The great search of Paul McCartney

In 1961, in Hamburg, Paul McCartney bought his first bass guitar. At the time, the musician was only eighteen years old and the brand-new instrument cost him thirty pounds. It was from the Höfner brand, with the body painted in that classic gradient, sunburst style. Stuart Sutcliffe, the band's first bassist, had just informed them that he was leaving to dedicate himself to painting. Lennon and Harrison refused to change instruments and McCartney took on solving the problem as a challenge. He replaced the guitar with the bass and, with time and the dazzling success of the Beatles, the sound of his melodic bass would become like a second voice in the group's great songs. With McCartney, the bass became a narrative element in the songs, and it decisively influenced the pop and rock music that was made afterwards.But shortly after the Beatles broke up, in the early seventies, that bass went missing. At first, McCartney didn't pay much attention to it, but fifty years later he began a search process to recover it. “This is the story of the search for the Holy Grail of rock & roll,” a sign announces at the beginning. McCartney: The hunt for the lost bass (The lost bass of McCartney, on Movistar+) condenses the entire process of locating the instrument with the main testimony of the musician and all the people who collaborated in this seemingly impossible feat.Documentaries that explain a search are usually exciting. People tend to leave a vital trace, but objects do not provide as many clues. Therefore, the task of investigation has something epic and meticulous about it. It's that cliché of finding a needle in a haystack. We are faced with a story that progressively adds new testimonies and builds a collaborative network connected via the internet. And this allows the search to be an excuse to discover many other circumstances and people.McCartney: The hunt for the lost bass are many stories within a great story. Beyond an investigation that has a playful component and no kind of drama, it is a review of the musical culture of the sixties and seventies. Also of a range of unique characters linked to the artistic field: musicians, designers, photographers, businessmen, critics, music lovers, fans, and all sorts of individuals who, at some point, crossed paths with Paul McCartney. At the same time, it builds a portrait of this beatle. It reveals his character through his brother and some of his friends. The emotional bonds woven over the years also say a lot about a person. McCartney: The hunt for the lost bass is a lighthearted and nostalgic documentary that puts you in a good mood. A journey into essential issues but without any will to transcend.