Magical Mystery Tour Film: Introduction
Before the release of the Magical Mystery Tour film (1967), The Beatles already had two successful films under their wing: “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964) and “Help!” (1965). But, unlike the earlier two movies, the critics described the Magical Mystery Tour film as a flop.
Of course, The Beatles’ music always reigned supreme, and that was never in doubt. Indeed, the album of the same name topped the charts.
That original album was an American release, while in the UK, we saw a double EP instead. The American album contained 11 songs, and the double EP has six songs.
In Detail
- Written and Directed by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr
- Directors: The Beatles
- Original Release Date: The December 26, 1967 (key filming dates below)
- Narrator: John Lennon
- Composers: The Beatles, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and Shirley Evans
- Producers: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, together with Gavrik Losey and Dennis O’Dell
- Cinematography: Daniel Lacambre and Richard Starkey
- Editor: Roy Benson
- Running Time: 52 minutes
- Production Company: Apple Corps and the BBC
- Distributor: New Line Cinema (US original release) and Apple Films (All current releases)
Starring:
- John Lennon: as John, Magician #1 (Magician with Coffee), Ticket Salesman, The Eggman, Pirandello the Waiter, and The Narrator
- Paul McCartney: as Paul, Magician #2 (Brown-Nosed Magician), and Major McCartney
- George Harrison: as George and Magician #3 (Magician Looking Through Telescope)
- Ringo Starr: as Richard and Magician #4 (Talkative Magician)
Also starring:
- Mal Evans: as Magician #5 (Magician Standing in the Corner) and a Passenger on the Bus
- Neil Aspinall: as Man with Hat on the Roadside
- Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band as themselves
- Jessie Robins, as Ringo’s Auntie Jessie
- Ivor Cutler: as Buster Bloodvessel
- Derek Royle: as Jolly Jimmy Johnson
- Angelo Muscat: as Catching Dwarf (uncredited)
- Victor Spinetti: as Sergeant Spinetti
- Miranda Forbes: (as Mandy Weet) as Miss Wendy Winters
- Nat Jackley as Rubber Man
- Nicola Hale as Little Girl
- George Claydon as Photographer
- Maggie Wright as Starlet
- Shirley Evans as Accordionist
What Was The Magical Mystery Tour?
In the mid-sixties, “mystery tours” were popular in the UK. They were cheap weekend “getaways” where groups of individual people would board a coach, usually overnight, and head off to a surprise destination to have a good time.
Paul McCartney thought about this while flying from America to England in April 1967. He then drew up a pie chart, a circle with a few ideas: ‘Get on coach,’ ‘Dreams,’ and ‘End Song.’ Many blank spaces existed on his rough diagram, but those would be filled in later. After all, The Beatles were in their fertile moment and could achieve so much.
So, the film had no script as such. However, Paul McCartney called his handwritten sketch a “scrupt“. At this time, psychedelic music was popular, and The Beatles played their part in that, of course. Using their imagination, they could effortlessly fill the ‘dreams’ section. Indeed, the odd recreational mind-blowing substance may have given them some help. Indeed, that fuelled a lot of the psychedelic movement.
Magical Mystery Tour Film Review
While watching the movie, it soon becomes evident that it is a surreal comedy television film. The BBC screened the film on Boxing Day in 1967 so families could settle in front of the TV after a hectic Christmas. However, unlike their classic first two films, the “Magical Mystery Tour” film didn’t work out well.
The BBC aired the film in black-and-white. They slotted it between the Petula Clark Christmas Special and a Norman Wisdom film (The Square Peg) (1959). Families were enjoying their Christmas light-entertainment programmes on TV when suddenly they were subjected to a crazy psychedelic film with no plot.
Firstly, the film appeared to be slightly chaotic. But, as we know, there was no script. Indeed, the band adlibbed the film. Because of that, the film was confusing for many people, and the movie suffered severely at the hands of the critics. But it still holds some historic value because of the evolving Beatles’ music.
The film included six new Beatles songs, which caught everyone’s attention. We classify those film and song clips today as music videos. Of course, musically, The Beatles could do no wrong, and those videos saved the Fab Four from having their first commercial flop. However, that is still open to debate, even today!
Filming started on September 11, 1967, and ended on November 3, 1967. However, the editing took 11 weeks. In short, they had to whittle down 10 hours of footage to 52 minutes for television purposes.
Magical Mystery Tour Music Video
What The Beatles did until this film was churn out quality music that stood the test of time. The band were also at the forefront of music videos. We take music videos for granted now, of course. View the Magical Mystery Tour film as “a place and time in history” with The Beatles. With six new groundbreaking songs and The Beatles arguably at their peak, what more could a Beatles fan want?
This film is still open to debate between film critics and Beatles fans. On the one hand, critics are judging “just another movie”, and on the other, Beatles fans want to see the Fab Four regardless. Let’s be honest: The Beatles were musicians, not filmmakers.
So, the critics should have been a bit less savage. After all, they should have been reviewing an ad-libbed film by some of the world’s most talented people for what it was—an insight into their minds!
Don’t look at the Magical Mystery Tour as a cinematic film. Instead, view it as a TV documentary production and music fest. Then, we would like to know what you think.
The Plot
The Magical Mystery Tour Film came from an initial idea that Paul McCartney had while on a flight home to the UK. Be that as it may, he later said it was a “collective thing”. As the name suggests, this film is about The Beatles embarking on a mystery bus ride with many other passengers.
It was a project in which they were to combine the free-wheeling fun of Ken Kesey’s 1964 cross-country American bus tour aboard “Further” together with the Merry Pranksters and the coach trips from Liverpool to see the Blackpool illuminations.
While on the mystery tour, “strange things begin to happen”. This is because the “four or five magicians” were instigating things. The four Beatles play the part of the magicians, and the fifth one was the band’s long-time road manager, Mal Evans. Of course, even though the film was a bit of a flop at the time, the music was certainly not. Hence, a very successful soundtrack album by the same name.
Magical Mystery Tour Bus Fills Up
The coach for the mystery tour departed from Allsop Place, London, on the 11th of September, 1967. Only Paul McCartney boarded here, but as the coach travelled, they picked up John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. When the bus was full of people, there was a spontaneous decision to travel towards Cornwall, in the southwest of England.
With many strange and intriguing characters onboard, you see Ringo Starr having a central role. He often has arguments with his aunt, Jessie. There are odd impromptu moments, such as John Lennon and George Harrison ogling at the stripper in a strip club. John chats with a little girl called Nichola while giving her a balloon. Other strange moments happen, but we will not spoil them for you.
Despite the shenanigans and strange moments of madness, we get the meaty bits—the music videos. This is where The Beatles excel, and that they did!
Songs In The Magical Mystery Tour Film
01) Magical Mystery Tour
02) The Fool on the Hill
03) She Loves You (played on a fairground organ)
04) Flying
05) All My Loving (orchestral)
06) I Am the Walrus
07) Jessie’s Dream
08) Blue Jay Way
09) Death Cab for Cutie, performed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
10) Your Mother Should Know
11) Magical Mystery Tour (Reprise)
12) Hello, Goodbye
Magical Mystery Tour Film Locations
Filming for the Magical Mystery Tour film took place between the 11th of September 1967 and the 3rd of November 1967. Although much shooting took place, many scenes never made it into the final cut. However, here are some notable locations for the film:
- London (tour starts) (September 11, 1967).
- Bodmin, Cornwall, England (September 12, 1967).
- Atlantic Hotel (and some beach scenes) Newquay, England (September 13–15, 1967).
- RAF West Malling (decommissioned military airfield), Kent, England (September 20–24, 1967)
- Nice, France (for Fool on the Hill) (October 31, 1967).
- Sunny Heights (Ringo Starr’s home for the Blue Jay Way clip), Weybridge, Surrey, England (November 3, 1967)
Conclusion
So, what do you think about this Beatles film? Was it as bad as the critics would have it? Leave your comments below, but also tell us if it brings back memories, etc.