Agli inizi del 1964, Harry Benson stava per prendere un aereo per l’Africa quando fu raggiunto da una telefonata del suo photo editor del Daily Express. Si sarebbe dovuto recare urgentemente a Parigi per domumentare la Beatlemania francese. Quello fu un momento davvero decisivo per la sua carriera.
Benson fu accolto con grande calore dal gruppo e dal loro entourage e divenne uno dei fotografi più vicini alla band inglese. A Parigi scattò la celeberrima foto della lotta con i cuscini all’Hotel George V; successivamente fotografò il loro primo viaggio negli Stati Uniti e l’impatto con l’isteria collettiva che si scatenò a New York, la famosa partecipazione all’Ed Sullivan Show, la tappa in Florida con l’incredibile incontro con Cassius Clay e infine il set del film Tutti per uno (1964). La collaborazione continuò nel 1966, quando Benson fu il fotografo della luna di miele di George alle Barbados e del notissimo tour americano della band.
I luminosi bianchi e neri di Benson mostrano da vicino i Beatles mentre compongono, cantano, incontrano i loro fan, si rilassano, e comunque affrontano la loro fama crescente. Oltre alle centinaia di fotografie, molte delle quali inedite, il volume è arricchito dall’introduzione scritta dallo stesso Benson, e da citazioni ed estratti dei giornali dell’epoca.
With the Beatles
Backstage pass to the Fab Four
In early 1964, photographer Harry Benson received a call from the photo editor of London’s Daily Express, who asked him to cover the Beatles’ trip to Paris. It was the beginning of a career-defining relationship, which would both make Benson’s name and produce some of the most intimate photographs ever taken of the Beatles.
In Paris, Benson captured the Fab Four in the midst of a pillow fight at the George V Hotel, a spontaneous moment which came to epitomize the spirit of the band—Benson himself has called it the best shot of his career. Later that year, he followed the group on the road for their debut U.S. tour, documenting their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, their surprising encounter with Cassius Clay, and the hysteria of New York Beatlemania. Benson also photographed George Harrison’s honeymoon in Barbados, documented the Beatles on the set of their debut movie A Hard Day’s Night, and was present on the now infamous 1966 tour when John Lennon said that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.”
Previously out-of-print, this re-edition brings back the best of Benson’s luminous black-and-white Beatles portfolio. Complemented by quotes and newspaper clippings from the period, an introduction by the photographer himself adds exciting personal testimony to these iconic images of the greatest band in musical history.Il fotografo
Glasgow-born Harry Benson has photographed every US President since Eisenhower, the Civil Rights movement, and was next to Robert Kennedy when he was assassinated. As well as The Beatles, he has shot some of the biggest personalities of the last 50 years, including Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Her Majesty The Queen. In 2009, he was made Commander of the British Empire (CBE).
Harry Benson. The Beatles
Copertina rigida, 23.6 x 33.3 cm, 2.34 kg, 272 pagineISBN 978-3-8365-9348-9
Edizione: Francese, Inglese, Tedesco