{"id":42519,"date":"2019-02-06T11:19:36","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T18:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42519"},"modified":"2021-01-24T10:51:42","modified_gmt":"2021-01-24T17:51:42","slug":"help-1965","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42519","title":{"rendered":"Help! (1965)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;We&#8217;re risking our lives to preserve a useless member.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Poster-206x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"206\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-42521\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Poster-206x300.jpg 206w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Poster-88x128.jpg 88w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Poster.jpg 687w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 206px) 100vw, 206px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWith help from his beautiful assistant (Eleanor Bron), an eastern cult leader (Leo McKern) attempts to capture a musician (Ringo Starr) wearing a special ring needed to complete a human sacrifice &#8212; but the stubbornly magical ring refuses to come off Ringo&#8217;s finger. Soon Ringo and his bandmates are also pursued by a pair of fanatical scientists (Victor Spinetti) and Roy Kinnear) hoping to obtain the ring, and the other Beatles begin to question whether Ringo&#8217;s finger is worth the hassle.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Beatles Films<\/li>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Cults<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>Richard Lester Films<\/li>\n<li>Ringo Starr Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that the Beatles&#8217; second film is &#8220;full of funny sight gags&#8230; and one-liners (&#8216;He&#8217;s out to rule the world&#8230; if he can get a government grant&#8217;)&#8221;, noting that the &#8220;film mixes James Bond adventure, surrealism (a Beatle even becomes miniaturized at one point), and loopy comedy (much of the slapstick variety).&#8221;  He asserts that &#8220;Richard Lester&#8217;s direction is even more outrageous than it was for <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42454\"><em>A Hard Day&#8217;s Night<\/em><\/a>,&#8221; and writes that the &#8220;picture is a lot of fun&#8221; but he wishes &#8220;it provided more insight into the individual Beatles &#8212; in fact, it&#8217;s just as impersonal as <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=1596\"><em>Yellow Submarine<\/em><\/a>. Unfortunately, the world we see has nothing to do with the Beatles&#8217; real world.&#8221; He accurately notes that the &#8220;best moments are when they sing: &#8216;Help!&#8217;, &#8216;You&#8217;ve Got to Hide Your Love Away&#8217;, &#8216;I Need You&#8217;, and &#8216;You&#8217;re Gonna Lose That Girl'&#8221;; and he points out that &#8220;the staging of numbers, particularly those set outside, is effective&#8221; &#8212; with &#8220;the &#8216;Ticket to Ride&#8217; sequence&#8221;, showing &#8220;the boys frolicking in the snow&#8221;, particularly suited to making &#8220;a great video&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m not nearly as taken with this follow-up film as Peary is; it&#8217;s clearly meant to build on the enormous cult success of <em>A Hard Day&#8217;s Night<\/em> but most of the magic is gone (despite &#8212; or perhaps <em>because<\/em> of &#8212; attempts to insert <em>literal<\/em> magic into the proceedings). The plot seems silly simply for the sake of silliness, and the boys&#8217; later admission to being stoned through most of the filming shows: they look loopy and slightly dazed rather than jubilant. The exception, as noted above, are their musical performances &#8212; I do love all the creativity put into filming &#8220;Ticket to Ride&#8221; in the snow, including the presence of musical notes on the screen at one point (apparently added to cover up power lines in the footage). Paul&#8217;s brief miniaturization &#8212; reminiscent, of course, of <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=16204\"><em>The Incredible Shrinking Man<\/em> (1957)<\/a> &#8212; is nicely handled as well, though one wishes he did more than just flail around in an ashtray with orange soda. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>David Watkins&#8217; creative cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"576\" height=\"432\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Cinematography.png 576w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Cinematography-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Cinematography-Effects.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Cinematography-Effects.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"576\" height=\"432\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Cinematography-Effects.png 576w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Cinematography-Effects-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Cinematography-Effects-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Several fun outdoor-musical sequences (particularly &#8220;Ticket To Ride&#8221; in the snowy Alps)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Ticket-to-Ride.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Ticket-to-Ride.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"576\" height=\"432\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42522\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Ticket-to-Ride.png 576w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Ticket-to-Ride-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Ticket-to-Ride-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Ticket-to-Ride2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Ticket-to-Ride2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"576\" height=\"432\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Ticket-to-Ride2.png 576w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Ticket-to-Ride2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Help-Ticket-to-Ride2-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo; only Beatles fans need see this one. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0059260\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=1574&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1965\/08\/24\/archives\/singers-romp-through-comic-adventures.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/fantasy\/help-1965.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re risking our lives to preserve a useless member.&#8221; Synopsis: With help from his beautiful assistant (Eleanor Bron), an eastern cult leader (Leo McKern) attempts to capture a musician (Ringo Starr) wearing a special ring needed to complete a human sacrifice &#8212; but the stubbornly magical ring refuses to come off Ringo&#8217;s finger. Soon Ringo and his bandmates are also pursued by a pair of fanatical scientists (Victor Spinetti) and Roy Kinnear) hoping to obtain the ring, and the other&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42519\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42519"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65565,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42519\/revisions\/65565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}