Help!
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Movie Reviews of Help!
Movie Review: John to Ringo: "I'm Risking My Life For Your Useless Member."
Summary: 5 Stars
When I was a kid in the early '70s, my local Baltimore TV station use to run something called, "The Million Dollar Movie". It featured loads of old movies featuring the likes of Abbott & Costello, Tarzan, Blondie (not the band) and King Kong. But every once in awhile in their rotation would pop up the 1965 Beatles movie, "Help!". Being about eight or so, I was instantly sucked in by this film's antic comedy style, crazy characters, exotic locations and instantly hummable songs. But most of all I was totally turned on by the Beatles and their charismatic screen presence. It was the begining of my 'long and winding road' of becoming a full fledge, Beatle-maniac.
For anyone who hasn't seen the film, the plotline is pretty simple. A crazy, Far East religious cult is about to make a human sacrifice. But wait! They can't make the sacrifice because the 'official sacrificial ring' (to be worn by the victim) is missing! Well of course the ring turns up on the jewlery bedecked finger of a certain Beatles drummer named Ringo Starr. The cult makes multiple comic attempts to steal the ring off his finger. When that fails, they spend the rest of the film chasing the Fab Four across the world (actually England, Austria and the Bahammas), while trying to douse poor Ringo in red paint and make him the next sacrificial offering!
Is the plot ridiculous? Absurb? Even stupid? Sure! But who cares, because it is so outrageously funny! Its' basically a cross between a 'Road Runner/Looney Tune' and an old Marx Brothers movie. Like Groucho and his brothers, the plot is just a contrivance for John, Paul, George and Ringo to take on and mockingly make fun of society's staunch institutions. Through the sheer force of their free-spirited personalities and some really hilarious dialogue, they take a poke at religion, science, the govenment, police and military. Oh and lets not forget that between (and even during) the laughs, the boys are performing a few little musical ditties including "Help!", You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", "Ticket to Ride", "The Night Before", "I Need you" and "Another Girl".
The movie "Help!" was out of print, for what seems like forever. Now it has finally been released to the DVD format and it looks wonderful. The picture is crystal clear and the color just POPS! This is great for any Beatles fan, who is use to seeing just grainy black & white footage or decades, faded color. My hat is off to the restoration team (featured in the extras) that put this all together! Furthemore the soundtrack is just beautiful. After years of listening to the muddy soundtrack album it is a revelation to hear crystal clear versions of the Beatles music. Every guitar note, every bass thump, every cymbal crash is just pure joy!
So here I am a couple of decades after I first saw "Help!" on local TV. I'm now a middle aged Dad, watching this DVD with my 6 year son, who's a Beatle-maniac in training (he got hooked on the Fab Four, after watching "Yellow Submarine"). We watched, giggled, laughed our butts off and sang along to the music. Hey, it can't get much better than that...
Movie Review: "Let's go back and get 'em, eh?" "Hey no, they'll disembowel us." "Not if I get the boot in first!"
Summary: 5 Stars
The movie HELP! (UK-1965) was created during a turning point in the careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. It was here they fully broke with that Fab Four image and with simpler tunes like "Thank You Girl," "She Loves You" and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," to explore deeper subjects and write more complex music. Even tracks such as "Can't Buy Me Love," "Don't Bother Me" and the title piece of A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (UK-1964), their first collaboration with director Richard Lester, gave indication of where the Beatles were heading.
Songs written for HELP! inaugurate the two most amazing years in this or any other band's history. Right through 1966, recordings of sheer brilliance didn't flow from Abbey Road studios, they gushed in a torrent, but as RUBBER SOUL and REVOLVER were post-HELP!, a mention is all they'll get here.
George's "I Need You" is a lover's lament. Three of John's tracks describe a complete cycle. "You're Going to Lose That Girl" expresses a fearful premonition, "Ticket To Ride" has his relationship actually ending and "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" is the result: a heartbroken man who's looking to withdraw.
On a personal note, HELP! is my favorite rock-related movie. It also contains my single favorite Beatles song, performed on a boulder-lined Bahamas beach. The lyrics of Paul's "Another Girl" curiously begin mid-sentence. It's a superior tune on a serious subject (I'm leaving you for someone else), features an interesting key shift in the middle-eight and a great hook: Ringo's double-clutch foot pedal after lyric lines ("I don't wanna say that I've been... unhappy with you" boomboom!).
Although Ringo doesn't have a vocal, he is central to the story. A ring firmly stuck on his right hand means that an Eastern cult will try to paint Ringo bright red and then sacrifice him on an ornate altar to a multi-armed god figure, that is if a scientist and his inept ássistant don't amputate our hero's finger first. The zany pursuit is non-stop, the "gear" dialogue a delight.
Granted the film's plot is silly, yet seeing the boys in color and in their absolute prime is still awesome all these years later. Knowing what came next musically is a bit of consolation to our 21st Century Beatles-less reality.. HELP! is a glimpse into the rarest time in rock history, when four working class Brits from a town on the Mersey estuary ruled the pop music universe. We'll never again know the likes of this classic movie or the brilliant lads who starred in it, but thank heavens it all happened!
Highest possible recommendation.
Movie Review: Classic HELP
Summary: 5 Stars
The Beatles in HELP is over 40 years old..and it is as fresh as it was 40 years ago.
This two disk DVD version is a classic film, restored to its glory that modern day marvels can do to film. This pre-MTV film stands as a great blend of music and comedy. The Beatles music in the film may seem new to the young ones. Nevertheless, I would not be surprised if the HELP soundtrack goes back up the top 40 with the DVD release
Richard Lester, who was director of the 1973/74 The Complete Musketeers (The Three Musketeers / The Four Musketeers), moved the Beatles in this fast paced romp, like the Marx Brothers did 40 years before them. Lester did what was later done for TV with the MONKEES. MTV called Lester "The Father of MTV" due to the movie HELP...which he replied that he wanted a blood test
The film looked like nonsense, but it has a thin plot about Ringo and a special ring. Leo (Rumpole of the Bailey, The Prisoner) McKern and Roy (Three Musketeers) Kinear ham it for the camera in this romp. This is a simple enjoyable film is one of these that family can watch
The two disk set also has a 16 page booklet with mostly pictures and very little text (if you are a film buff, I suggest you buy the deluxe HELP set with Richard Lester's annotated script book) . The booklet reminds me of a movie book, that was sold in the theaters when a large film was release..I have a few from Ben Hur and the Ten Commandments...BOY I AM DATING MYSELF NOW!
What is missing for me is Lester or the remaining Beatles (Paul & Ringo) doing an audio commentary over the film. The second disk has a few documentaries, but no comments from neither Paul nor Ringo..and that is a shame!
Now, what you all want to know is, IS IT WORTH IT? YES, it is a still a grand piece of comedy and music that is timeless
So you don't need HELP to get this film..Just order it and get the HELP you need!
Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD
Movie Review: It was just that we had a lot of fun, a lot of fun in those days-Ringo Starr
Summary: 5 Stars
When it comes to Sid, the only thing that explains our heritage better then Death Ring would be the Beatles. Looking back to the start of 94 are some of the fondest memories in Sid's history. Those days of cruising in Santa's giant gold Oldsmobile singing along to some early Beatles, anything prior to Revolver at the time, were some of the greatest times that have ever taken place. Even though we have a very vast catalog of music favorites the Beatles just seem to take us back to those glory days we can't help but relive in our minds. Which brings us to our feature of the evening.
We're not going to go too far into the synopsis since most are very familiar with the film. However if you're not here it is, Ringo has a giant Ruby ring that is needed as part of an Eastern cult's sacrifice. So they discover the drummer of the Beatles has the ring and set off to England to get it back. Only problem is Ringo can't seem to remove the ring which leads to plenty of laughs thanks to a cast of very stoned Beatles. Sure the film is goofy, as one reviewing said, but that is what the Beatles humor was at the time. It was the 1965, what kind of humor were you expecting? No matter what it's a 5 star film with some great laughs and even greater music. It's the perfect blend to keep the Thursday version of Sid's focus in tact.
Naturally Help comes with a huge recommendation from us for any Beatles fan out there. Even if you didn't live during the time when the film was released, it's still a timeless classic that can be enjoyed by the right viewer. Sid happens to have an old soul and lives for this kind of stuff. Also now knowing The Beatles were stoned out of their mind's throughout the entire film just adds an extra amount of enjoyment. It hardly possible to leave the couch stoned let alone film an entire movie with music included. So we close with this memory from Ringo, "A hell of a lot of pot was being smoked while we were making the film. It was great. Very little would get done after lunch. In the afternoon we very seldom got past the first line of the script."
Movie Review: Beatles in Color!
Summary: 5 Stars
After "A Hard Day's Night," They did it in less than a year. Another comedy directed by Richard Lester. This time it's more than a musical but a very british sit-com full of Beatle gags. They were extremely funny and full of wit, they played themselved being in an adventure/ action movie and it worked perfectly. They were stoned all the time too, but that doesn't mean they weren't having fun. Ringo claims he doesn't remember a second of the shooting because he was on pot all the time. Nevertheless, he played extremely well for "Ticket To Ride" and "You're Gonna Lose That Girl." John was in his "Fat Elvis" phase, depressed of all the fame and fortune he had and not being able to express himself completely. Sgt. Pepper was a year and a half away. Paul McCartney had his best Beatle moment, in my opinion. Two extremely good songs: "The Night Before" and "Another Girl" were featured in the movie and another song for the Help! LP, "Yesterday" became his masterpiece. George wrote and sang "I Need You" and, with "Something", it's his best piece of work.
You know what would have been a great bonus feature for the DVD? a commentary/ review of the 7 additional songs in the Help! U.K. album. I would have loved to hear George Martin talking about "Dizzy Miss Lizzy," the last cover the Beatles played in record, featuring a powerful, soulful John. Even tho he claimed later "It's Only Love" sucked, this tune is really, really adorable and romantic. Ringo strikes with "Act Naturally" and of course, Paul brings down the country house with "I've Just Seen A Face." Let's be honest, side B is better than side A in the Help! LP. Am I right?
I don't know why Help! was moved to the Nov. 6, maybe it's a Paul McCartney move to promote his DVD box being released the next week and also clean his image because of his messy divorce... I don't know. I want to have Help! right now in my hands!