Help!

Review by Steve Rogers

Production Year: 1965
DVD Release Date: November 6, 2007
Studio: Capitol
Director: Richard Lester
Cast: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
Genre: Musical - Comedy
MPAA Rating: G

Help!, the Beatles second feature film, has always been judged against their debut, A Hard Day’s Night. Filmed in faux black & white documentary style, the latter was a smash with critics, who showered accolades on the band and director Richard Lester for creating a modern comedy classic. Some even compared its clever wit and zany antics with the best of the Marx Brothers. Watching the newly restored version of Help! on DVD, however, I rediscovered the inherent fun and marvelous innovation of this movie in a way I had not earlier been aware of. To my eyes and ears, it really seemed just as enjoyable as A Hard Day’s Night and certainly represented a step forward in the band’s evolution. Beatlemania was at its peak in 1965 and the Beatles creative powers as musicians and songwriters were finally coming into full bloom. The tragic seriousness of the late Sixties had not set in, and the Beatles’ long and winding road to their breakup had yet to begin. It was still about having a good time. And Help! captured in glorious color the vibrancy of that final rock ‘n roll era of fun and innocence.

The movie’s plot, if it can be called that, centered around a nondescript “Eastern” religious sect in hot pursuit of Ringo after he’s been found to be wearing their holy ring, without which they are unable to perform required human sacrifices (I guess every fun era needs a bit of latent gore). The problems really begin for Ringo and the boys when he can’t get the darn thing off his finger, and a cat and mouse chase ensues with the cult, and two ill-intentioned scientists, with numerous failed attempts to remove the ring (and Ringo’s finger if necessary!). Of course all this is simply an excuse to film the Beatles in some wonderfully exotic locales, including the Austrian Alps, the Bahamas and England’s Salisbury Plain with its Stonehenge background. The film moves at a frantic pace with a lot mayhem and noisy action whenever the Beatles clash with the bad guys. One can certainly understand why John Lennon later commented that the band felt like extras in their own movie.

Corny plot aside, I found myself more impressed than ever with Lester’s directorial style. The Beatles ability to improvise when they couldn’t remember their lines, or couldn’t be bothered to remember, only added to the raucous slapstick. And a supporting cast of stellar English character actors (Victor Spinetti, Leo McKern, Roy Kinnear) provided more than able backup for the Fab Four. There was no shortage of laughs either, with plenty of sight gags and pithy one-liners delivered in classic British monotone. But it was Lester’s ability, aided by his film editors, to almost single-handedly create the MTV video style that would serve as the lasting legacy of Help!. The use of jump cuts and fast and slow motion video during some of the musical numbers, particularly “Ticket to Ride” was completely unique and new in concept at the time. And Lester worked it to perfection. Check out the camera angles as The Beatles rock out on “The Night Before”, with a POV camera apparently mounted on the neck of McCartney’s bass guitar. It’s a shot that’s become standard in music video.

Again, I’ll admit the movie comes off as hokey and more than a bit formulaic today. But ultimately, Help! is a reminder of the sheer exuberance and fun that the Sixties represented for many. And at this point in their career nobody seemed to be having more fun than The Beatles.

Video Quality

The DVD features a fully restored video transfer and the picture is truly gorgeous, the best I’ve ever seen this film look. The original 1.66:1 aspect ratio has been refitted for anamorphic presentation at an aspect ratio of approximately 1.75:1, to most likely approximate how it would have looked in theaters. Colors are vivid, flesh tones precise and the picture clarity is excellent. The only flaw I could detect was a slight over saturation in some of the richer colors. A minor detraction however.

Audio Quality

There are two audio tracks, PCM stereo and a brand new remastered DTS 5.1 surround sound version. Needless to say, you haven’t heard Help! until you’ve experienced the DTS version. The seven remastered Beatles classics on the soundtrack sound absolutely fantastic with a crisp, enhanced clarity that really puts some zing into these great songs. You’ll feel like you’re right there in the studio with the Beatles as they record “You’re Gonna Lose that Girl”. And “Ticket to Ride”, never my favorite Beatles tune, sounds superb with a brightness to the jangly guitars I’d never noticed. The real key to the DTS audio though is its ability to create a truly enveloping surround sound using discreet effects. It’s done subtly yet skillfully on this disc and really adds to the action sequences.

Special Features

The standard two-disc edition of Help! puts the special features on Disc 2, but at a total running time of 57 minutes, there a little on the slim side. There’s a 30-minute making of documentary that is lacking in depth, but does feature some fun interviews with cast and crew including Lester, Eleanor Bron, and a bizarre looking Spinetti. There’s also featurettes on the restoration process, and reminiscences by cast and crew. The disc touts a missing scene from the film, but this turns out to be a featurette about the scene. There’s no actual footage of the scene and only a few stills to represent it.

Theatrical trailers, along with a couple of 1965 radio spots hidden in the menu, round out the features (is that famed oldies deejay Cousin Brucie on the radio spots?). There is a pricey, deluxe DVD edition of Help! that adds a 60-page hard cover book, lobby cards, poster, and a director's script to the package. But the small booklet included with this edition has the intro from Lester and a short appreciation by Martin Scorsese that are featured in the deluxe edition’s book and both are informative and poignant. The most glaring omission unfortunately is the complete absence of any current commentary by Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr.

Summary

The latest edition of Help! on DVD is a colorful reminder of the manic intensity and gleeful vibes that stoked the Beatles mystique in the mid-‘60s. Some might even say that the Beatles and their music were never better than in ‘65, and the movie could make quite a case for that argument. It looks great, it sounds great, but with a skimpy collection of special features lacking the requisite degree of substance deserved by a film of this stature, and no participation from the surviving Beatles, this version simply cannot be labeled as the definitive DVD edition.