We both loved Robert Zemeckis's 1978 debut feature, the story of a group of New Jersey teens trying to get into the Beatles' first Ed Sullivan Show performance in February 1964. We talk about the techniques Zemeckis and his writing partner Bob Gale use here and how a lot of it prefigures their later work, in particular the Back to the Future trilogy.
We also discuss how using the Beatles as characters who are always just off camera or somehow out of reach plays into how America saw them at the time: almost as mythical figures or religious icons. And we get into how the female characters find self-expression through the freedom their fandom gives them, and how that mirrors the Beatles' sociological impact where teenage girls were concerned.
- The film doesn't show up on streaming platforms much, so look for the Blu-ray, or otherwise find some other way of watching it online
- We also mention some other films in this episode, like Detroit Rock City, a similar story revolving around a Kiss Concert
- And American Graffiti, George Lucas's 1973 coming-of-age film
- And Dazed and Confused, again about the last day of high school