Help! (1965)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

Marc Behm (story)
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	...	George (as The Beatles)
Ringo Starr	...	Ringo (as The Beatles)
Leo McKern	...	Clang
Eleanor Bron	...	Ahme
Victor Spinetti	...	Prof. Foot
Roy Kinnear	...	Algernon
John Bluthal	...	Bhuta
Patrick Cargill	...	Superintendent
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, which is where the "Another Girl" sequence was filmed, was actually rather cold during filming. This why all the Beatles except Paul are wearing long-sleeve shirts in what looks like very hot weather.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: During the "Another Girl" sequence, when Paul is playing the bikini-clad girl beside him like a guitar, Paul suddenly looks embarrassed, and has a shocked smile on his face. If you look closely, he accidentally hits the left breast of the girl as he pretends to strum his girl guitar.

Quotes:

Professor Foot: With a ring like that I could - dare I say it? - rule the world.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Soundtrack:

The James Bond Theme

After 41 years, it's still a fun movie

I'm no raving Beatles fan, because I haven't got any of their CD's, but I don't mind dragging this out to watch every once in a while and it's still as fun as it used to be. If you don't know the story, well, Ringo has ended up with a sacrificial ring from some Eastern cult on his famous finger, and no sacrifice can be complete without this ring, so it must be retrieved. So a posse of robed & sandled actors made up to look "Eastern" (including Leo McKern) give chase, in England, on the snowy slopes of somewhere, and finally in the Bahamas. This is chock full of the usual nonsensical patter and humor, and strangeness. Of course as the film goes on the other Beatles, who are also in danger, are urging Ringo to part with his finger too. And a crazed scientist and his goofy partner are hot on the trail of the ring too, Beatle-film regular Victor Spinetti, of course playing the scientist. I always did like the scenes in the Bahamas the best, especially with the giant statue of Kali in the water. And in typical fashion the film ends with a dedication the inventor of the sewing machine. This is a fun film, and yes, it's even a family film if you choose to make it so, but it's stood the test of time and still manages to bring a smile to my face. 9 out of 10.