From left to right: Yoko Ono Lennon, Sir George Martin, Sir Paul McCartney, Giles Martin, Ringo Starr, Barbara Starkey, Gilles Ste-Croix, Senior VP of Creative Content for Cirque du Soleil and Olivia Harrison
On June 23, 2008 Apple Corps Ltd./Cirque du Soleil will release the feature-length documentary 'All Together Now' on DVD, which will be marketed and distributed worldwide by EMI Music.
The film details the story behind the unique partnership between The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil that resulted in the creation and launch of "LOVE," the stage production still wowing audiences at The Mirage in Las Vegas, and the double Grammy-winning album of the same name. The film is dedicated to the memory of Neil Aspinall, an Executive Producer of the DVD.
The DVD's total running time is 122 minutes, including the 84-minute documentary film and bonus features. The film and extras are presented in DTS & Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital Stereo.
'All Together Now' faithfully recounts how the "LOVE" project came into being, borne from the personal friendship between George Harrison and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte. George saw how the twin talents of Cirque's artistry and The Beatles' music could be fused into something new and totally original.
The director, Adrian Wills, records early meetings between the Cirque & Apple Corps Ltd. creative teams, as well as contributions from Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison discussing how The Beatles' music can be used in a different way. We hear about the decision to utilize the combined talents of Sir George Martin and his son Giles Martin to produce what became a 90-minute soundscape created from The Beatles' multi-track recordings and how this new audio adventure was being quietly worked on in the famous Abbey Road Studios in London, England whilst the first creative ideas for the show were being formulated in Montreal, Canada.
These early stages of the project were all filmed, as were the first rehearsals at the Mirage Hotel theatre in Las Vegas, which was completely rebuilt with a one-of-a-kind sound system and complex round staging to house the "LOVE" show. George and Giles Martin, the show's Musical Directors, were involved every step of the way with the remarkable Cirque du Soleil creative team, performers and backroom staff.
It wasn't all "plain-sailing" and there has been no attempt to disguise some of the disagreements that took place along the way regarding how some of the songs would be portrayed visually. These creative differences, a necessary part of the overall process of bringing "LOVE" to its most vibrant life, illustrate the participants' love and respect for the music and vision of The Beatles.
In addition to their roles within the main feature, George and Giles Martin, along with engineer Paul Hicks, also pop up in another piece titled "Changing The Music" which reveals in fascinating depth how the music was created and the challenges they faced. They explain how they sourced some of the individual instruments and effects and how they were encouraged to experiment.
The 'All Together Now' documentary and bonus features provide a fascinating insight into the creative skills and passion that went into making this project a groundbreaking critical and commercial success.
DVD contents
'All Together Now' documentary (84:00)
Bonus Features:
Changing The Music (22:00): A behind-the scenes look at the decision-making process for the "LOVE" concept and music production.
Music In The Theatre (07:00): A look at the process of creating the "LOVE" show's unique audio design.
Making 'LOVE' (09:00): A backstage pass to explore the design of "LOVE," including the art direction, costumes, props, screen imagery and the use of The Beatles' voices in the "LOVE" stage production and its soundtrack.
DVD technical details
1 x DVD-9
PAL and NTSC
All regions
The Beatles - All Together Now
All Together Now
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