Toronto Doc ‘The Sixth Beatle’ Tells Fresh Story But Hits Bum Notes
Documentary films often stir up controversy, but they usually wait until after they’ve started screening to do so – and most of the time, it’s the political or issue-oriented docs that cause a fuss, not films about show business.
But “The Sixth Beatle,” which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday night, is an exception to both those rules.
The film opened with an unusual and lengthy disclaimer stating that author Mark Lewisohn, one of the world’s foremost Beatle historians, felt that “many of the comments” made in the film “allege matters that are factually erroneous.” It went on to say that Lewisohn’s scenes, which are numerous and offer key perspective, would be deleted from the film after TIFF.
In the Q&A that followed the premiere, co-director Tony Guma responded to a question from TheWrap by saying that Lewisohn did a 90-minute interview for the film, but “didn’t like some of the stories” that are told in the film.
“We don’t know specifically what his problems were,” he added. “But we do know that he has been hired in the past by Apple [the Beatles’ company] to write books and things.
“He says he’s a neutral historian, but if you work for the Beatles, how neutral can you be?”
Lewisohn has written numerous books on the band, some of which are authorized by Apple and all of which are known for their detailed and meticulous research. He is also by far the most authoritative of the talking heads in “The Sixth Beatle,” which will make his absence a blow to the movie.
By: Steve Pond
Source: The Wrap
