Every year, I get Beatles books, CDs and other gifts that revolve around the Beatles as Christmas gifts. My family knows to do this automatically and even though I do make out a list, sometimes they will find something I didn't list and surprise me with.
Beatles At The Movies by Roy Carr was one of those books. Now, Roy's book is of double interest to me in that my work revolves around working in the film and television production industry so any book that delves into that world is also of great attraction.
In short, this book is now over ten years old and most or all of it's content is included in other newer, more fresh looks at The Beatles. But don't let that put you off. This is a GREAT book about The Beatles and their involvement in film.
Carr is an award winning author and it shows. His writing is interesting, humorous and insightful. The book itself is 176 pages of photos of The Beatles, movie photo cards, stills from their films, and is lavishly illustrated on thick stock paper. There are over 200 photos included in the book, many full page size and 100 of which had not been seen until the original publishing date.
Not only does Carr walk you through the films, but he chronicles the movies, their music and the albums the songs appear on, something that's been done before and since, but nice to have right there to help tie it all together with.
So after all this time, is it worth adding this book to your Beatles collection? I would say definitely. It won't reveal any new information to you today if you've kept up with all the other books that are out there. But most of us haven't read the over 500 books that have been published on The Beatles so I'm sure many will pick up on things they didn't know before. And if for nothing else, it's a fine made book with lots of great photographs.
Find it at a bargain price, and you'll be even more of a happy Beatles fan!