Even at Their Worst, the Beatles Still Made This Flawed Movie Magical
With the growing excitement over Sam Mendes’ upcoming quartet of Beatles biopics (which we now know will feature Gladiator II's Paul Mescal), as well as the new documentary film Beatles ’64 wowing critics, interest in the Beatles’ film output is once again skyrocketing. It’s easy to forget the Fab Four released no less than five movies during their time together, including A Hard Day’s Night (1964), Help! (1965), and the concert film The Beatles at Shea Stadium (1966). Those first three were acclaimed to varying degrees, but the winning streak was well and truly broken by 1967's Magical Mystery Tour.
'Magical Mystery Tour's Plotting Is a Feature, Not a Bug
By the middle of 1967, the Beatles were at the height of their creative powers. The previous year had seen the release of their critically acclaimed album Revolver, which was followed by the seminal Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Nevertheless, several members were beginning to look away from the band to other pursuits. John Lennon was spending increasing amounts of time investigating avant-garde art alongside an as-yet unknown artist, Yoko Ono, while George Harrison was immersing himself in Indian culture and spirituality. McCartney, meanwhile, was beginning a decades-long interest in orchestral work, having collaborated with Beatles producer George Martin to record an award-winning soundtrack to the kitchen-sink drama The Family Way earlier in the year, prefiguring his later career.
Source: Craig Jones/collider.com
