by Steve Marinucci
Published Oct. 17, 2008 on Abbeyrd's Beatles Page
The Beatles: All Together Now (Capitol/EMI) - : In comparison to the big holiday Beatle projects of previous years, "All Together Now" is an unusual choice. The centerpiece of the DVD, an 84-minute film about the creation of the Cirque du Soleil multimedia show now in a locked slot at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, could be called a DVD of a DVD -- the release of the audio CD/DVD combination of "Love." And putting it up against previous holiday projects like the "Beatles Anthology" DVD set and the Anthology book, it seems to come up a little short in the "Things We Really Need" department.
But don't let that fool you. The film does have some underlying and very significant elements that will be of great interest to Beatle fans.
"All Together Now" goes behind the scenes and examines the genesis, creation and staging of the "Love" show. It had its roots in 2000 and was initially inspired from an idea by George Harrison and his friendship with Cirque du Soleil's Guy Laliberté. George's enthusiam led him to invite Paul and Ringo to Las Vegas to see a Cirque show, and the idea was born, though it still took until Oct., 2004 for an agreement to be signed.
But going from the idea stage to making it happen in the Beatle world isn't necessarily a trip down Penny Lane.
Neil Aspinall, to whom the film is dedicated, admits in a candid moment something that's been well known but never, to our knowledge, admitted openly -- that decisions on projects by the Beatles brain trust (Paul, Ringo, Yoko and Olivia) must be unanimous or they don't happen. And the film reveals concerns at various points by Olivia Harrison, Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney and Sir George Martin on how the project should happen. You almost feel for the pressure the Cirque performers had to be under in dealing with the concerns of the Beatles and their families.
In addition to the creative elements, the film examines the staging difficulties that the Mirage had to face and includes a look at the show from the point of view of one South African performer, Michael Moloi Tumelo, whose uncertainty, at various points, reflects that of the Beatles in the early stages.
Though most of the DVD is about the show itself, Paul, Ringo and Sir George Martin talk about working with the music. And spruced up clips from "Let It Be" are snipped in every so often as a teaser to what the eventual "Let It Be" DVD might look like.
One of the most fascinating sequences is the breakdown of the "shadows sequence," which features studio audio outtakes that weren't included on the "Love" CD/DVD. Both Paul and Ringo express their love of this segment as making the music even more real.
After various rehearsals attended by various members of the Beatles, the premiere night finally arrives and the Beatles family comes from far and wide to attend. Paul (no Heather footage at all, by the way), Olivia, Dhani, Yoko, Cynthia, Julian, Sean and Sir George are all in the house. The camera pans Paul and Ringo often during the show and Ringo's enthusiasm is especially noticable. In one emotional clip, Dhani Harrison is visibly touched when a huge image of his father is shown on the big screen.
At the end, the Beatles and the rest of the audience applaud widely. The last 15 minutes or so of the DVD concentrates on clips of the finished show. And another treat -- outtakes of "No Reply," different from what was on "Anthology 1" and including studio chatter, are heard over the credits.
Three short special features are included: "Changing the Music," a 22-minute documentary about the decision to rework the original recordings; "Music In the Theatre," a 9-minute short on creating 5.1 surround sound in the theatre; and "Making Love," a 10-minute short about the design of the show. Audio options include 5.1 surround and DTS, in addition to regular stereo.
"All Together Now" pulls back the curtain in front of the Beatles maybe a little better than even the Anthology did. While much of the Anthology documentary was composed of vintage news reels, "All Together Now" has much of a cinema verité quality to it because the bulk of it was shot as it was happening. So the actions of the Beatles and their associates are pretty much real, not scripted. It also reveals the depth of the commitment of finances and resources the Beatles, the Mirage and Cirque du Soleil put out to make this work. You have to give all concerned credit for the time, effort and uniqueness of the idea.
All together, "All Together Now" is a further vote of confidence by the Beatles to the Cirque show. It doesn't rise a whole lot past the level of the typical backstage documentary, but there are certainly enough clips of the show in the DVD to make anyone who hasn't seen it certainly tempted to make the journey to Las Vegas and enough stuff for Beatle fans to enjoy the ride it takes you on.
One more thing -- there are no clips of Larry King anywhere in sight!
