Film Lens
Wingspan is a documentary that chronicles Paul McCartney's musical career after The Beatles disbanded, focusing on his second band, Wings. Directed by Alistair Donald, the film features interviews with McCartney and his daughter Mary, along with archival footage. It uses the McCartneys' personal film and photographic archives to narrate the founding of Wings by Paul and Linda McCartney, detailing the band's evolution throughout the 1970s.
The film covers the initial struggles of Wings, including critical disdain, and charts their rise to commercial success, particularly with the 1973 album Band on the Run. It also shows the band's changing line-ups and their eventual disintegration in the early 1980s. The documentary is tied to the release of the two-disc retrospective collection, Wingspan: Hits and History, and is accompanied by a book edited by Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn.
Why Watch
- •See Paul McCartney's transition from The Beatles to Wings
- •Find out about Wings' rise to commercial success
- •Meet the key members of Wings and their changing line-ups
Did You Know
•Wingspan was directed by Alistair Donald, Paul McCartney's son-in-law.
•The documentary was broadcast worldwide in 2001 to coincide with a two-disc collection.
•The 1977 single 'Mull of Kintyre' became the UK's best-selling single of all time.
•The film was nominated for a Cinema Audio Society Award in 2001.
Perfect For
Paul McCartney fansMusic history enthusiastsThe Beatles followers