Help! (1965)

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

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

Release Date:

25 August 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Musical

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:

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

Awards:

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

Cast

The Beatles	...	Themselves
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:
Danny Almond	...	(uncredited)
Thomas Baptiste	...	(uncredited)
Ronnie Brody	...	Priest / Thug (uncredited)
Blake Butler	...	(uncredited)
Golda Casimir	...	Temple Cleaner (uncredited)
Vera Cook	...	(uncredited)
Deborah DeLacey	...	High Priestess (uncredited)
Durra	...	Belly Dancer (uncredited)
Eve Eden	...	High Priestess (uncredited)
Mal Evans	...	Channel Swimmer (uncredited)
Rupert Evans	...	Priest / Thug (uncredited)
Mary Ford	...	(uncredited)
Gretchen Franklin	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Joe Gibbons	...	(uncredited)
Bob Godfrey	...	Priest / Thug (uncredited)
Bob Grant	...	Cameo (uncredited)
Stewart Guidotti	...	(uncredited)
George Harrison	...	Himself (uncredited)
Jenny Landry	...	(uncredited)
John Lennon	...	Himself (uncredited)
Jeremy Lloyd	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Alex MacIntosh	...	(uncredited)
Andreas Malandrinos	...	Austrian Waiter (uncredited)
Louis Mansi	...	Priest / Thug (uncredited)
Marie-Lise	...	High Priestess (uncredited)
Paul McCartney	...	Himself (uncredited)
Zienia Merton	...	Marie-Lise (uncredited)
Dandy Nichols	...	Neighbor (uncredited)
Zorenah Osborne	...	High Priestess (uncredited)
Sue Reid	...	(uncredited)
Patty Roberts	...	(uncredited)
Edith Saville	...	(uncredited)
Wally Shufflebottom	...	(uncredited)
Ringo Starr	...	Himself (uncredited)
Jenny Till	...	(uncredited)
Glenda Warrington	...	(uncredited)
Ian Wilson	...	(uncredited)
Gai Wright	...	High Priestess (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Lester

Writing credits
Marc Behm		(screenplay) &
Charles Wood		(screenplay)
Marc Behm		(story)

Produced by
Walter Shenson	....	producer

Original Music by
Paul McCartney		(uncredited)
Ken Thorne		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
David Watkin		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Victor-Smith		(film editor) (as John Victor Smith)

Art Direction by
Ray Simm		(as Raymond Simm)

Costume Design by
Julie Harris
Dinah Greet		(uncredited)
Arthur Newman		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Betty Glasow	....	hairdresser
Freddie Williamson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
John Pellatt	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Clive Reed	....	assistant director

Art Department
Terry Apsey	....	contruction manager (uncredited)

Sound Department
H.L. Bird	....	sound recordist (as H.L.Bird)
Bill Blunden	....	sound editor
Don Challis	....	sound editor
Stephen Dalby	....	sound recordist
John Baker	....	electronic sound effects (uncredited)
Mike Le Mare	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Cliff Richardson	....	special effects
Brian Gamby	....	special effects (uncredited)
Fred Heather	....	special effects (uncredited)
Garth Inns	....	special effects (uncredited)
Jimmy Ward	....	special effects (uncredited)
Roy Whybrow	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Cliff Diggins	....	stunt double: George Harrison (uncredited)
Cliff Diggins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Dunne	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Atcheler	....	camera operator (as Jack Atchelor)
Paul Wilson	....	camera operator
Frank Elliott	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Arthur Newman	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Robert Freeman	....	colour consultant
Chris Kelly	....	second assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
John Lennon	....	songs by
Paul McCartney	....	songs by
Ken Thorne	....	musical director
Barrie Vince	....	music editor (as Barry Vince)

Other crew
Rita Davison	....	continuity
Robert Freeman	....	titles
Jean-Étienne Siry	....	poster designer (french version)
Mal Evans	....	private assistant for the Beatles (uncredited)

Thanks
Elias Howe	....	this film is respectfully dedicated to the memory of, who in 1846, invented the sewing machine (as Mr. Elias Howe)

Production Companies

• Walter Shenson Films
• Subafilms

Distributors

• United Artists Corporation (1965) (UK) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• Les Artistes Associés S.A.B. (1965) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1968) (USA) (TV)
• EMI Music (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• United Artists (1965) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• MPI Home Video (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• SMV (Brazil) (VHS)
• VCI Distribution
• Voyager Company, The (laserdisc)

Special Effects

• Trading Post (uncredited)

Other Companies

• Triage Archival Restoration Services  film restoration
• Triage Motion Picture Services  film restoration

Also Known As:

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Dolby Digital (re-release)

Certification:

Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11 | USA:G (1980) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:U | South Korea:12 | UK:U (video rating) (1991) | USA:Approved (PCA #22669)

Filming Locations:

Ailsa Avenue, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Walter Shenson Films

Trivia:

Judy Cornwell says in her memoirs she was asked to appear in this project but had to pass because she was very pregnant.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Prof Foot and Algernon kidnap Ringo in The Bahamas, they wrap him in a blanket before throwing him in the trunk of their car. A bit of the blanket gets caught when the lid closes, but when George jumps onto the trunk as car drives away, the bit of blanket is gone.

Quotes:

Ahme:[to Ringo, holding a syringe] This will make your finger shrink. Be brave.
John:Don't look.
Ahme:[into the camera] Alas, if he were brave, this would not be necessary.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: Episode #26.119" (2010)

Soundtrack:

Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125

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.