Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour (1968) starring all the Beatles and directed by all four of them although Ringo was credited with the director of photography.
This is a one hour "movie" that was made in England prior to the album being released and it aired on BBC. It's about a bus of passengers going for a drive into the country and having an adventure. There is a dream sequence with Lennon shoveling food onto a table in front of a fat lady, a character named Mr. Blood Vessel, the Beatles dressed up in a variety of costumes, and a few songs. For whatever reason, the songs are different from the album. This isn't purely a showcase for the album. If it was it'd have likely featured the polished versions of the songs, more of them, and more of the Beatles. While they are in the movie they aren't the center of the film, the "mystery tour" and the characters (and I use that term loosely) are the center.
This a movie for amateur wannabes and Beatle lovers and is nowhere near as polished at their other movies. This was written and shot by them so it is a how-to for amateurs. It is vaguely trippy. It is more odd than psychadelic. I last saw this film when I was 18 and tripping on mushrooms. It was genius then but now, sober, and many years of movie experience under my belt, it's a curious oddity from a great band.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)

No comments:
Post a Comment