Movie Title: HELP!
Studio: United Artists
Director: Richard Lester
Starring: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Leo McKern, Eleanor Bron, Victor Spinetti, Mal Evans
Release: 1965
To paraphrase the late, great George Harrison...something in the way they moved attracted us like no other..
And that pretty much sums up the impact and the influence the Beatles had during the mid-sixties. It wasn't until John Lennon's famous misinterpreted God comparison quote of 1966 that Beatles began to lose some of their mass appeal.
After the success of A Hard Day's Night, the Beatles stepped out of the black and white world into the wonderful world of color with their follow-up movie, Help!
It's hard to believe that there might be someone out there who hasn't seen this move, but just in case, here's a brief storyline:
Ringo (you know how he got his name, right? Rings.) gets a ring stuck on his finger. It's not just an ordinary ring, it's an ancient sacrificial ring. And the worshipers of the ancient sacrificial cult want it back. And, there are a couple of mad scientists who would like to get their hands on it as well.
This sets the stage for one of the longest, zaniest, globe-trottingest (I just made that one up) chase scenes in movie history. The Beatles sing and swing their way through the streets of London over to the Swiss Alps and down to the Bahamas.
Along the way we get to hear classic tunes like the title track 'Help!', 'Ticket To Ride', 'I Need You' and one of my all-time favorite Lennon compositions, 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away'.
In many ways Help! portrays the progress and the maturity that John Lennon and Paul McCartney were achieving as songwriters. The pop stars of A Hard Day's Night were becoming serious musicians and their next album, Rubber Soul, the follow up to Help! shows a major leap forward not only in writing ability but in overall attitude and perspective.
The zany mop-tops were on their way to becoming serious musicians that would make rock and roll history.
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