Weird things are happening to Ringo. Wherever he sticks his hand, be it in a vending machine, or a post box, a strange person is waiting to try and grab a ring off his finger. Concerned for their friend’s safety, The Beatles try to have the ring removed, but it won’t budge from his finger. As luck would have it, the ring is used in a daily sacrificial ceremony to Kaili, a pious deity worshiped by a group of island-bound, turban-wearing religious fanatics. When their leader, Clang (McKern) spots the ring on Ringo’s finger, the cult members chase after him, trying to paint him red to prepare him to be sacrificed. Clang sends one of his members to spy on the Beatles, the vivacious Ahme (Eleanor Bron). She quickly becomes friendly with the Fab Four and secretly helps them evade various traps set by her fellow cult members.
Manic pacing contributes to the comedy. John, Paul, George and Ringo are clearly having fun. The quick pace and silliness helps to mask what is clearly a pretty weak plot. Ringo is the star here, and is clearly very comfortable in that role. In truth, parts of Help! make little to no sense, the movie is essentially a fun farce with the Beatles having some fun between musical numbers. You never know when the guys will suddenly, for no apparent reason, take a shot at curling in the Alps; the cult members in pursuit. Even so, Help! is unexpectedly well written—from a story by Marc Behm and a screenplay by Charles Wood—it has some great one-liners and slapstick comedy. Help! may be silly, but it’s also entertaining.
With its odd story and madcap sense of humor, Help! may not be classic cinema in the traditional sense, but the simple, snappy ‘60s British humor and the great music make it a must-see for an fan of The Beatles or the era.
Properly framed at 1.66:1, Universal Music’s 1080p transfer offers wonderfully saturated colors. Fine detail is exceptional in close-ups. Some of the midrange shots look a bit soft and some of the darker scenes do show a bit of crush. The biggest issue is some ringing that shows up on occasion, most obviously in backlit scenes. All in all though, this is a fine transfer.
Both a repurposed stereo as well as surround track were done for Help‘s 2007 DVD release, and both of those options are now presented in lossless formats, LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The surround isn’t particularly immersive, but the music sounds so good! The low end is surprisingly full and fidelity is excellent. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout.
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian and Dutch subtitles are included.
The following special features are available:
The Blu-ray is packaged in a deluxe cardboard digipak nestled inside a slip case. A glossy 16-page booklet includes vintage photographs and a lengthy appreciation of the film from Martin Scorsese.
- The Beatles in Help! (SD, 29:34) A nice making-of documentary, featuring interviews with various cast and crew. Director Richard Lester gives some interesting insights into working with the Fab Four at the height of their fame. There’s also some footage of The Beatles on set.
- The Restoration of Help! (SD, 11:29) A mini-documentary on the 2007 film restoration.
- A Missing Scene (SD, 3:59) Features an introduction by Wendy Richard.
- Memories of Help! (SD, 6:25) Recollections from Eleanor Bron, stunt doubles Peter Cheevers and Chris Diggins, DP David Watkin, and Victor Spinetti.
- Two U.S. Theatrical Trailers (HD, 3:18)
- Spanish Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:16)
- 1965 Radio Spots—Hidden in Menus: Six different spots can be found.
