Yellow Submarine DVD: Review By soylent green Lantern

My original idea was to review all of the films released by The Beatles. But, there is nothing on their last film, "Let it be". So, if you don't mind, I'm going to review "Let It Be" and then "Yellow Submarine".

"Let it be" (1970)

The film is a chronicle of The Beatles' recording session for their "Let It Be" album. There is no storyline, it is cinema verite of a fairly straightforward recording session (by the greatest band ever, with all the trappings). And yes, the band did break up down the road, eventually, and for that matter John got shot and George died of cancer. But, no, this session is not "sad" and does not show "the breakup." That is all 20-20 hindsight related to the fact that the group finally did break up around the time the film was released. In fact, the boys, obviously after a lengthy layoff, gradually get back into things over the course of the film and by the end of the creative process are once more musical dynamite.

Perhaps you have been on a sports team, or in a drama production, or some other group endeavor in school. You reach a fine pitch of performance at the end of the year, then break for summer. You come back the next year and, rusty and out of practice, just don't have the same teamwork as you did at the end of the previous year. There are petty squabbles and lots of sour notes amid traces of the brilliance that once was. But you work and work and work through the year, and finally get it all back. That is EXACTLY what this film is about. Paul is like the coach who is up to speed while the players are all out of shape, but he pushes and prods to get them up to speed. In the end, they are all back in rhythm together again.

There are some fascinating vignettes that I have to point out. This film established bitch-ass Yoko in the public mind as a Satanic figure. She sits in the corner, never smiling, almost frowning whenever John looks like he's having fun. As a public relations effort, it was a disaster for her. Since Paul was behind the film, that kind of makes you think a bit....

Another fascinating aspect is the reaction of the locals to the rooftop concert. You had staid banker types, pipes clenched in teeth, climbing on rooftops to get a good look and listen. Others, in the street, mumbled about how the boys were "good people." The crowd is almost reverent in its expressions. You don't get that kind of reaction too often to a performance. The Beatles reached right across generational lines, to the old as much as to the young. No, that is not too common nowadays, either.

The high point of this film begins not at the famous rooftop concert, but right before it. Back-to-back, out of nowhere after all the fumbling rehearsals, suddenly we get two perfect, crystal-clear music videos of Paul singing "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" (better than the released versions to be honest). George and John are grinning as they add the background vocals, Ringo taking the occasional drag on a cigarette. Then, having satisfied themselves that they have recaptured the magic, the boys emerge from their bunker onto the Apple Corps rooftop to shout to the world, "We're back and better than ever!" There also is an element of the renegade in this coming out party, with John at last showing the liveliness for which he was famous as the group rather audaciously decides to wake the old town up. What garage band hasn't wanted to just climb on the roof and let it rip? Every single one of them was having a blast, maybe Paul in particular because finally the others had caught up to him and were making the contributions to the effort for which he had been waiting.

The final song, "Get Back," is simply brilliant. Sung by Paul while the cops were waiting patiently to, what, arrest them? He spits out lines like "she's gonna have you ARRESTED" like a madman while everybody looks over their shoulders at the men in black helmets. Sure, it was all staged, but so what? If that isn't one of the coolest scenes in film, I don't know what is.

"Yello Submarine" (1968)

I wasn't around for the '60s themselves but, judging from the long line of movies, music and memorabilia this decade has imprinted on the world, it sure must've been a scary time to be alive. Though don't for a second think I mean that in a bad way – take 'Yellow Submarine' for example, the real animated feature of its age; cheerfully pacifist, and a glorious little flick that defines freakiness at its most dazzling and far-out.

One of the hardest things about being the true-blue Beatles fan I am is admitting that 'Yellow Submarine' was one of the greatest movie ever made in their name. This is because it was the Beatles movie in which they themselves had the least participation – hell, if you thought it was really the Fab Four themselves churning out those Liverpudlian voice-overs, you were way off. That said, those impersonators don't do a bad job in the least – I can watch and listen and think, 'Hey, that's not John', every now and then, but otherwise I'm impressed enough. Besides, any exaggeration on their part only helps to boost the whole cartoony feel, so, as George Harrison himself said, it's not a bad thing.

True, there isn't really much in the way of a coherent storyline, but that hardly matters here. Much like Disney's 'Fantasia', this is a different kind of animated feature to the ones you're probably used to – and the real asset of 'Yellow Submarine' comes in seeing just what they do with all those classic Beatles numbers on film. The selection of pre-existing songs (mostly from the Sgt. Pepper period) is great, and their visual interpretations are a real treat from start to finish, allowing the inspired psychedelia to come alive with such vividness that even the sky's no limit. 'Eleanor Rigby' in particular gets the most beautiful music video you could imagine, while that notoriously-titled number 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' is nothing short of mesmerizing. No 'Strawberry Fields Forever', unfortunately, which would've been nice, but I suppose you can't have 'em all. The small handful of specially recorded songs also compliments the soundtrack nicely (I'm particularly fond of the self-aware 'Only a Northern Song') – too bad none of them ever achieved the same classic status. For true Fab Four buffs, there are also countless references to other songs from their catalogue littered throughout the dialogue, while the Beatles themselves provide enough casual wit to keep you chuckling.

At first glance, this may come across as a somewhat pot fueled, flatly-animated fare, but believe me, when this gets going it can really dazzle you, sucking you into a lavish onslaught of color and flower power before you know what's what. The 2D drawings in this flick prove themselves to be easily as cool and classy as anything in Pixar's visual canon. And, while the mere concept of all those Blue Meanies, Apple Throwers and four-headed bulldogs may intimidate the more down-to-earth viewers, in terms of the values this movie stands up for it's hard not to leave 'Yellow Submarine' without feeling enlightened, like a part of you deep down just wants to dance around and sing 'All You Need is Love' – if everyone could feel that way at the same time then we'd have world peace for sure.

And yes, I was stoned out of my f*cking mind when I wrote this review.