Gonzo MultimediaIn 1976, a unique film was released titled All This and World War II that featured covers of Beatles songs recorded by an amazing cast of music stars that accompanied archival World War II newsreel footage and clips from 1940s movies. Now, an updated version of the flick called The Beatles and World War II, featuring much of the same music set to a newly created movie that includes some different vintage clips, will be released as a DVD/two-CD set this Friday, July 15.
Among the many famous musicians who contributed their talents to the project were Elton John, Rod Stewart, Keith Moon, Peter Gabriel, Jeff Lynne, The Bee Gees, Bryan Ferry, David Essex, Tina Turner and Status Quo. The new version of the movie was edited by veteran director Tony Palmer, whose credits include 1968’s Cream’s Farewell Concert and the 1971 Frank Zappa cult flick 200 Motels.
“The 2016 film is a completely new experience, much of it in HD,” Palmer explains of The Beatles and World War II. “Yes, we have used some of the original tracks, but added a lot of new archive footage, some never seen before. In addition, I have often used totally different music.”
The director also points out that while the movie features footage of such World War II-era figures as Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Neville Chamberlain, Joe Kennedy and Adolf Hitler, it also references modern events and topics such as “war-torn Syria and the massive problem of immigration along the way.”
Palmer maintains that The Beatles and World War II “is a far more complex film than the original [that] I hope will give everyone pause for thought about the troubled world in which we live.”
The Beatles and World War II features a DVD combined with a double-CD soundtrack album.
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