Help! (1965)

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. Ringo, drummer of The Beatles band 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, Paul, and George 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

In the deleted scene with Frankie Howerd and Wendy Richard, Frankie's character is "Sam Ahab", spelled backwards it's "Bahamas", where The Beatles eventually wind up.

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Goofs

Paul McCartney plays guitar left-handed (and has been known to play right-handed guitars upside down as he did with his Hofner bass) but the scene in the field where the Beatles are miming to their songs, Paul is holding his Hofner bass guitar as a right-handed guitar player would.

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Quotes

[Hypnotism attempt over the phone from a public phone box]
Clang: Go to the window.
John: Hey! It's them!
[the Beatles block their ears]
Clang: Go to the window, Go to the window, Go to the window, Go to the window.

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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

When released on video for the first time in 1989, the film remained in mono but the songs were remixed into stereo, dubbed over with the recordings from the stereo album.

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Connections

Referenced in The South Bank Show: The Making of Sgt. Pepper (1992)

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Soundtracks

She's a Woman
(1964) (uncredited)
Written by Paul McCartney
Played as background music on a tape machine and underground in the Salisbury Plain scene
Published by Capitol Records

User Reviews

Stuck in the Shadow of "Night" a classic in it's own right

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.