Happy Christmas! Let's have a look at Dave Mullins' film, co-written with Sean Ono Lennon, which won Best Animated Short Film at the 2024 Oscars. We discuss the animation techniques, including use of the Unreal Engine, and talk about how John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Christmas song Happy Xmas (War Is Over) came about in 1971, and how it came to be used in the film.

• Watch the film on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W68-XaFepOg
• We made a donation to the War Child charity for this episode, which you can too if you'd like: https://www.warchild.org.uk/donate-war-is-over-film 
• The "making of" short documentary piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADIePh3JR40 
• Yoko Ono's 1966 piece, Play It By Trust: https://www.imaginepeace.com/archives/24764 
• Dave Mullins' Pixar short, Lou: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIL0vSNx8Xg 
• The Toy Story 3 scene in which the characters accept and wait for their death: https://youtu.be/Hg2DBQNvLBQ 
• An article about the auction of the 1969 postcard John and Yoko sent UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-61174089 

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

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What did we expect from the new episode? Well: the big decision here is not to include any new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr from the 2020s. We discuss the effect that decision has on this episode, and on how it rounds off the series as a whole. Does the episode work as a general making-of-Anthology, or as a patchwork of unused clips from the other eight episodes? And is there any more Threetles footage to come, or is that your lot?

• The 2025 Beatles Anthology is available to watch on Disney+: https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/browse/entity-cab32c53-c3f8-4879-86f5-c8e4a1657338
• You can find our five-part deep dive into the original Beatles Anthology earlier in this feed
• Tom Doyle's book Ringo: A Fab Life: https://share.google/JTtimJRkRdc9nEJaj
• The episode of the Beatles Books Podcast featuring Tom Doyle: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-sjt4u-19a1a32

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

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They couldn't let it lie, could they? Well, fair enough: The Beatles Anthology felt like a sleeping giant for Apple: gathering dust on a lot of fortysomethings' DVD shelves when it could be out there, brand spanking new and showing a whole new generation how great these guys were.

And of course these episodes have been altered: we talk about what's new, and what's been removed and why. Plus there's the subject of the AI upscaling of some of the early performance footage: what effect does it have and what are the implications?

• The 2025 Beatles Anthology is available to watch on Disney+: https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/browse/entity-cab32c53-c3f8-4879-86f5-c8e4a1657338
• You can find our five-part deep dive into the original Beatles Anthology earlier in this feed
• The 1929 short film The Singing Brakeman, starring Jimmie Rodgers: https://youtu.be/JvA9fWnEXw0
• The episode of the Producing The Beatles podcast about Now and Then: https://www.producingthebeatles.com/new-episodes/2023/11/14/016-now-and-then-56hkt

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

• Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod
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It's part 2 and we're getting into it: what were the standout performances? There's a lot to choose from: Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney all had a go, but what motivated their song choices? We also discuss Paul in particular: less secure than Ringo in his relationship with George Harrison, it's fascinating to watch Paul tread carefully through his contributions. What would a Paul McCartney tribute concert look like and who would appear at it?

• You can find ways to watch and listen to the Concert for George at https://concertforgeorge.com
• We insist you listen to Steven's podcast with Jason Carty, Nothing Is Real: https://www.nothingisrealpod.com
• You can also find their Radio Ulster series Back to the Irish, which examines the Irish connections of the Beatles and other artists, on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b079m78n
• Prince's performance on While My Guitar Gently Weeps at George's Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2004: https://youtu.be/dWRCooFKk3c
• The Art of McCartney compilation album that Matt likes a lot more than Steven does: https://open.spotify.com/album/4iZ49yyqqCiB4B1NVV98lM
• The Prince's Trust Rock Gala 1986, where Paul performed I Saw Her Standing There, Long Tall Sally and Get Back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hivErCQ7R6I

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

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As reluctant as he famously is to talk about it, Steven Cockcroft, one half of the Nothing Is Real podcast, attended the George Harrison tribute concert on 29 November 2002. So when it came to discussing the 2003 concert film we thought, Who better to invite on as a guest? Part 1 of our conversation touches on our memories of George's death in 2001, how Steven got a ticket, which artists were confirmed when, and which were rumoured, and the differences between the DVD's two versions: the full concert and the edited theatrical release.

• You can find ways to watch and listen to the Concert for George at https://concertforgeorge.com
• If you haven't listened to Nothing Is Real you must. Steven Cockcroft and Jason Carty created the the gold standard of Beatles podcasts, and they are sorely missed: https://www.nothingisrealpod.com
• You can also find their Radio Ulster series Back to the Irish, which examines the Irish connections of the Beatles and other artists, on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b079m78n
• BobFest in 1993 was officially known as The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, a Bob Dylan tribute: https://www.bobdylan.com/albums/the-30th-anniversary-concert-celebration
• Tom Hanks's episode of Desert Island Discs, in which he chose an unlikely Beatles song and spoke movingly about how they helped him through childhood loneliness: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b079m78n
• The Martin Scorsese concert film The Last Waltz: https://share.google/DQgykliRFBj1vxoMx

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

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Ringo Starr and Harry Nilsson playing Merlin (yes, the wizard) and the son of Dracula: what could possibly go wrong? Well, a fair bit as it turns out: some baffling choices are made and it can't quite make up its mind what it is, but at least Ringo enjoyed being a producer, didn't he? No, not really. Still, he had a bar in his Apple Films office, at least.

• Watch the film in this fairly ropy VHS transfer: https://youtu.be/cfkHN_QxNcw
• Or in this weird but fascinating HD upscale made using AI: https://youtu.be/1o9zHsyl-3U
• The Irish actor who played Merlin in the BBC series is Colin Morgan: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2959880
• Woody Allen's 1966 film What's Up, Tiger Lily? where he redubbed a Japanese spy film to make it a comedy: https://share.google/4D2x2eAJnUsmysiq7
• The other Apple Films productions we mention are Raga: https://youtu.be/bvwf53_ZPEM
• Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs: https://youtu.be/XOxABAk0scU
• Did Britain Murder Hanratty? https://youtu.be/HGl9tzMNtpE
• An agreement between France and Great Britain to build what became the Channel Tunnel was signed in 1973, so perhaps it was in the news at the time? That's our best guess anyway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel#History
• Nilsson's Son of Schmilsson album: https://open.spotify.com/album/522ynXVXJEFsiozNTy6rbt

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

• Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod
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It would've been remiss, having just covered the German Paul is Dead, not to do a quick bonus episode on this lovely little short from British writer-director George Moore. He imagines a Lake District writing retreat in which the Beatles wake up after a drug-fuelled night to discover Paul McCartney is dead, and go about trying to recruit local shepherd Billy Shears as a replacement. We talk about the characterisations used for the group and how much that allows a comprehensive story to be told in just 12 minutes, the references to the Strawberry Fields Forever video and A Hard Day's Night, and what it tells us about Ringo Starr's emotional intelligence.

• Watch the film: it's great and it's only 12 minutes. https://vimeo.com/273978693
• Poker Face, the Natasha Lyonne show Matt mentions: https://share.google/QjGG4FhuJ2Iz1YQ59
• Police Squad! https://share.google/WXk1K6SFYwTAZxQVC

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

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We really enjoyed Hendrik Handloegten's 2000 film, which uses fandom and the old Paul is Dead mystery trope to great effect in a coming-of-age story. Tobias maybe has some stuff going on at home, and at 13 is on the cusp of noticing girls, and the film perfectly shows how kids get obsessed and wilfully believe outlandish things because the fantasy is more appealing than reality.

We go down the rabbit hole of the Paul is Dead theory ourselves, and ask: is there anything in it? (No, no, there isn't.)

• There are other versions of the film online, but this one doesn't cut out the music: https://ok.ru/video/4866916879014
• Some songs from the Paul is Dead novelty subgenre: The Ballad of Paul by The Mystery Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nFQpyAXBc0
• Brother Paul by Billy Shears and the All-Americans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPUycDF-ypg
• So Long Paul by Werbley Finster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuGpldj1Uog
• We're All Paul Bearers by Zacherias & The Tree People: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRubiFAZS9Y
• The appalling "The Last Testament of George Harrison (Paul McCartney Really Is Dead)": https://youtu.be/Rhjtly9KTqE
• Other coming-of-age films we mention in which kids get obsessed with something as a reaction to family disruption: Super 8; Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; The Goonies; Boyhood. We didn't mention it but you could add Stand By Me to that list too.

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

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We look at Ryan White's 2013 documentary about Freda Kelly, employed by Brian Epstein and The Beatles from 1962 to 1972, and president of their fan club. How influential was she in what became Beatlemania? We discuss her obvious empathy with and yet professional distance from the Beatles' female fans, and her instinctive understanding that a personal connection with fans strengthens the relationship. Also, this small film made with Kickstarter funding secured the rights to use four Beatles songs: how?

• Watch the film on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucoGodRvzX8
• The interview with Freda and Ryan White for the iTunes launch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvMticJSYqM
• New Zealand's performance in the 2010 World Cup, as tweeted by Ed and retweeted by Russell Crowe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup#Group_F
• Other Ryan White films and series mentioned are Good Night Oppy: https://share.google/f55I0xmygF4ttj6UJ
• The Case Against 8: https://share.google/3RPhWLFhVPEmRVcHV
• Assassins: https://share.google/pR0CNS8MuXJ9rnsrX
• Pamela: A Love Story: https://www.netflix.com/title/81590934
• The Keepers: https://www.netflix.com/title/80122179
• When we recorded this we discussed Freda's cameo in Backbeat, playing George Harrison's mother giving him scones before they sail to Hamburg. Then when we watched it we weren't convinced it was her. A bit of digging revealed it's a Liverpudlian actor called Frieda Kelly, who was active in the 80s and 90s. IMDb incorrectly adds Freda, not Frieda, to the cast list. Justice for Frieda! https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0446394

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

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Strap in for Jim Hosking's deliberately provocative and frustrating take on the "genesis of a song" story. In fictionalising a meeting between Paul McCartney (Sky Elobar) and Stevie Wonder (Gil Gex) at Paul's Scottish cottage, and throwing narrative structure and logic out the window, is he poking fun at how seriously classic rock fans take these stories? We discuss the comedy of repetition, how it can force you to reinterpret simple statements by overexposure to them, and, briefly because it can't be avoided, prosthetic penises.

• In the UK you can watch the film on Kanopy, a free streaming service available if you have a library card. But note the films available to you depend on which library you're registered with, so it might not be included: https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/15627467
• Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/Y2ebFMjJujw
• The video for Paul's solo version: https://youtu.be/JNsh6uMFNTc
• Clarification: when we say it was the second most successful single of Paul's career including Hey Jude, we should say it was the one that ran for second-longest at number one in the US charts. He of course had bigger sellers, like Mull of Kintyre.
• The full clip of Andy Kaufman's I Trusted You: https://youtu.be/TSYV-nEE300
• The "We Are The World" documentary The Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81720500
• The full SNL sketch, with Eddie Murphy as Stevie Wonder and Joe Piscopo as Frank Sinatra: https://youtu.be/0h2jZtuRuic
• Paul's quote about working with Stevie is from his book The Lyrics.

The Beatles Films Podcast is hosted by Matt Looker and Ed Williamson. We're both film writers and Beatles fans. Between us we've written for TheShiznit.co.uk, Total Film, Den of Geek and Virgin Media.

But tomorrow may rain, so you'll follow us on:

• Instagram https://instagram.com/beatlesfilmspod
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• YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@BeatlesFilmsPodcast
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