AllMovie

The Beatles: Big Beat Box takes a look back at the early days and subsequent rise of the fab four, through documentary footage and old news interviews with the Beatles themselves. The non-musical program offers a rich historical collage of images and live action from their 1964 blockbuster American tour which catapulted them to world stardom. Also featured is their 1965 world tour to the U.S., Austria, France, Holland, and Australia, where Ringo, who took ill with tonsillitis, was replaced by drummer Jimmy Nicol. Through the program, the Beatles' meteoric, alchemic rise from the basement clubs of Liverpool and Germany to Ed Sullivan's stage and beyond, gives testimony not just to a band, but to a whole generation. Included is a 55-minute CD of Beatles songs (which are not performed by the Beatles).