Q magazine interview in late 1987 why he had been the only person to unequivocally agree with the sentiments of "All You Need Is Love", Harrison replied: "They all said All You Need Is Love but you also need such-and-such else. But … love is complete knowledge. If we all had total knowledge, then we would have complete love and, on that basis, everything is taken care of. It's a law of nature."[29]
References
- ^ a b Terrace 2013, p. 330.
- ^ a b c d Corry, John (11 November 1987). "TV Reviews; 20 Years After 'Sgt. Pepper'". The New York Times. p. 30. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harrington, Richard (11 November 1987). "It Was 20 Years Ago Today". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Kanis, Jon (June 2017). "Bells, Beads, Flowers & Incensed: The Summer of Love/Summer of Discontent – 50 Years On". San Diego Troubadour. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ a b Frith, Simon (1981). "1967: The Year It All Came Together". The History of Rock. Available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required).
- ^ MacDonald 1998, pp. 12–14.
- ^ UPI. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Doggett 2007, p. 87.
- ^ Doggett 2007, p. 15.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Derek Taylor". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ Lindberg et al. 2005, p. 218.
- ^ Gendron 2002, pp. 192–93.
- ^ Hamilton, Jack (24 May 2017). "Sgt. Pepper's Timing Was As Good As Its Music". Slate. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Metzger, Richard (2012). "Leonard Bernstein Explains the Rock Revolution to Squares in 1967's 'Inside Pop' Doc". Dangerous Minds. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Marshall, Colin (28 March 2013). "Leonard Bernstein Demystifies the Rock Revolution for Curious (if Square) Grown-Ups in 1967". Open Culture. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ MacDonald 1998, p. 233.
- ^ a b c Macdonald, Gus (30 October 2009). "John Sheppard obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Winn 2009, pp. 74–75.
- ^ Whiteley 2009, pp. 213, 278.
- ^ Perry 1984, p. 296.
- ^ a b Kimsey 2009, p. 239.
- ^ Kozinn, Allan (7 February 2008). "Meditation on the man who saved the Beatles". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ Doggett 2007, pp. 123–25.
- ^ Badman 2001, p. 388.
- ^ a b Duffy, Thom (1 June 1987). "Everybody's Getting On 'Sgt. Pepper' Bandwagon". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1987 Version)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ Badman 2001, pp. 388–89.
- ^ Ellen, Mark (January 1988). "A Big Hand for the Quiet One". Q. p. 60.
Sources
- Badman, Keith (2001). The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After the Break-Up 1970–2001. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-8307-6.
- ISBN 978-1-84195-940-5.
- Gendron, Bernard (2002). Between Montmartre and the Mudd Club: Popular Music and the Avant-Garde. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-28737-9.
- Kimsey, John (2009). "The Beatles for Sale and for Keeps". In Womack, Kenneth (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-68976-2.
- Lindberg, Ulf; Guomundsson, Gestur; Michelsen, Morten; Weisethaunet, Hans (2005). Rock Criticism from the Beginning: Amusers, Bruisers, and Cool-Headed Cruisers. New York, NY: Peter Lang. ISBN 978-0-8204-7490-8.
- ISBN 978-0-7126-6697-8.
- Perry, Charles (1984). The Haight-Ashbury: A History. New York, NY: Random House/Rolling Stone Press. ISBN 978-0-394410982.
- Terrace, Vincent (2013). Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936–2012. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7444-8.
- Whiteley, Sheila (2009). "The Beatles as Zeitgeist". In Womack, Kenneth (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to the Beatles. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-68976-2.
- Winn, John C. (2009). That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Volume Two, 1966–1970. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-3074-5239-9.