Howard Goodall's expert and forensic gaze is brought to bear on the Beatle's seminal 'Sgt Pepper' album; this film will be of interest to Beatles fans and musical scholars alike.
I largely agree with dbdumonteil's review ( the only user review here at the time of writing). However everyone has a different take on this album and will obviously have a different take on this film too. I was a mere babe when this album came out, and as I grew up, it was part of my musical firmament; not quite 'the musical wallpaper' but not far off. I recognised that it was different to what came before but I probably didn't recognise just how revolutionary this album was, until fairly recently.
It seems to me that the Beatles intuitively used whatever means they could find to make sounds that conveyed their emotions and meanings as best as possible; most listeners react to the music in the same visceral fashion, without quite understanding why. It really isn't necessary to understand exactly why, after all the music was seemingly made without this luxury, but it is interesting nonetheless. In this film you find out more about how certain musical structures and techniques work ; this kind of dissection has the potential to diminish the raw enjoyment of and wonder at the music, and maybe for some folk it will do. However there is much to be seen in terms of how the songs were structured and indeed how they were able to record the right sounds even with the primitive (by today's standards) equipment then at Abbey road.
In conclusion if you are a Beatles fan, the only reason for not watching this film is if you wish to preserve the mystery and the magic of the inner workings of these songs. For every other Beatles fan, this is must-see stuff.