source: Help!

Help!

While The Hard Days Night was like a documentary of the life of the Beatles, this movie is more like fictitious life of the Beatles. The reality is substituted with comedy, and although it's great to watch the Beatles in living color, this one isn't as good as their first attempt. The music is still great, but the Beatles are just reduced to ordinary people (if that's ever possible) in this movie. It was better if they portrayed more of their musicianship and told the story as they are it would have been even sweeter. Beatles were part of the '60s (heck, they invented the '60s) and '60s atmosphere is abundant in this movie. It really was a happier time, which makes me wonder why are we not as happy now after 40 years of development ?

Help is one of those fast paced knockabout films of the 60s, when comedies didn't have to make sense; they just had to be whacky, colourful, fast and fun. This film is certainly all of the above. Dick Lester had a great command of what was going on culturally at the time and his command really shows through in his frenetic directing style. He is definitely a pioneer, and this is a landmark film. You can see the influence of this movie coming out in the colour episodes of I Dream of Jeannie, the Monkees, and 60s cult favourites such as Arabesque. The film is generally fun and enjoyable, but it is a 60s period piece, so it may not be for all. Film buffs and film school students will definitely get something out of it, but 60s buffs and especially Beatles fans will love it. Not a bad film by any means, but you have to be in the mood.

Although not as critically acclaimed as The Beatles' previous movie "A Hard Day's Night", "Help!" is equally as entertaining. In my opinion, the plot is much more interesting because it takes The Beatles to different locations around the world instead of just movie sets and hotel rooms. The first movie was to show how The Beatles lived everyday life and "Help!" was a fresh departure from this. I believe that this film is much more fun because John, Paul, George, and Ringo are having fun and so will you.

First off the locations are great, awesome songs but...it is too bad that someone in the Beatles camp didn't put forth the idea of taking an extra 6 months to rewrite the screenplay. Possibly hire someone like Terry Southern to pen the story. I have no problem with a silly romp, as long as the silly romp is well written with a solid story. This film survives only on the basis of the great songs and watching the lads in the height of their success and in the prime of their lives. Someone missed a great opportunity to make this a unique gem rather than a half assed follow up to a really great 1st feature.

What a goofy, silly, wonderful movie! I used to watch this one all the time as a kid, so it may be the nostalgia talking, but it still holds up well. I was smiling almost the entire time. It was a bit slower than I remember, and my kids may not have enjoyed it as much as I did, but this is probably my favorite Beatles movie.

This film, suck in the shadow of the criticaly lauded (rightfully so) "A Hard Day's Night", is arguably just as good and maybe more important. Richard Lester's stuck deep in Buster Keaton mode (the Beatles Digs seem an homage to "the Electric House") and he never made his modernized version of Buster work better. Though it lacks "Hard Day's Nights" quicksilver verbal wit; there are excellent visual jokes to pick up the slack, and the Beatles acting, FAR from being bad, hits just the right tone of throwaway sillyness. The supporting cast are perfect. Of the seven Beatles songs, I would say three( "Help" "The NIght Before" and "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away") are A plus Beatles, setting the bar very high indeed. This style of comedy, as I suggested, had one foot in silent comedy and one in hip detachment; and if that works for you, "Help!" should prove timeless.

...What kind of movie, you might ask? Comedy? Spy Thriller? Or just zany madcap nonsense? It doesn't matter. I've seen it many times over the past 30 years and it just gets better with age. The music of course, is phenomenal-and you don't have to be a die-hard Beatles fan to appreciate this musical comedy masterpiece. Rating: ***** out of *****

"Help" is a nice companion movie to "A Hard Days Night". It is filmed in color, and while it doesn't have the classic look of black and white "Hard Days Night", the script is better, and the Beatles appear more relaxed acting. The music is very good. Ringo, often in the background during in concerts and on recordings, proves he is the best actor of the Fab Four. Paul, John and George come across the screen as genuine and charismatic. "Help!" is filmed in different locations as well, which add to the film's quality. To me, the Beatles are the greatest rock group in history. Before there was MTV, there was "A Hard Days Night" and "Help!". Nothing in music can top that.