In 1968, beneath the haze of massive publicity, The Beatles opened their collective door to all manner of musicians, artists, writers, inventors, designers, creative freaks and more than a few opportunists eager to cash in on the band’s largesse.

This colorful documentary tells the dramatic story of Apple Records and its sister of companies and brands, an experiment in culture commercialism that had a swift beginning, an even more swift fall and followed by a spectacular rebirth with the re-release of dozens of Beatles remixes and films, most notably the Anthology Series.

 

In addition to providing a home for the Beatles and the solo careers of the band’s members, Apple Records also released music by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger and Jackie Lomax and others, and subsidized the brief careers of a motely bunch of hangers-on.

 

With numerous interviews, archival film and photos and plenty of Beatle songs, Strange Fruit is a fascinating behind-the-scenes story that has never been told before.