Act Naturally: The Beatles on Film 1493059017, 9781493059010

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PRAISE FOR ACT NATURALLY “A terrific read that puts the Fabs’ films into an insightful and fact-filled context with a fresh perspective on just how important the movies were to their lasting legacy.” —Dennis Elsas, legendary WNEW FM and WFUV New York disc jockey and cohost of Fab Fourum on Sirius XM “With Act Naturally: The Beatles on Film, Steve Matteo provides readers with the definitive, go-to book for understanding the group’s cinematic forays. Chock full of new information, Act Naturally is rife with stories about the Fabs’ filmic excursions, key aspects of their unparalleled contribution to music and celebrity culture.” —Kenneth Womack, author of John Lennon 1980 and Fandom and the Beatles “Steve Matteo is the perfect companion and tour guide in navigating the Beatles’ fascinating dalliance with film, from the British New Wave of Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night to the atmospheric verité of Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s Let It Be. This is a most welcome—and long overdue—exploration of an important but often overlooked facet of the Beatles’ saga.” —Mark Rozzo, author of Everybody Thought We Were Crazy and a founding member of Bambi Kino “Fans of the films of the Beatles have not been given a book to revel in for many years. Steve Matteo has provided one; a deep dive look at the Beatles, their soundtrack music, and films. The Beatles remain the epitome of what a band can be. All-time greats. Matteo’s history swiftly and clearly follows their path, transporting the reader to swinging 1960s London and beyond. This book is every Beatles fan’s ticket to ride.” —Noah Charney, author of The Devil in the Gallery: How Scandal, Shock, and Rivalry Shaped the Art World “The Beatles are a gift that keeps on giving. Steve Matteo’s book is a gift in itself. For those of us who will always love The Beatles, Matteo’s book renews and expands this love of the songs and the four guys we thought we knew.” —David Yaffe, author of Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell

THE BEATLES ON FILM

Ac t r a u l t l a y N STEVE MATTEO

An imprint of Globe Pequot, the trade division of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowman.com Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK Copyright © 2023 by Steve Matteo All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Matteo, Stephen, author. Title: Act naturally : the Beatles on film / Steve Matteo. Identifiers: LCCN 2022044274 (print) | LCCN 2022044275 (ebook) | ISBN 9781493059010 (paperback) | ISBN 9781493059027 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Beatles—In motion pictures. | Rock musicians in motion pictures. | Motion pictures and rock music. | Rock music—1961-1970—History and criticism. Classification: LCC ML421.B4 M194 2023 (print) | LCC ML421.B4 (ebook) | DDC 782.42166092/2—dc23/eng/20221123 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022044274 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022044275 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

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