The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
by Stephen Sanders
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DVD details
Actor: Alexis (XI), George Claydon, Ivor Cutler, Jan Carson, Mal EvansDirector: Stephen Sanders
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Color, DVD, HiFi Sound, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 50 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1997-11-12
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Mpi Home Video
DVD Reviews of The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
DVD Review: Classic Beatles, Shoddy DVD Transfer
Summary: 2 Stars
Those who read this review are, no doubt, familiar with every word, note, and film frame of MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR. In short, the DVD transfer is horrible. Granted, the original 16mm film was not a professional job either, but this DVD appears as if it was derived from a very poor copy of the Beatles' film.
I have seen MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR in many formats. Years ago I found a 16mm film copy in the library. I borrowed this print several times. The the picture was very clear, but the sound was poor. Later I bought a VHS copy through MEDIA. The original VHS copy was about the same quality as the film, except that it was convenient to play on a video cassette recorder. Still later I bought a "remastered digitally enhanced" VHS copy. The picture was about the same as previous editions, but the sound was greatly improved.
Recently I bought the DVD release. I was somewhat concerned that the DVD did not display the Apple Logo, but I had heard that this film drifted into the public domain a few years ago. I was sadly disappointed at the quality of the DVD. Nothing was done to improve this copy of MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR. The color is washed out, picture is grainy, and the sound is worse than the original 16mm film. About the only benefit of the DVD is that enjoys the semi-permanence of being on DVD and you can jump from chapter to chapter.
As for the film itself, this was the Beatles first attempt -- outside of some of their music promos -- at making a film. It was designed to be for television, so it was captured on 16mm color film. The plot is simple: The Beatles and friends load onto a bus to take a sight-seeing tour of England. These tours were standard fare for Brits in the late 1960s. Along the way the passengers and crew of the bus encounter some odd scenery and situations. In between there are some great Beatles musical numbers.
Okay, the film itself is not Oscar material. It is more like something you would expect from someone showing off a new home movie/video camera. However, it is classic Beatles. There was not much of a script for this movie and John, George, Paul and Ringo all took part in the production. Apparently all four Beatles were involved in the editing, though never at the same time. As such, the film took on conflicting directions depending on who was in the editing room. Paul even slipped in his solo "Fool on the Hill" promo from Southern France.
We have all heard the legend. This film bombed on British television. It was broadcast in black and white. Later it was rebroadcast in color in a bad time slot. Worse yet, the film was blown up to 35mm and premiered in theaters. Still, it heralded the creation of Apple. All four Beatles would be involved in numerous other film projects and MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR was good experience.
If you do not already have a VHS copy of MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, I recommend that you wait for Apple to re-release a restored copy. On the other hand, the DVD is affordable.
Description of The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
This 1968 oddity is probably a film only a total Beatlemaniac could love, but it carries both musical and historical resonance. It also gives intimations of what would happen in the next 30 years as artists gained more and more power over how they were presented. The roots of virtually any rock star's vanity project (including Prince's Under the Cherry Moon) can be traced to this little Liverpudlian home movie. Fresh from the success of their films A Hard Day's Night and Help!, and still under the influence of the intoxicants of the era, the Beatles set out to make their own fancifully psychedelic project. What they got out of it was, essentially, a knock-off album with a few good songs and a lot of filler, which is more than can be said for this alternately self-indulgent and mildly amusing British version of Ken Kesey's magic bus tour. Using some of their favorite actors (including Victor Spinetti, who was in their first two movies), the Beatles make an alternative British travelogue, stopping occasionally to sing songs like "I Am the Walrus" and "The Fool on the Hill." Strictly for completists. --Marshall FineClassic Rock Music CDs
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