By JOYCE MILLMAN
Early in Sunday night's installment of the hyped-to-the-hilt six-hour documentary "The Beatles Anthology," there was a batch of news photos of WWII England, accompanied by those unmistakable Liverpudlian voices talking about how their families fared during the war. Later, there were cheerier, more familiar black-and-white clips: Teenaged girls screaming and fainting, four mop tops bobbing endearingly to the beat, police officers forming a useless human floodgate and looking worried while Britain, then America, then the whole free world went wiggy over Beatlemania.
It's purely coincidental, yet fitting, that "The Beatles Anthology" comes to TV so soon after countless specials commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII. Beatles nostalgia has become to baby boomers what WWII nostalgia is to their parents.
Produced by the Beatles' Apple Productions, the documentary is basically three guys in their 50s telling old war stories (oh, yeah, there's some great music, too). And like any war buddies who've been to hell and back together, the Beatles' fondest memories are of each other's camaraderie and friendship.
"Here were four guys who really loved each other," says a somber Ringo Starr towards the end of Part 3 (Parts 2 and 3 air Wednesday and Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC).
The dissolution of the beautiful friendship in which a generation had made such an emotional investment takes up most of Thursday's segment, ending things on a major downer. But, then, the bulk of the series (everything except Sunday) is no merry skip down Penny Lane either. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and, at times, even the usually easy-going Starr seem weary and guarded in their onscreen interview segments.
Hmm, this isn't exactly what ABC (excuse me, "A-Beatles-C") promised in the endless promos leading up to its big November sweeps event. But, let's face it, if ABC had opted for more truthful advertising (See Paul at his most self-serving! Hear George reduce everything to money!), would you have been so eager to tune in?
Next page: When does the urge to preserve the precious past cross over into fetish?