In true non-linear fashion, I’ll work backwards with my experiential takeaways from Art Film Club with Bill Crandall.
This was the fifth instalment and after the severe austerities presented in Oscar-winning Ida, this one really cranked up the volume in a spiral of joy and wonder.
Just as a heads-up: I’ll often take snaps straight from the television screen on my iPhone 11, so a) I don’t own the rights to any of these images and b) I’d rather use them than a perfect version off the web, because why not?
What’s it about?
In a word? Beatlemania. It’s 1964 and four Liverpuddians that go by John, Paul, George, Ringo are off to perform at an unnamed location.
Is it a day in the life of…? Kinda. Is it something more? Certainly.
A brilliant script meets authentic performances
Basically, it was the Beatles being… the Beatles. Though there was a scene in there with John Lennon that was quite hilarious. It’s a “you had to be there” sort of thing (don’t want to spoil it for you).
Now I’ve listened to a fair few Beatles songs in my lifetime. Let it Be. Hey Jude. Yellow Submarine.
Yes, they’re talented musicians. Yes, they’re fun. But this film showed me a side to the Beatles I’d never experienced before. It showed me an idiosyncratic detail that neither Hey Jude nor Yesterday could fully capture. At least not in my mind, and not without context.
Was it George’s nonchalant coolness? Paul’s wholesome sweetness? John’s edgy humour (I never even thought of him as funny before!)? Or Ringo’s slightly self-deprecating take-it-on-the-chin attitude (George: “ah, you’ve got an inferiority complex, you have” Ringo: “Yeah I know, that’s why I play the drums – it’s me active compensatory factor”)? The answer: all of the above.
And it was exactly lines like the ones mentioned in parentheses that made this one stand out for me. As an aspiring screenwriter, I was enthralled by the witty exchanges, prompted by Alun Owen’s impressive screenplay and performed admirably – and authentically – by the awesome foursome. Was it Owen’s writing? Was it just them? That will remain an open-ended question, but to me it was all just part of the magic.
Grandpa McCartney the ‘x’ factor
Tagging along with the Beatles is a mysterious “clean” old man, who’s very “clean” (repeated for emphasis as apparently actor Wilfrid Brambell was known in a previous role for being “dirty”).
As the journey wears on, we begin to question who this old man is. Paul claims it’s his grandfather, or second grandfather (laugh out loud). He’s sometimes addressed as “Mister McCartney” and other times treated as an outsider. An imposter even.
Given the surrealist bent this film has taken, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was a figment of their imagination! Whoever he was, he was HILARIOUS. Definitely the comic relief (not that it needed comic relief).
The one interesting aspect of his character is how he managed to get into Ringo’s head as we headed towards the final act. That, coupled with him trying to sell “autographed” (read forged) Beatles posters to screaming girls made me feel like maybe he’s the Devil himself.
If you’ve seen the film, I’d love to hear your thoughts on who you think he is. Bravo, mister Bramball!
The cure for depression
Sometimes life can be pretty dull. You just watch it pass you by, wondering if there’s any magic left. And this was it. It was a magical interpretation of Beatlemania in a time when people needed it most.
We think about the 60s and how difficult that must have been. But I’d like to think that these four lads from Liverpool managed to tear down the Iron Curtain with their wit, humour, talent and – above all – authenticity.
And I’ll definitely be back for more Beatles.There’s Peter Jackson’s (yes the Peter Jackson) epic 3-part “documentary” Get Back to look forward to. Now that will be 8-hours well spent!
Just Me Lakhani 
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