On Making "Number 9": Oliver Murray on Completing The Beatles Anthology

It’s feeling very, very big picture at the moment with it all. When I really think about this weird cyclical nature, it feels like I landed on a body of work (in writing and directing Episode 9 of The Beatles Anthology) that I’m very proud of. And now I’m sort of resetting to decide where to go next….”

Even The Beatles can use as occasional tune-up: the long-anticipated documentary series The Beatles Anthology premiered on Disney Plus the week of November 26th, just in time for Thanksgiving. Episodes 1 through 8 saw footage added, and, with the help of director Peter Jackson, songs for the now four-CD set were cleaned so clearly, Beatles fans heard more than they ever had before. But the addition that fans waited for the most was the entirely new Episode 9.

The Beatles Anthology originally debuted in 1995 as a three-CD set, an eight-episode documentary series, and later, in 2000, a large coffee table book. The project took the Beatles world by storm. From never-before-seen clips of the lads in the early days as the Quarrymen to then-new footage of George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr recording songs left unfinished by John Lennon, fans were allowed an inside peek of the Beatles world and the rollercoaster they rode for so many years.

In 2016, fans experienced the Beatles’ touring years with Ron Howard’s documentary The Beatles: Eight Days a Week. In 2021, marveled at Peter Jackson’s docuseries Get Back, which explored the creation of the Let it Be album and the unforgettable rooftop performance. Then came Beatles ’64 (2024), produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by David Tedeschi, showcasing Beatlemania in America.

Those films were all in addition to one more, unfinished Lennon composition Now and Then, gifted to the surviving trio by Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, Lennon’s widow. George recorded guitar for the song in the nineties, with Paul and Ringo finishing the tune for what became a poignant, heartfelt public release in 2023.

Which brings us to the latest treasures, a fourth CD to the Anthology and a ninth episode to the docuseries, ironically playing into Lennon’s obsession with the number “9.” The man picked to write and direct the new film was Oliver Murray.

Source: Kristin Rhodes/filmint.nu

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