Review: Who Buried Paul McCartney? (2005)

Director: Wouter van Opdorp | 25 minutes | documentary

In 2005 director Wouter van Opdorp has only just left the Netherlands Film and Television Academy or his documentary Who Buried Paul McCartney? is already shown on NPS. This documentary seems to be the very first to show the true story behind one of the greatest mysteries in pop history.

Who Buried Paul McCartney? is about the 60s hoax that McCartney would be dead. When you hear the hidden messages in the records, the shivers really run down your spine. It turns out to be all made up by an extravagantly dressed cowboy from Michigan. He does not wear the costume that the man in the documentary wears every day, it is his stage outfit. At the time, this cowboy wrote an article with real and made-up clues, which put the rumor machine into action. Radio stations were constantly being called up asking Is McCartney dead?

Village intention with the film was to find out where such a mystery comes from, which is why he does not maintain the mystery itself. He unmasks them, as it were, which is a bit of a shame. Although you have to conclude as a viewer that it really was all just a big joke, there are still mysteries, because all those clues, did the Beatles themselves play a role in it? A strong and entertaining documentary, with good use of sound and archive material.