In 1995, the world of music documentary changed forever with the release of The Beatles: Anthology. It was the product of years of work, of recovering relationships, of healing from past hurts. And most importantly, of Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, mourning the tragic passing of John Lennon. But now, 30 years later, so much has changed. Harrison is now gone, and McCartney and Starr are in their 80s. Fewer and fewer current fans have been contemporary to The Beatles, which speaks to their everlasting relevance, but also brings forth the need to look back at the Anthology with a fresh perspective. I sat down with director Oliver Murray ahead of the release of the 9 episodes of Anthology. He directed the 9th episode, the only one consisting purely of previously unseen footage, and through this new material, he has helped bring down the myth of the Fab Four, and instead let the world see John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The Anthology was a huge turning point for music documentaries. Back in the 1990s, fans were desperate to learn about what happened to The Beatles. Their breakup, the fights that followed, the way it was all violently cut short by Lennon’s murder. The 8 original episodes of the docuseries satisfied that hunger, back then. They provided a thorough, journalistic chronology of their history, right to their bitter breakup. But there was no time or space for more in the ’90s, and hours of valuable footage were set aside. Until now.
Director Oliver Murray, who previously worked with McCartney and Starr on the making of the Now and Then short film in 2023, which accompanied the release of The Beatles’ last song, was brought into the Anthology project to give the world a different perspective on their 1995 reunion. Or, rather, to give us “their” perspective. Episode 9 is “unburdened by the chronology of events,” and as such, won’t focus on what happened, but rather on how The Beatles lived through it. Fans will get to see not only their opinions and feelings on their time together, but also their reflections on finally getting together for the Anthology.
While there might not have been a lot of time to focus on each of the surviving Beatles’ grief back in the 90s, “John (Lennon)’s absence is a heavy presence, and one that is acknowledged and colors Episode 9,” Murray shares. The Beatles had been looking forward to a reunion for years, even before Lennon’s passing, and the fact that he wasn’t there to look back on their life’s work was a heavy blow when they finally got together. This new release of Anthology is a very meta experiment, showing the history of The Beatles through their eyes, and fans getting their individual perspectives on the events that changed the course of history.