I started watching it as a rental VHS tape in the mid-1980s and really liked it. As a documentary, this was my introduction to their visual history. I read a few biographies about the band in the early 1980s, and this film filled in many gaps. There is information here that isn’t in _The Beatles Anthology_, such as the interview with Allan Williams, their first manager.

The facts mostly hold up, as this film was created before historian Mark Lewisohn‘s landmark book _The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions_(1988), still the definitive work on their studio time. The film certainly moves faster than _The Beatles Anthology_. But as an introduction to the group’s history, it is suburb.

A bit about the image quality. This digital version is how my 40-year-old VHS videotape still looks. It’s obvious the producers utilized the oldest form of film to video telecine transfer: basically a camera recording a screen. That style although the cheapest professional method at was quick and easy. It wasn’t, however, the top of the line for 1982 either.

As others have mentioned, this should be remastered. All the original 16mm film interviews need to be transferred to 4K from best elements. Most of the rest of the footage used has since been restored by Apple already. The image quality does detract somewhat from the film, but I think the story of The Beatles is well told, most people won’t mind it.

I watched this when it was first released just after I’d first fallen in love with them.
Watching it again I think there are too many inconsistencies, things that we now know aren’t completely the way this documentary portrays matters.
For instance the end credits states that George continued exploring his spirituality and maintained his privacy?
Seriously?
Concert for Bangladesh, All things must pass and Handmade films.
It was of its time but Anthology has made this redundant.
Read Revolution in the head and the Mark Lewisohn book (s) instead.

This is what started my love for the Beatles.. Went though 2 VHS tapes in the 80s.. It is one of the best docs out there from their humble beginnings to the early 80s.. This is a must see for those just starting to get into the group...

Many of my generation, children of the 1980's, all grew up watching this VHS over and over again. I knew the entire history of the Beatles before I hit the 1st Grade. Thank you for this upload. Still holds up as a very well done documentary.

The title "Compleat Beatles" is correct. As others have mentioned, it's an alternate spelling just as "Beatles" is an alternate spelling of "Beetles".

Even after all this time still a brilliant documentary, if nothing else as a bridge between the break up of the band and the Anthology of the 1990s. And the variety of people interviewed is fantastic too. Thanks so much for posting!

I guess since “Compleat” was deemed too off beat (pun intended) perhaps “Beatlemania” will suffer a similar misguided fate???

JoeyBrooklyn's comment is why I don't understand people. It's so pointless, and had he actually watched the first five minutes he would have seen that the spelling is correct.

It's odd how people will try to come off as so superior, when in reality they're just fools.

Nonetheless I watched this video when I was a kid about 50 times and I'm happy to find it here. Thank you for adding.

I enjoy this no matter what. First saw it way back in 1983. My uncle had a laser video disc player & this is one of the first discs he had. I NEVER tire of this. Thanks for bringing back a great memory for me. Cheers.

The title of the film is The Compleat Beatles. It's a play on words, just like a lot of their lyrics.

It is not a typo. That's the actual name it has been for the last 40 years.

"COMPLETE." (Try spell-check. It is free.)

Fascinating. Thank you.