Help! (1965)

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

Marc Behm (screenplay) &
Charles Wood (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 August 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Fantasy | Mystery

Tagline:

Stop worrying! HELP! is on the way!

Plot:

Ringo finds himself the human sacrifice target of a cult and the band must try to protect him from it.

Plot Keywords:

Human Sacrifice | Ring | Mad Scientist | The Beatles | Beatles

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

John Lennon	...	John (as The Beatles)
Paul McCartney	...	Paul (as The Beatles)
George Harrison	...	Himself (as The Beatles)
Ringo Starr	...	Ringo (as The Beatles)
Leo McKern	...	Clang
Eleanor Bron	...	Ahme
Victor Spinetti	...	Foot
Roy Kinnear	...	Algernon
Patrick Cargill	...	Superintendent
John Bluthal	...	Bhuta
Alfie Bass	...	Doorman
Warren Mitchell	...	Abdul
Peter Copley	...	Jeweller
Bruce Lacey	...	Lawnmower
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frankie Howerd	...	Sam Ahab (scenes deleted)
Wendy Richard	...	Lady Macbeth (scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

Beatles Phase II (UK) (working title)
Eight Arms to Hold You (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Dolby Digital (re-release)

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:U | South Korea:12 | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11 | USA:G (1980)

Filming Locations:

Ailsa Avenue, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Subafilms

Trivia:

The Bahamas scenes, which are the final ones, were actually the first to be shot. The Alps scenes were filmed second, and the England scenes were filmed last. One scene which never appeared in the final film involves Ringo milking a cow in the back room. It was supposed to take place just before John takes a book from the shelf and sits down in his pit.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Prof. Foot and Algerman are on the ski lift and try to kidnap Ringo off of the sled, the rest of the Beatles sled far away down the mountain while the ski lift is still going in the opposite direction. The rope breaks only after the lift turns around back down the hill, yet when Ringo stands up, The Beatles are just passing by.

Quotes:

Jeweller: We have all sorts of little problems like this, sir. Some of them matrimonial!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Soundtrack:

She's a Woman

Music video before there were music videos

This is an entertaining movie that serves its sole purpose very well---to showcase a bunch of terrific Beatles songs. Everyone knows the plot---a religious cult needs to retrieve a sacrificial ring which Ringo cannot get off his finger, consequently he has to be sacrificed. The lads go through various adventures in London, Switzerland and the Bahamas before it is all over.

It is easy to imagine this movie being an inspiration for Monty Python later on and it isn't surprising to learn that George Harrison in particlar became good friends with Michael Palin and Eric Idle of Python fame. Now imagine what a combined Beatles-Python movie would've been like!

One scene in "Help!" which I particularly remember is the Leo Mckern, the cult leader, dressed in his sari, drinking tea and collegially discussing his religious beliefs with an Anglican priest. Of the Beatles, John and Ringo have most of the funny lines and the movie exaggerates the idea of George being tight with his money---playing poker with Ringo at Buckingham Palace, pilfering rings from a jeweler, pretending he can't find his wallet thus forcing Ringo to pick up the tab at a pub. The caricature personas the Beatles adopted for this movie in particular became the way many fans viewed them which I think George found to be alternately ironic and irritating since he insisted he was nothing like the movie version of himself.