The Beatles are perhaps one of the most successful bands in history; no other 4-piece band (or any other band for that matter) has had a wider impact on the world of music than them. With their combination of rock and roll, and almost a classical feel they produced a memorable sound that somehow epitomizes the 60s and early 70s.
With the success that they were riding on, and the introduction of Sgt Pepper's lonely-hearts club band, the Beatles decided to produce a movie.
<The Movie>
In this entirely animated movie we find the fantasy land of Pepperland invaded by the Blue Meanies. Pepperland, normally a land of love, freedom and music is reduced to a cold, lifeless land as the Blue Meanies declare war on good.
One man manages to escape using the fantastical Yellow Submarine; he beseeches the 4 Liverpudlians (people form Liverpool) to help the besieged nation and help free the residents. They all enter the Yellow Submarine and begin a journey that will take them through many different fantasy worlds (One in which they become young children, old men etc). As they encounter many different obstacles, and find some surprising allies, we see the Fab Four use a mixture of luck (i.e. pressing
random buttons) and skill (John seems to go on about Einstein's relativity!) to continue on towards the world of Pepperland.
The movie uses animation, music and a little humour to tell this story, trying to keep our interest throughout.
<My Opinion>
First of all the story is very weak, but this movie is more a showcase for the artistic abilities of Peter Max, the orchestral arrangements of George Martin and the music of the Beatles. The animations are excellent and interesting (in one scene we see the numbers from 1 - 64 counted showing 64 different pictures - this is also accompanied by the song When I'm 64).
The music mingles well with the pictures giving the whole movie a surreal feel that is intriguing. After a while the movie does drag as the animation style remains unchanged for much of the movie.
Perhaps the best part of the movie is the music; with songs like Yellow Submarine, Eleanor Rigby, Nowhere Man and Just a Northern Song being used in the story we can appreciate the skill of the Beatles. Other songs such as Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds don't quite add to the story but appear throughout the video.
I find it deeply moving how many of the songs have a similar theme; this theme seems to talk about the loneliness of man and how we should all reach out and use love to heal our problems.
The simple plot makes the movie suitable for children; my children enjoyed the music and the animations, but I found they lost interest about half way through. I feel that the movie should have been 45 minutes long rather than 90.
The voices of the Beatles are all evident however they were too busy to play themselves in the movie - the actors who played them did a fairly good jon; it is obvious that they are not particularly good actors but this doesn't really mater as this is more like a 'music video' than a serious movie.
Fans of the Beatles will love this movie, however those who are not really interested in the music will not find much on this movie for them.
<The Music>
The music on the album is typical of the Beatles with a combination of styles. Some slow ballads which instill a sadness (Eleanor Rigby) combine with upbeat rock songs (All Together Now) that have a faster feel and somehow a more joyful tone.
Much of the music is heavily orchestrated adding to the quality of the sound. The style of the Beatles is still very evident throughout.
For those of you who have never heard of the Beatles, their style is similar to many bands today (these bands have generally been influenced by the Beatles). There are strains of Oasis, Led Zepplin, Genesis and many of today's modern bands (All Together Now has a similar feel to Michael Jackson's songs!).
<DVD Features>
I haven't really looked at the DVD extras that much as I was more interested in the movie; I include a list of he majority of the DVD features and then comment on a few.
Behind The Scenes Featurette - THE MOD ODYSSEY
An interesting behind the scenes featurette that tries to explain the meanings and reasoning behind the movie.
An interesting booklet with much information regarding the movie, the songs and the band.
Additional Animated Song - "Hey Bulldog"
Not sure if this was intended to be included in the movie, but it is pretty much in the style of the rest of the movie.
Text/Photo Galleries: Storyboards (Including 2 Not Used in the Film)
It was interesting to see how the movie was 'envisioned' and how it eventually was transferred into the movie.
Original Pencil Drawings
Interesting to see the characters and scenes in their original format.
Behind-the-Scenes Photos
<Conclusion>
This movie is really only good for Beatles fans who wish to recapture a little of their past. Although it has been remastered. I don't really feel that this has added to the movie. The movie looks a little outdated now, but the music will always stand the test of time.
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