Meeting the Beatles in India

2020

Documentary / Music

5
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 100% · 8 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 100%
IMDb Rating 6.6/10 10 148 148

Director

Paul Saltzman Photo
Paul Saltzman

Top cast

Morgan Freeman Photo
Morgan Freeman as Narrator
John Lennon Photo
John Lennon as Self
Donovan Photo
Donovan as Self - Folk Singer
David Lynch Photo
David Lynch as Self
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
726.28 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 19 min
Seeds 3
1.46 GB
1920*1080
English 5.1
NR
us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 19 min
Seeds 16

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by 10 / 10

Both more and less than what I thought I'd see

In 1968 I was a freshman in high school and both the Beatles and India were a long way from my radar. I was far more interested in Jim Morrison, Deep Purple, and what to wear to next Friday's football game - which in my small city, was where to see and be seen, for a 14-yr old girl.A decade later the Beatles were long broken up and my opinion, as I boogied my way through the ensuing disco era, was that they were completely over and done with - so with no thought at all as to what their lingering influences might be, I took a job that included a daily meditation practice as part of the on-the-job training. More on that later. But after that my career progressed and I had a couple of kids and about 40 years or so ran their course.Now at 71, retired and disabled far younger than I ever thought I'd be, I find myself spending a lot of time watching tv and ruminating over life in general and my life in particular - and I've discovered a lot of appreciation for so much over the years that at the time I took for granted and didn't pay any attention to when it was actually happening. Things like the Beatles and a million other artists who came before and after, and getting to learn to meditate and all the other forma to bits of education and training I got, and also nature and flowers and birds and clouds - that kind of stuff.Also I love Roku which streams things like the old Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson shows - and thousands of documentaries - all for free, by the way! I find my ongoing love for learning colliding with this introspective time of life, bringing back memories and catalyzing realizations, keeping me entertained and my brain still working even when confined to a bed...This documentary did a lot of that kind of triggering - starting with thinking back to 1968, a time when a few days of that year are the focus of this film - I remembered when Ricky Somebody brought his brand new White Album to English class, a normally shy boy who never raised his hand but he was excited about the Beatles while I was listening to Jimi Hendrix on my camouflage green plastic transistor radio. (I'd wanted the orange model but it cost $7 and my mom talked me into the green one for $5. The good news is I thought it was so ugly I didn't try to sneak it to school which meant the batteries usually lasted until my next babysitting job.) Anyway, that next Friday night Ricky asked for a ride home after the football game and that's when I experienced my first kiss, or actually an almost-kiss, in the back seat of Bonnie's father's car. I always wondered why he avoided ever speaking to me again after that - was it because I wasn't expecting it and turned my head so the kiss landed on the side of my mouth instead of my lips? I was giddy about it either way, Ricky was pretty darn cute - but now I'm wondering if I was supposed to feel something different, and if any of it is why I in turn avoided the music of the Beatles for the next 20 years ... I'm still learning to love and appreciate it now, 60 years later.But like my thoughts, my review digresses .. This film was a lot more intimate and personal than I'd expected. I thought it would be a narrative of "once upon a time the Beatles went to India and did X, Y, and Z" but it's a lot more like my rambling memories - except it's the memories of others, whose time together in India collided and in some ways, colluded - with 4 guys who happened to be known to the world as the Beatles. It's about Transcendental Meditation and the Maharishi who developed the practice and the ashram where they all connected. It's about history of music and of popular culture. It's about things that were said and done and felt, for a brief but life-changing 8 days - not just for the main characters in the story, but for all of us - especially those who lived through those times. It's probably not for everyone so I'll give it a 9 instead of a 10 - but if you enjoy any of the things I've talked about, and can handle the unfettered stream of consciousness format, I think you'll enjoy it, too.I plan to listen to some Beatles music, chronologically, and then watch this again.
Reviewed by agreatstory 9 / 10

A deeper appreciation of the Beatles' music & personalities

So many great Beatles tunes were written during their stay at the ashram in India, and this film made me feel a deeper connection to those songs. And to the Fab Four themselves. The filmmaker lived what many of us Beatles fans only dream of...real day in and day out living with them - even if only for a week. And his telling is very down to earth, and straight from the heart - a work of love - told from his direct experience - not from the point of view of a filmmaker looking from the outside in. A richly rewarding film for any Beatles fan an/or spiritual seeker.
Reviewed by sbwoodside 7 / 10

Paul Saltzman went to India to find himself, and he also found the Beatles

I saw this movie on Friday night at The Westdale cinema in Hamilton Ontario at the recommendation of some friends, and because the creator was there to talk and answer questions. The film stands on its own, but if you get a chance to hear Paul speak about it, that's even better.Coincidentally my own dad was in India around the same time, learning meditation at an ashram, although he didn't meet the Beatles.Paul's adventure-this is as much about him as it is about the Beatles-starts with the rediscovery in his garage of a box of photos that he took in 1968 at Rishikesh, India, the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Photos so good they belong in a museum.How did he get these candid, personal, intimate photos of John, Paul, George and Ringo? That's the story, and it's one that celebrates the power of meditation, an open mind, viewing the world from the eye of innocence and childlike wonder.If you see the film to find out what the Beatles were like at their most relaxed and creative, you will be satisfied. You might also find yourself interested to find out more about what took both them and Paul Saltzman to India to look within.
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