‘Eight Days a Week’ is appropriately subtitled ‘The Touring Years,’ as it decides to focus on the band when they were at the height of their popularity. The aim of the movie – as far as I can see – is to show that The Beatles weren’t kids coasting on success while they were in their prime; they were working really, really hard for their money. They were releasing a single every three months, an album every six, and in-between they were touring and making movies. The movie does a good job at showing that they lived very stressful lives. They lived a lifestyle many of us could only dream of having. In a refreshing twist, they seemed to actually enjoy the lifestyle for the most part. They are constantly described as “cheeky,” and it is that cheeky attitude that makes them endearing personalities all these years later. The music, it should be noted, is predictably good and the performances are still electric and fun after all these years.
Again, though, none of this is news. If you want to listen to the music the albums are widely available. If you want to see their live performances there are countless DVD’s and YouTube clips you can watch. The only reason to make another documentary on The Beatles is if you have something new to say. Interestingly, at one point the movie comes close by interviewing prominent African-Americans like Whoopi Goldberg, who remember that The Beatles helped them become accepting of white people (an ethnic group who had, in general, not been kind to them). There is even a black historian who has memories of going to a Beatles concert that wasn’t segregated, and being amazed that black and white people were all dancing and waving their hair in union. This might have been the unique story that Howard could have told that wouldn’t have been redundant, but it is only glossed over because this isn’t a movie about the effect The Beatles had on people, it is about their rigorous touring.
