Dublin collector feels fine after finding $10,000 Beatles film
A DUBLIN collector has unearthed extremely rare never-before-seen footage of the Beatles, which is expected to fetch around $10,000 at auction.
An American auction house said the silent black-and-white footage from the movie Help!, lasting over three minutes, was bought off eBay.
It said the film had originally come ‘from the personal archive of a member of the production crew or a possible friend of The Beatles’ who filmed it on May 3, 1965.
The reel of 8mm film was taken during the filming of the Fab Four’s second feature film, Help!
Given that The Beatles are one of the most documented bands in history, this is a noteworthy discovery after 59 years — and RR Auction is expecting it to go for $10,000 or more at its Remarkable Rarities auction on February 23.
‘I’ve seen my fair share of rare Beatles artifacts, but this 8mm film is something special because it captures the sheer joy of the Fab Four. It’s a cinematic time capsule that brings us closer to the Beatles in a way that photographs and interviews simply can’t,’ said Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction.
Mr Livingstone said the collector did not wish to be named, but that he was a part-time enthusiast ‘with a great eye for rarity’. Mr Livingstone said the film had attracted wide interest from around the world, with Beatles memorabilia still loved by all generations.
The three minute, 17 seconds of footage obtained by the unnamed collector in Dublin was shot on location near Stonehenge at Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, during the production of the I Need You song sequence.
It offers some rare and unique moments where all four Beatles – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr – were captured ‘off-camera,’ in their natural, jovial state.
In the footage, they are not performing for the camera but engaging with cast and crew, tinkering with their instruments, and joking around on set.
Help! made its Royal World Premiere at the London Pavilion Theatre on July 29, 1965, and its soundtrack, released as the Beatles’ fifth studio album on August 6, includes such classics as Help!, Ticket to Ride and Yesterday.
The film is credited with influencing the development of modern music videos.
In the clip to be auctioned, the late John Lennon is seen clowning around with director Richard Lester, who went on to direct two Superman movies of the 1980s.
‘I’ve seen my fair share of rare Beatles artifacts’