ANGIE'S TOP FILMS: Help! It's a thingie! A fiendish thingie!
HELP!
(1965)
Starring: The Beatles (aka John, Paul, George, and Ringo), Leo McKern, Eleanor Bron, Victor Spinetti, Roy Kinnear.
Directed by: Richard Lester.
Rated: Unrated.
So, here's the premise (if you can even call it a premise): Ringo is sent a ceremonial ring by an Indian fangirl, and is then chased all over the world by a bumbling cult determined to paint him red and sacrifice him to the Dread Goddess Kali. Unfortunately for Ringo, he can't get the ring off, and after exhausting every idea the band can come up with, finds himself also being targeted by a pair of equally inept mad scientists who want to cut off his finger and use the ring to power a death ray. Along the way the Fab Four find themselves in the Swiss Alps, the Bahamas, and seeking sanctuary in Buckingham Palace; while singing plenty of amazing songs, of course.
So... Mad scientists? Weird Eastern cult? Painting people red and sacrificing them?
"They have to paint me red before they chop me. It's a different religion from ours. I think."
It's all a bit of a mash, but who cares if it's madder than a wet hen? IT'S THE BEATLES! The Beatles! Being complete goofballs and wearing cute suits and fun hats and being just altogether too adorable for words to express. I love all of their films, but Help! is my favourite (closely followed by A Hard Day's Night), in large part because it's so spectacularly wacky. They clearly didn't care if people thought it ridiculous or weird; you get the sense that they made the film just as an excuse to run around with guys in turbans and to go skiing in the Alps. There's the feeling that Richard Lester simply told them, "Okay, go crazy," and then turned on the cameras. There's no purpose or motivation or logic behind this film. It's just a fun romp around the world with the Beatles.
They've got a ticket to ride, man.
I've been in love with the entire band since I was born, basically. Mum sang "Blackbird" to me when I was still sleeping in a crib; we used to clean the house while listening to her old LPs; and I've constantly struggled with the question "Who is your favourite Beatle?" because, truly, I LOVE THEM ALL. Sure, John was an asshole at times, and Ringo's later acting career was a dismal failure, but all four of them are so lovable and talented and praiseworthy. I tear up when I remember that only Paul and Ringo are left, and don't want to imagine a world without them. THE BEATLES MEAN THAT MUCH TO ME.
So maybe I'm a little biased when I talk about this film. I know it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea -- a lot of people deride Help! as just another goofy, slapdash film capitalizing on a band's fame, or that it's nothing more than a vanity project. I can see those arguments, but my heart refuses to let such cynical views to take root. Help! is nothing more than a fun time, man! It's full of sunshine and laughter and cross-eyed villains and Rube Goldberg set ups and tigers that enjoy German music and a shrinking serum distilled from certain orchids. Basically, Help! is the embodiment of the sort of wackiness that makes my heart sing.
Champagne with your snowballs? Why, yes, please.
Help! is the second film the Beatles made, and the first in color. And what color! The film's a veritable smorgasboard of technicolor flights of fancy. The crazy costumes, the vibrant locales, the house the Fab Four live in that features prominently in the first thirty minutes:
I WANT TO LIVE HERE.
The goofy "Indian" cult plot allows Lester and Co. to throw in unusual saris, robes, turbans, hats, and iconography. A scene in an Indian restaurant is full of reds and golds that seem to jump off the screen. Ringo's constantly covered in red paint, as the increasingly ineffective cult members splash the stuff straight out of the cans, attack him with brushes and rollers, or shoot packets of dye at him. Then there are the scenes in the scientists' lab, full of multicolored wires and flashing lights. And Ringo's stripey boxers.
"I like operations. They give you a sense of purpose, don't they?"
Everything was filmed entirely on location, too. When it says SOMEWHERE IN THE SWISS ALPS or THE BAHAMAS, they ain't kidding. Sure, it must have been ridiculously expensive just to fly everyone around the world in order to make a goofball film less than two hours long, but it really does add to the entertainment. Not only are there tons of pretty places to look at, the jetsetting gives Help! the feel of a vacation video, which is only further enhanced by the comraderie the four have throughout the film. Future rifts and problems aside, in Help! the Fab Four are the best of friends in a constantly-teasing-one-other-but-always-have-each-others'-back sort of way. And let me tell you, it's really adorable to see them having so much fun together.
And then there's the music. I mean, the stars are some of the most influential rock musicians ever, so of course the soundtrack is amazing. We get the Beatles in a recording studio, the Beatles serenading Ahme in their zany house, the Beatles performing at Stonehenge, the Beatles singing on a beach while Paul strums a girl like a guitar (phwoar).
They definitely wouldn't lose this girl, *wolf whistle*
Vanity project? Cashing in on a band's popularity? I refuse to believe such rot! This film is innocent and carefree fun, the equivalent of a multi-colored gobstopper. Sure, there's not all that much substance, but sometimes you just need a fluffy film that'll bring some sunshine into your day. And Help! certainly does that. I can't watch this movie without feeling better about life afterwards. It's one of the ultimate pick-me-ups.
If you like slightly surreal screwball, technicolor fantasy, good music, or the Beatles, seek out some Help! It's the sort of film that will make you smile, giggle, and go WTF? (But in a good way, of course.) And really, how can anyone resist the charms of John, Paul, George and Ringo?
Especially when a tiny!Paul runs around wearing a Wrigley's wrapper!
On a scale of 1 to 10: Help! is a dead-eye shot, shooting and hits a 9 dead-on.
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