An Iconic Tour, a Legendary Love Story: The Beatles Get Two Docs at Venice

The Beatles are getting some attention at this year’s Venice Film Festival, which unveiled its 2024 lineup on Tuesday.

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The legendary band, who dominated the music industry for an entire decade from 1960, has earned spots in the prestigious fest’s documentary section in different capacities. Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards’ doc One to One: John & Yoko focuses on the intense and public relationship between the two artists, while Things We Said Today from Romania’s Andrei Ujica, on the other hand, is a look at the band’s famous and first North American tour – a film that was supposed to be ready 10 years ago.

On John Lennon’s official website, Macdonald’s feature documentary from Mercury Studios is described as “a moving look at the couple’s life upon their entry into a transformative 1970’s New York, exploring their musical, personal, artistic, social, and political world.” Macdonald himself said: “I wanted to make a film that surprises and delights even the most dedicated Lennon and Ono fans by focusing on one transformative period in their lives and telling the tale through their own words, images and music… Built around the beautiful 16mm film footage of the only full-length concert John gave after leaving the Beatles, I hope the film will introduce the audience to a more intimate version of John & Yoko – while also reflecting their politically radical and experimental sides.”

The Beatles broke up in 1970 after a period of wild popularity. They are the bestselling music act of all time, with an estimated 600 million units sold around the world. In December 1980, Lennon was shot and killed outside his apartment in New York City.

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Other docs revealed in Venice’s lineup on Tuesday are Asif Kapadia’s 2073 and Separated , the latest from the great Errol Morris ( The Fog of War ), as well as Göran Hugo Olsson’s Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 , which documents how Swedish public broadcasters have covered the crisis in the Middle East over three decades. Andres Veiel’s Riefenstahl , a look at the notorious, groundbreaking German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, will also screen.

From Darkness to Light , a documentary from directors Michael Lurie and Eric Friedler about Jerry Lewis’ unreleased Holocaust movie The Day the Clown Cried , featuring never-before-seen footage of the legendary lost film, will screen in Venice’s Classics section devoted to documentaries about cinema.

Venice kicks off on Aug. 28 with the world premiere of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice , Tim Burton’s sequel to his 1988 comedy-horror hit, screening out of competition. Joker 2 , Maria , and Wolfs are also set to premiere at the fest.

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