REEL LOVE
ON a sunny spring day in 1966, midway through the Revolver sessions, The Beatles decamped to Chiswick House for an afternoon’s filming. The band had selected the landscaped grounds of this 18th-century stately home to film two promotional videos for their single “Paperback Writer”/“Rain”. Ready Steady Go! director Michael Lindsay-Hogg had been recruited to film in colour and on location – creating striking standalone films that could be described as the first pop videos. This was the latest stop in the evolving cinematic relationship The Beatles developed in tandem with their musical careers. What started with Pathé newsreels, press conferences and A Hard Day’s Night continues in the band’s extended afterlife with Get Back – Peter Jackson’s three-part reimagining of Let It Be, which arrives in November.
“They didn’t want to be bothered plugging their records on shows like ,” says Lindsay-Hogg. “Those public appearances were becoming a headache. They wanted more say in how they were presented. We shot both songs in the studio first – that was a long day because they were also being fitted by Michael Rainey with suits for their 1966 tour. The next day, we went to Chiswick. We chose a location that looked a little like a clip from . We had them performing, although Ringo was playing drums with his fingers. The kids were off school and hanging out in the park, so they appeared in
