Help! (1965)

Sir Ringo Starr finds himself the human sacrifice target of a cult, and his fellow members of The Beatles must try to protect him from it.

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

Marc Behm (screenplay), Charles Wood (screenplay)

Stars:

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
The Beatles	...	The Beatles
Leo McKern	...	Clang
Eleanor Bron	...	Ahme
Victor Spinetti	...	Foot
Roy Kinnear	...	Algernon
John Bluthal	...	Bhuta
Patrick Cargill	...	Superintendent
Alfie Bass	...	Doorman
Warren Mitchell	...	Abdul
Peter Copley	...	Jeweller
Bruce Lacey	...	Lawnmower

Storyline

An Eastern cult discovers that the sacrificial ring is missing. Sir Ringo Starr, drummer of The Beatles has it; sent by the girl (who's to be sacrificed) as a gift. Clang, Ahme, Bhuta, and several cult members leave for London to retrieve the ring. After several failed attempts to steal the ring, they confront him in an Indian restaurant. Ringo learns that if he does not return the ring soon, he will become the next sacrifice. Ringo then discovers that the ring is stuck on his finger. Its a race against time; John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, and George Harrison try to protect their friend while they're all being chased not only by Clang and his minions, but also by two mad scientists and the Chief Inspector of Scotland yard. Will Ringo be saved, or will he be sacrificed?

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Plot Keywords:

ring | mad scientist | human sacrifice | the beatles | drummer | 

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Taglines:

Help yourself to seven great new Beatle hits! (Poster).

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 August 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

¡Socorro!

Filming Locations:

Ailsa Avenue, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walter Shenson Films, Subafilms

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital (re-release)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While meeting with the Scotland Yard Superintendent about protection for Sir Ringo Starr, John Lennon asks him how the investigation of the "Great Train Robbery" was going. While this might seem like some type of throw away line, he is talking about a real event. On August 8, 1963, thieves successfully robbed the London Mail Train which was hauling over two million English pounds worth of money. At the time this movie was made, Scotland Yard had yet to fully identify the men behind what was considered to be the biggest heist in history and had not yet fully recovered the money. (It's been said that the thieves weren't expecting such a huge haul and began throwing money away because they couldn't travel with it.) The robbery would go unsolved until 1968 when the mastermind, Bruce Richard Reynolds, was finally caught.

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Goofs

When the attempts are being made on Ringo's life, he and John go to post a letter. There are people walking on the sidewalk in the background, and a time lapse has them jumping suddenly to another spot on the sidewalk.

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Quotes

Ahme: Hold! Release him or I shoot, and I am a dead-eye shot, shooting.

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Crazy Credits

During the opening credits, the sacrificial high priest and his followers are throwing darts at the Beatles on the projection screen. Each dart begins a new credit.

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Alternate Versions

Paul Rutan, Jr. single-handedly restored this movie within four years. The master negative had over 15 tears, imbedded dirt, and faded color. This restored version also features over-dubbed music for musical sequences because of the age of the existing soundtracks. The restored version of Help! (1965) premiered on American Movie Classics in 1995 and is the current version availible on video and DVD.

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Connections

Spoofed in Spice World (1997)

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Soundtracks

You Can't Do That
(1964) (uncredited)
Written by John Lennon
An instrumental during the Austrian Alps sequence

User Reviews

that Ringo is something else

Okay, so "Help!" isn't quite as creative as "A Hard Day's Night", but the Beatles always were able to do something good. In this case, Ringo happens to have a sacrificial ring belonging to a religious cult. So, the cult sets about trying to get it back. When they fail, they decide to sacrifice Ringo. Meanwhile, a scientist (Victor Spinetti) wants the ring for his own purposes. And of course, there's plenty of great music along the way.

In a way, the whole movie is sort of an excuse to be wacky. Whether it's the seemingly separate apartments that turn out to be one big room, the trap door activated by a glass, the skiing tournament, or the whole Bahamas sequence, they've got something neat every step of the way. Leo McKern, as cult leader Clang, and Eleanor Bron, as cultist Ahme who tries to protect Ringo, provide cool supporting roles.

I guess that if I ever get a woman to watch "Help!" with me, I'll never "Lose That Girl".