Help!
is a
fantasy
story, that makes fun of
spy
movies, which were popular at the time. A religious
cult
has lost a special ring, worn by people they plan to
sacrifice
to their
goddess
, Kaili. It turns out one of their members sent the ring to
Ringo Starr
(drummer for the Beatles, who loved to wear rings). When the cult finds out, they try to capture Ringo, and either sacrifice him to Kaili or get their ring back. He tries to give it back, but the ring will not come off his finger. The other Beatles try to help, but also end up in danger. A
defector
(quitter) from the cult tries different ways to remove the ring, and a scientist also tries to steal it.
Scotland Yard
hides the Beatles at
Buckingham Palace
, but the cult even sneaks in there. The band escapes to the
Bahamas
in disguise, but are followed. Tired of running, the Beatles finally face down the
cultists
.
The movie's co-stars were
Leo McKern
,
Eleanor Bron
,
Roy Kinnear
, and
Victor Spinetti
. Spinetti also appeared in
A Hard Day's Night
, and later in
Magical Mystery Tour
. The movie was going to be called
Eight Arms to Hold You
, but the title was changed when
John Lennon
wrote a song titled "Help!" that suited the movie's theme.
Help!
was filmed partly in
England
, partly in
Austria
, and partly in the Bahamas. The Beatles started a company in the Bahamas, as a
tax shelter
, but it did not work out. While they were filming, a
Hindu
believer gave each Beatle a book about
reincarnation
.
George Harrison
resonated very strongly with Hindu ideas and beliefs, and ended up becoming a follower of
Hinduism
. He also enjoyed the
Indian
classical music featured in
Help!
, bought a
sitar
, and took music lessons with
Ravi Shankar
.
Soundtrack album
change
Help!
was the fifth album by The Beatles. The first seven songs appeared in the movie. The album includes the title song, "Ticket To Ride", George Harrison's "I Need You", and
Paul McCartney
's "
Yesterday
", the song with the most versions by other artists of all time.
Help!
was the last Beatles album with songs written by other people.
Songs on the album
change
- General
- Help!
(CD liner notes).
The Beatles
.
Apple Records
. 2009.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- "
Help
"
.
Beatles Interview Database
. 2009
. Retrieved
21 November
2009
.
- Freeman, Robert (2003).
The Beatles: A Private View
. NY: Barnes & Noble.
ISBN
1-59226-176-0
.
- Kozinn, Allan
(8 March 1987).
"Interview with George Martin"
.
The New York Times
. Archived from
the original
on 9 January 2010
. Retrieved
18 November
2009
.
- Lewisohn, Mark
(1988).
The Beatles Recording Sessions
. New York:
Harmony Books
.
ISBN
0-517-57066-1
.
- Lewisohn, Mark (1996).
The Complete Beatles Chronicle
. Chancellor Press.
ISBN
0-7607-0327-2
.
- Pollack, Alan W.
(2009).
"
"Notes on... series"
"
. Retrieved
21 November
2009
.
- "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"
.
Rolling Stone
. 1 November 2003. Archived from
the original
on 27 November 2007
. Retrieved
19 November
2007
.
- Ruhlmann, William (2009).
"Review of
Help!
(US)"
.
Allmusic
. Retrieved
21 November
2009
.
- Sheff, David
(2000).
All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono
. New York:
St. Martin's Press
.
ISBN
0-312-25464-4
.
- Stannard, Neville (24 June 1982). Tobler, John (ed.).
The Long and Winding Road: A History of The Beatles on Record
. London:
Virgin Books
.
ISBN
0-907080-46-4
.
- Unterberger, Richie
(2009).
"Review of "I've Just Seen a Face"
"
.
Allmusic
. Archived from
the original
on 2 February 2011
. Retrieved
21 November
2009
.