Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Hold on to your boots and your candy cane striped scarf, the Beatles are all over the place and we don’t know where they’ll go next. You’ll fall in love with this movie as quickly as I did if you have a place in your heart for the Beatles. Not as critically acclaimed as A Hard Day’s Night, of course, but Help! was not shooting for an Oscar. Basically enough, this movie portrays our four favorite guys traveling the world, escaping two different groups of people determined to kill Ringo, and playing songs in between.

I have always believed that this particular movie is the visual for the 1965 era. This portrayed the light-hearted, wonderful feeling that the Beatles gave all of their fans. It’s obvious. This is a movie for the fans.

Directed by Richard Lester, also director of A Hard Days Night, was eager to take on the project of the new Beatles movie, Eight Arms to Hold You. Obviously, this wasn’t the title of the finished product. John Lennon pleaded and said that the song Help! would present itself a better title for the movie. He was right.

Aside from Help! the song being in the movie, there are other memorable songs such as Hide Your Love Away, Ticket to Ride, I Need You, The Night Before, and Another Girl. They are all on the soundtrack, Help along with other non-featured songs. This contributed to one of the best albums in Beatle history.

So on with the story.
Ringo is sent a ring from an Eastern Cult. This cult believes that the wearer of the ring is to be sacrificed. In a dire attempt to get the ring taken off his finger (he’s having trouble with that), he goes to Professor Foot played by Victor Spinetti. With this ring, Spinetti concludes, he could – dare he say it – rule the world! Now Ringo is being pursued by the Eastern Cult and Prof. Foot and his Assistant Algernon played by Roy Kinnear.

Eleanor Bron plays Ahme, she is a priestess of this cult but she aids the Beatles in avoiding certain doom. Leo McKern plays Clang, the leader of the cult. This guy was hilarious in the movie and had some of the best quirks that made him so easy hate. You only had to see his facial expressions and you understood his frustration.

The Beatles end up everywhere, whether it’s in the Bahamas arriving in a swimming pool after being submerged in a secluded water hole or dancing to Ticket to Ride at an Australian Ski Resort. The slapstick is unending, kind of like the list of PC’s. The cult tries to capture Ringo in numerous ways, even sawing the floor beneath him and his drum set during a recording session. We follow the Beatles as they try to solve this mystery, try to save Ringo, and try to win the girl

The action is great, go figure, when they start incorporating tanks, explosions and decoys as to where the Beatles are. It’s great to see the Beatles in their natural habitat, performing, whether it’s singing or just being funny.

Beatle Breakdown
John – The sarcastic, almost mocking Beatle.
Paul – Ladies man Beatle, seemingly more occupied with women then poor Ringo.
Ringo – The tagalong Beatle that is Ringo but with humor in his want for life.
George – Serious but an incredible sense of humor Beatle with his deadpan.

This is a worthwhile movie for any Beatle lover. Though it doesn’t compare to the wit of A Hard Day’s Night, the two movies are incomparable. They are to be loved separately for what they each represent. A Hard Day’s Night is about the aspect of their music, Help! is about the aspect of their personalities. It’s important to get a hold of this movie for a wonderful time and great laughs.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8