The Beatles Anthology

[Brad]

The film is being released on DVD (finally) on April 1 (no foolin'). It will be the complete eight-volume series on five discs, plus extras. I already have the 8-video VHS set, and since it looks cool on my shelf, I'm definitely not getting rid of it, but I'm getting the DVD set. Amazon's pre-ordering it right now for about $60.

Here are the specs (so far):
5.1 surround track
50 minutes of additional footage
"Free As A Bird" video
"Real Love" video
The complete McCartney/Harrison/Starr interview

Here's my wishlist for more extras:
Original promo films (what music videos were called before 1981, for all you young'ns) in their entirety
The making of "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love"
Excerpts from the aborted 'new' Beatles songs, "Now And Then" and "Grow Old With Me"

April 1 can't come soon enough.

[laceyinthesky]

Sounds cool! I'll need to buy that.

[Penny Lane]

Cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BTW Amazon is offering free shipping right now on most items!

[dlemond]

Do any of you have The Beatles Ultimate DVD Collection that includes Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, Beatles First US Visit, and You Can't Do That - Making Of a Hard Days Night?

I recently picked myself up a copy and have yet to open it.

[Ian]

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!! I'll be buying that.

[Brad]

At Last 'The Beatles Anthology' on DVD
Tuesday February 18, 11:57 am ET

LONDON, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 31st, eight years after The Beatles themselves told the story of the world's greatest rock and roll band in "The Beatles Anthology," EMI will release the complete work on DVD -- but now featuring the final
chapter; never-released footage of the last jam session of Paul, George and Ringo, playing non-Beatles material.

"The Beatles Anthology" DVD boxset features all of the original eight episodes that candidly reveal the story of how the four lads from Liverpool changed everything.

"The Beatles Anthology" was shown in 1995, when John, Paul, George and Ringo told The Beatles' story for the first time. At that time the Anthology project caused a worldwide sensation as it launched a TV series, three double-CD sets that each topped the album charts in the USA, plus "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" -- the first new Beatles recordings in 25 years. All 10 hours of the original Anthology series will now be released
across four DVD discs, plus an additional disc with 81 minutes of Special Features. Nearly all of the material included on this 5th disc has never been seen before.

For years, rumour has been rife among fans of the existence of intimate footage of Paul, George and Ringo jamming together during breaks in the making of the Anthology. This session and other get-togethers were filmed over a 12-month period when the three Beatles met in private and at Abbey Road studios. It includes the trio warmly remembering personal moments from their early days, reflecting on how they made their music and footage of them shot in the studio as they recorded "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love."

David Munns of EMI Recorded Music said: "We are really pleased to be releasing 'The Beatles Anthology,' which tells the story of their lives and careers in the medium of DVD. This was always a great series and the Special Features Disc will be a huge addition to the collection of any music lover and Beatles fan -- it provides an intimate and fascinating chapter to the story that continues to captivate the world."

Technically, the DVDs offer a spectacular audio/visual experience, featuring re-graded picture quality and new audio mastering including 5.1-surround sound and a new stereo PCM soundtrack.

The Beatles Anthology DVD will be released on March 31st, 2003.

Source: EMI

[Brad]

Features all the original material from the video box release
including performances, revelations interviews plus original
liner notes.

Disc 5 features over 80 minutes of previously unreleased
material including...

Recollections - June 1994
Paul, George and Ringo spend a summer's day together
singing, playing and warmly remembering the early days.

Back at Abbey Road - May 1995
Paul, George and Ringo at Abbey Road Studios with George
Martin, playing back the multi-tracks of some of their classic
recordings and reveal some of the inventive techniques used
during the original sessions.

Recording "Free as a Bird" & "Real Love"
Paul, George and Ringo, along with Jeff Lynne discuss the story
behind these recordings - includes intimate footage of them all at
work in the studio.

Real Love Video
The video not screened as part of the original Anthology series,
now included in glorious 5.1 surround sound.

Compiling the Anthology Albums
Paul, George, Ringo and George Martin discuss how the three
Anthology double albums were compiled.

The Making of the "Free As A Bird" video
An intriguing insight into how the Grammy Award winning video
was created.

[Brad]

Here's the packaging for the DVD set. Very similar to the VHS set.

http://www.davisdvd.com/News/images/anthology.jpg

[Ian]

Looks good.