Overview: 'Beatles: Rare and Unseen' documents the career of the greatest rock band in history. The program utilizes footage that has not been seen by much of the public, and features contributions by a number of band insiders including Tony Barrow and Tony Bramwell.

DVD Verdict: This DVD program is only 46 minutes long, and appears to be a Cable TV documentary that ran on VH1. My major issue with it though is why is a program made up entirely of vintage 1:33-1 footage produced in 1:85-1 widescreen? It only cuts off the top & bottom of the classic footage we are watching this for. Stupid producers involved in this!

Anyway, the entire show is made up of rare B&W and Color silent home movies, some shot by the Beatles themselves. Early mute concert footage (of which no other recording is known) and on-the-set of Magical Mystery Tour footage are the highlights. The bulk of this would have been better as bonus material on a Magical Mystery Tour DVD than as the main focus of the DVD.

The home movies are professionally transferred to video and look fairly good, although the films should have been cleaned first. At times the interview is super-imposed over the rare home movies, often blocking out the Beatle in the shot. This may be frustrating, but don't worry, the footage will be repeated (and repeated, and repeated) without the interview intrusion. Yes, the show is padded by repeating the home movie footage.

Phil Collins is one of the interviewed, but I found nothing new in the interviews and fast-forwarded until new home movie footage appeared. Oh, yes, John Lennon is interviewed through old film clips, and unfortunately they are very BRIEF clips! The DVD has bonus interviews that did not make it into the final cut of the short TV special, but most glaringly missing is the complete John Lennon Intervew! [PJM] This is a Widescreen presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Earliest known footage of the Beatles on stage in Liverpool February 1962
Only existing film on tour in Scotland - Caird Hall, Dundee October 1964
Bahamas, February 1965 during the filming of Help!
September 1967 in Newquay whilst filming Magical Mystery Tour
Home movie footage from Paris Olympia Theatre January 1964
Highlights of interview with John Lennon recorded in New York for French TV