The Point!

The Point! is a fable and the sixth album by American songwriter and musician Harry Nilsson about a boy named Oblio, the only round-headed person in the Pointed Village, where by law everyone and everything had to have a point.

"I was on acid and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to points, and the little branches came to points, and the houses came to point. I thought, 'Oh! Everything has a point, and if it doesn't, then there's a point to it.'" – Harry Nilsson

There have been, so far, at least three different renditions of The Point!, each featuring songs written by Nilsson to accompany the story. There has been an animated film, an album, and a musical play.

Story

The round-headed Oblio has had to wear a cap since birth to conceal his "pointless" condition from his pointy-headed peers. However, Oblio is accepted in the town despite his nonconformity until one day when the son of an evil Count in the land is unwittingly dishonored by Oblio. The Count's son challenges Oblio to a one-on-one game of Triangle Toss (where participants catch the triangle on their heads), which Oblio wins. In a fit of rage, the Count (who wants his son to rule the land one day) confronts the King, who is a good King, to reaffirm the law of the land, which states that those who are pointless must be banished from the kingdom and into the Pointless Forest. A jury reluctantly convicts both Oblio and his dog Arrow (who helped him win the Triangle Toss), leaving the king no choice but to send the pair away.

Oblio and Arrow are sent to the Pointless Forest, but soon discover that even the Pointless Forest has a point. They meet curious creatures like giant bees, a "pointed man" pointing in all directions who proclaims "A point in every direction is the same as no point at all", a man made of rock who helps Oblio see that everyone has a point (as in reason) though it might not be readily displayed.

Oblio and Arrow spend the night in the Pointless Forest, then awaken to a large stone hand with the finger pointing to their "destination". They take the road indicated by the hand and make their way back to the Land of Point, where they receive a heroes' welcome from the land's citizens, and the King. Oblio begins to tell his story but is interrupted by the furious Count, who is then silenced by the King.

Oblio tells the King and the people of the land that everything has a point, including the Pointless Forest, and himself. Unable to stand hearing what he believes is nonsense any longer, the Count pulls off Oblio's cap, but is taken aback when he sees a point on top of Oblio's bare head.

Upon this revelation, the points of everyone else in the land disappeared, and pointed buildings became round.

Animated film

The film version of The Point! first aired February 2, 1971, at 7:30pm on the ABC television network as an ABC Movie of the Week. The film was directed by Fred Wolf and produced by Murakami-Wolf Films in association with Nilsson House Music. In this version, there is a framing device of a father telling his son the fable as a bedtime story. In its initial airing, the voice of the father was provided by Dustin Hoffman, but for contractual reasons later airings of the film could not use Hoffman's voice and it had to be re-recorded. The initial re-recording was done by actor Alan Barzman. The VHS and DVD releases feature Ringo Starr as the father. Another version, seen on cable television in the '80s and '90s, featured narration by Alan Thicke. The voice of the son, and of Oblio, was provided by Mike Lookinland, an actor best known as young Bobby Brady on the television series The Brady Bunch.

Voice Cast

* Ringo Starr as Narrator/Father (home video release)
* Dustin Hoffman as Narrator/Father (first telecast)
* Alan Barzman as Narrator/Father (second telecast)
* Alan Thicke as Narrator/Father (third telecast)
* Paul Frees as Oblio's Father/Pointed Man's Right Head/King/Leaf Man/Villagers
* Lennie Weinrib as Count
* Bill Martin as Rock Man
* Buddy Foster as Count's Son
* Joan Gerber as Oblio's Mother
* Mike Lookinland as Oblio

Album

The Nilsson album called The Point! features the same songs as the film, and the same basic fable. However, the framing device of the father and son is discarded, and Nilsson himself tells the story directly to the listener, providing all the characters' voices as well as the narration.

A comic storyboard was included with the vinyl record when it was first released, enabling the listener to be more engaged in the story.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Harry Nilsson.
Side one
No. Title Length
1. "Everything's Got 'Em" 2:25
2. "The Town" (Narration) 1:31
3. "Me and My Arrow" 2:04
4. "The Game" (Narration) 1:49
5. "Poli High" 2:41
6. "The Trial and Banishment" (Narration) 2:11
7. "Think About Your Troubles" 2:49
Side two
No. Title Length
8. "The Pointed Man" (Narration) 2:42
9. "Life Line" 2:21
10. "The Birds" (Narration) 1:58
11. "P.O.V. Waltz" 2:12
12. "The Clearing in the Woods" (Narration) 1:53
13. "Are You Sleeping?" 2:17
14. "Oblio's Return" (Narration) 3:08

Musical play

In 1975, Esquire Jauchem, Artistic Director of the Boston Repertory Theater, approached Harry Nilsson about creating a stage musical of "The Point!" Although Nilsson said he had been asked many times and had always turned down the request, this time he granted his permission. Esquire Jauchem adapted and directed the production which starred 18-year-old David Morse (who went on to star in St. Elsewhere and many other roles) as Oblio.

The production was extremely successful with the press and the Boston audience. Harry Nilsson, along with his wife Una, attended the opening and wore a sign to the party following the performance which read "I loved it!". The show also received positive reviews from critics:

"Extraordinarily attractive...joyous and imaginative songs" – Eliot Norton, Boston Herald-American

"Fantasy comes to life ....and it's a very different production, using techniques and devices you don't see on stage every day – Associated Press

The same production later toured to the Trinity Square Repertory Company in Providence where it was again extremely well received by audiences and the critics.

In 1977, a stage adaptation of The Point! was presented at the Mermaid Theatre in London. Featured in the cast were Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz, both former members of the band The Monkees and long-time friends of Nilsson. In order to accommodate the expansion of The Point! to a full-length musical, other Nilsson songs from various points in his career were incorporated. An original cast album was released in the United Kingdom by MCA.

In 1991, Nilsson gave Esquire Jauchem permission to present his adaptation of The Point! in a Hollywood workshop. It was nominated as musical of the year and once again it received very good reviews:

"Imaginatively adapted...blends broad acting, balloon characters, Bunraku style puppetry, fog effects, strobe lighting and choreography by former Martha Graham troupe member Janet Eilber" – Time

"A well rounded POINT....the multilayered odyssey, with its jazz riffs and dreamy musical segues, satiric references to censorship, lawyers and politics, succeeds as an allegory....Nilsson's fabulous, quirkly songs" – L.A. Times

London credits

Cast

* Davy Jones as Oblio
* Micky Dolenz as Count's Kid and The Leafman
* Colin Bennett as The Count
* David Claridge as Arrow
* Veronica Clifford as Oblio's Mum, Balloon Lady
* Noel Howlett as The King
* Julia Lewis as Oblio's Girlfriend
* Clovissa Newcombe as Count's Lady, The Pointed Man
* Mark Penfold as The Pointed Man
* Felix Rice as The Rockman
* Chrissy Roberts as Balloon Lady
* Denny Ryder as The Pointed Man
* Roy Sampson as Oblio's Dad
* Gary Taylor as Balloon Man, New Bird

Backing vocals were provided by Anna Macleod, Richard Barnes, and Jean Gilbert.

Crew

* Directed by Colin Bennett
* Original adaptation by Ron Pember and Bernard Miles
* Designed by Peter Whiteman
* Lighting by Peter Sutton
* Choreography by Gillian Gregory
* Musical director Mike McNaught

Track listing, original cast recording

All titles were written by Harry Nilsson, except "Thursday" (Nilsson, Danny Kortchmar).

1. Overture – Orchestra
2. "Everything's Got 'Em" – Company
3. "Me and My Arrow" – Davy Jones
4. "Poli High" – Company
5. "Remember" – Veronica Clifford
6. "To Be a King" – Noel Howlett and Company
7. "He's Leaving Here This Morning (Bath)" – Micky Dolenz, Colin Bennett, Clovissa Newcombe
8. "Think About Your Troubles" – Davy Jones and Company
9. "Blanket For a Sail" – Davy Jones
10. "Life Line" – Davy Jones'
11. "Thursday (Here's Why I Did Not Go to Work Today)" – Felix Rice
12. "It's a Jungle Out There" – Micky Dolenz
13. "P.O.V. Waltz" – Davy Jones and Company
14. "Are You Sleeping? (Song Title)" – Davy Jones and Company
15. "Gotta Get Up" – Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz
16. Reprise Overture – Orchestra

Pop-culture references

* The chorus of the title track on Blackalicious' 2002 album Blazing Arrow uses a sample of the chorus of "Me And My Arrow" (from the 1971 album) as a centerpiece.

* A cover of the song "Think About Your Troubles" was recorded by Belly for the album: Safe and Sound: A Benefit in Response to the Brookline Clinic Violence (1996).

* The song "Me and My Arrow" was used in television commercials in the United States promoting the Plymouth Arrow during the 1970s. When Plymouth approached Nilsson about licensing the tune, Nilsson told them they could use the song in exchange for a Mercedes. Negotiation stalled, but eventually, Plymouth agreed and purchased the car.

* The board game "Balderdash" featured this movie on one of the trivia questions. Players were given the name of the movie and had to guess what is was about.

* The album Songs From The Point features cover versions of the entire album, recorded by assorted prominent artists, mostly from the Indie area.

Wikipedia

"If I Fell"

"If I Fell" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared on the 1964 UK album A Hard Day's Night and the US compilation album Something New. It was written primarily by John Lennon, with help from Paul McCartney.

Structure

The song is notable for its unusual structure, which includes an unrepeated introductory section (introduced as an afterthought as of take 11) followed by sequential verse sections, each having a slightly expanded form, but with no obvious chorus or bridge section. The song also features a two-part harmony, sung by Lennon and McCartney together into a single microphone at their suggestion, and intricate chord changes. The key changes from D flat major to D major between the introduction (a series of descending barre chords) and the main song, which uses mainly open chords, including an unusual D ninth.

Recording and performance

Lennon played acoustic guitar and sang, McCartney played bass and sang, George Harrison plucked out single notes on electric guitar, and Ringo Starr played drums.

There is an alternate take of the song in which McCartney's voice strains and cracks at the end of a line, which first appeared on the Love Songs compilation double-LP, by an archivist's error when returning to the master tapes in Capitol's vault. Since then, this version has appeared in many places and is often heard on oldies stations in some markets. This version is the stereo version now found in The Capitol Albums box set. In the mono version, Paul's voice strains, but does not crack.

The stereo mix of the song (found on the Hard Day's Night LP and Something New) features a double-tracked opening by John. This was also Kurt Cobain's favourite Beatles song, and was played by Nirvana whenever there were technical problems at their concerts.

"If I Fell" was a part of The Beatles repertoire during The Beatles' US and Canadian tour in 1964. The group typically performed the song faster than the studio version, and Lennon and McCartney often sang it with barely suppressed laughter. On more than one occasion it was introduced as "If I Fell Over."

Single releases

* UK: In the UK it was released on 4 December 1964 as A-side (b/w "Tell Me Why") on Parlophone DP 562
* USA: It was also the B-side of the US single "And I Love Her" (Capitol 5235)
* Norway: The song was released as a single in Norway, where it hit number one.

Cover versions

Maroon 5 performed an acoustic version of the song on their 1.22.03.Acoustic album. Evan Rachel Wood sang the song in the Across the Universe film. Sammy Kershaw performed a cover on the Come Together Tribute CD. Dominican band Caña Brava performed a merengue version on their 1994 album The Best of the Best. Jason Castro performed an acoustic version of the song on Season 7 of American Idol. The Rutles' song "With A Girl Like You" is based on this song. Reba McEntire has also performed a version of the song.

Wikipedia

John Tavener

Sir John Tavener (born 28 January 1944) is a British composer, knighted in 2000 for his services to music.

Biography

Tavener was born on 28 January 1944 in Wembley, London, England, and is a direct descendant of the 16th century composer John Taverner. He was educated at Highgate School (where a fellow pupil was John Rutter) and at the Royal Academy of Music, where his tutors included Sir Lennox Berkeley. He first came to prominence in 1968 with his dramatic cantata The Whale, based on the Old Testament story of Jonah. It was premièred at the London Sinfonietta's début concert and later recorded by Apple Records. The following year he began teaching at Trinity College of Music, London. Other works released by Apple included his Celtic Requiem. In 1977, he joined the Russian Orthodox Church. Orthodox theology and Orthodox liturgical traditions became a major influence on his work. He was particularly drawn to its mysticism, studying and setting to music the writings of Church Fathers such as St John Chrysostom.

One of Tavener's most popular and frequently performed works is his short unaccompanied four-part choral setting of William Blake's The Lamb, written for his nephew, Simon, on his third birthday one afternoon in 1982. This simple, homophonic piece is usually performed as a Christmas carol. More important, however, were his explorations of Russian and Greek culture, as shown in "Akhmatova Requiem" and "Sixteen Haiku of Seferis". Later prominent works include The Akathist of Thanksgiving (1987, written in celebration of the millennium of the Russian Orthodox Church); The Protecting Veil (first performed by cellist Steven Isserlis and the London Symphony Orchestra at the 1989 Proms); and Song for Athene (1993, memorably performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997). Following Diana's death he also composed and dedicated to her memory the piece Eternity's Sunrise, based on poetry by William Blake.

It has been reported, particularly in the British press, that Tavener left Orthodox Christianity to explore a number of other different religious traditions, including Hinduism and Islam, and became a follower of the mystic philosopher Frithjof Schuon. While he has in recent years incorporated elements of non-Western music into his compositions, Tavener remains an Orthodox Christian though his brother, Roger, tended towards Sufi. In 2003 he composed the exceptionally large work The Veil of the Temple, based on texts from a number of religions. It is set for four choirs, several orchestras and soloists and lasts at least seven hours. The 2004 premier of his piece 'Prayer of the Heart' written for and performed by Björk, was featured on CD and incorporated as the soundtrack to Jake Lever's powerful installation 'Centre + Circumference' (2008, Wallspace, All Hallows on the Wall, City of London).

While Tavener's early music was influenced by Igor Stravinsky, often invoking the sound world of the Requiem Canticles and A Sermon, a Narrative and a Prayer, his recent music is more sparse, uses wide registral space and is usually diatonically tonal. Some commentators see a similarity with the works of Arvo Pärt, from their common religious tradition to the technical details of phrase lengths, diatonicism and colouristic percussion effects, though the similarities between their outputs are quite superficial. Olivier Messiaen has also been suggested as a strong influence on his earlier work.

Tavener has Marfan syndrome. His wife, Lady Maryanna Tavener, broadcast a charity appeal on BBC Radio 4 in October 2008 on behalf of the Marfan Trust.

Career highlights

* 1969 - The Whale premièred by the London Sinfonietta and subsequently recorded on The Beatles' Apple label.
* 1971 - Celtic Requiem recorded by Apple.
* 1973 - Thérèse, the story of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, commissioned by the Royal Opera, London.
* 1989 - première of The Protecting Veilat the Proms in London.
* 2000 - received a knighthood in Millennium Honours List.
* 2003 - première of the all-night vigil The Veil of the Temple by the Holst Singers and the Choir of the Temple Church at the Temple Church, London.
* 2005 - première of Laila (Amu), Tavener’s first dance collaboration, with Random Dance company and Wayne McGregor's choreography.
* 2006 - contributed Fragments of a Prayer to the Alfonso Cuarón film Children of Men.
* 2007 - première of The Beautiful Names by the BBC Symphony Chorus and Orchestra at Westminster Cathedral. The work, sung in Arabic, is a setting of the 99 names of Allah found in the Qur'an. Awarded honorary degree by the University of Winchester.
* 2008 - World premier of "the anthem" sung in St Paul's Cathedral in the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
* March 2009 - The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia presents the world premiere of Tu ne sais pas, a work for mezzo-soprano, timpani, and strings. Katherine Pracht will sing the texts, which are drawn from poems by French poet Jean Biès, (one of the work's dedicatees), and from Islamic and Hindu sources.

Key works

* The Whale (1966; soloists, speaker, SATB choir, children's choir, orchestra)
* The Protecting Veil (1988; cello, strings)
* Ikon of the Nativity (1991; SATB choir, a cappella)
* Song for Athene (1993; SATB choir)
* The Veil of the Temple (2002; soprano, SATB choir, boys' choir, ensemble)
* Schuon Lieder (2003; soprano, ensemble)
* Laila (Amu) (2004; soprano, tenor, orchestra)
* Lament for Jerusalem (2006; soprano, countertenor, SATB choir, orchestra)

Wikipedia

Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth

by Nick Churchill

The definitive account of the connections between the greatest rock ’n’ roll group that ever was and a small town on the south coast of England.

- In just 14 months from August 1963 to October 1964 The Beatles played more shows at the Bournemouth Gaumont than any other concert venue in the UK outside London.

- A tape of a full Beatles concert recorded during their first visit to Bournemouth is the earliest known example of their theatre show. Despite the excellent quality of the recording it remains unreleased.

- The iconic cover photograph for the With The Beatles and Meet The Beatles albums was taken in Bournemouth.

- Howie Casey, who played with Wings in the 1970s and has lived in Bournemouth since 1978, has links with The Beatles that go back to their very earliest days. With his band The Seniors, Howie was at the same audition in 1960 when John, Paul and George first performed as the Silver Beatles. The Seniors were the first Liverpool band to go to Hamburg, paving the way for The Beatles.

- The first American TV audiences saw of The Beatles was not the Ed Sullivan show as is widely believed, but film from the band’s appearance at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth two months before.

- George Harrison’s first Beatles song, "Don’t Bother Me" was written while staying in Bournemouth.

- John Lennon bought his Aunt Mimi a home just outside Bournemouth and until he left the UK in 1971 was a regular visitor to the area.

- The story told in The Ballad of John and Yoko began while John was travelling to Mimi’s house before he ended up “standing in the dock at Southampton.”

- Launched in August 1963, Beatles Monthly conducted its first extensive interviews and photo shoots with the band in Bournemouth, forging a relationship that resulted in the magazine being published for almost 30 years.

With previously unseen and rare photographs of The Beatles taken in Bournemouth, photos licensed from Beatles Monthly and unpublished images of Mimi at home, the story is told using first-hand accounts from the people who were there – the fans, reporters, photographers, venue staff and musicians.

This book will be available from 22nd September 2011.

Buying Paul McCartney Tickets

How long does it take Paul McCartney tickets to sell out? Find out at SeatGeek.

Blindman

Tagline: "Blindman, Blindman, what did he do? Stole 50 women that belong to you."

A 1971 spaghetti western film about a blind gunfighter out to retrieve fifty mail order brides stolen from him by a gang of outlaws.

Cast
Tony Anthony ... Blindman
Ringo Starr ... Candy
Lloyd Battista ... Domingo
Magda Konopka ... Sweet Mama
Raf Baldassarre ... Mexican general
Marisa Solinas ... Margherita
Franz von Treuberg ... Pilar's Father (as Franz Treuberg)
David Dreyer ... Dude
Gaetano Scala
Agneta Eckemyr ... Pilar
Mary Badin ... Bride
Dominique Badou ... Bride
Carla Brait ... Black maid
Shirley Corrigan ... Bride

Across the Universe (2007 film)

Across the Universe is a musical film directed by Julie Taymor, produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was released in the United States on October 12, 2007. The script is based on an original story credited to Taymor, Dick Clement, and Ian La Frenais. It incorporates 34 compositions originally written by members of The Beatles.

The film, directed by Taymor, stars Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, and T. V. Carpio, and introduces Dana Fuchs and Martin Luther McCoy as actors. Cameo appearances are made by Bono, Eddie Izzard, Joe Cocker, Salma Hayek, and others.

Opening to mixed reviews, Across the Universe was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. Two members of the supporting cast, Carol Woods and Timothy T. Mitchum, performed as part of a special Beatles tribute at the 50th Grammy Awards.

Plot

The film's plot and narrative structure interweave the stories of several characters whose lives cross paths during events set against the backdrop of the turbulent middle/late 1960s. The story apparently takes place from about late 1965 to mid 1969.

The story begins in Liverpool, England with a young shipyard worker named Jude (Jim Sturgess), who asks the camera if "anyone wants to hear his story all about the girl who came to stay." ("Girl"). Against the wishes of both his mother and his girlfriend, Jude enlists in the merchant navy and travels by ship to the United States of America ("All My Loving"). He jumps ship in New Jersey to search for his American G.I. father, Wes Huber (Robert Clohessy), whom he has never met and who does not know Jude exists. As Jude is landing in New York, Lucy's G.I. boyfriend's truck passes an Ohio football field where a Cheerleader (Prudence) sings to herself her feelings towards a fellow cheerleader ("I Want to Hold Your Hand"). After Jude learns that his father works at Princeton as a janitor, he goes to meet him, but then Jude has nowhere else to go.

He befriends a Princeton student, Maxwell (Max) Carrigan (Joe Anderson), a rebellious and eccentric young man from a privileged background. Max and his friends come from upper class families who pay for their schooling, so they mess around, drink, and smoke marijuana ("With a Little Help From My Friends"). Meanwhile, Lucy gets a letter from her boyfriend, who's away at war, and daydreams about when she'll see him again ("It Won't Be Long"). When Max goes home for Thanksgiving, bringing Jude with him, Jude meets Max's younger sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) ("I've Just Seen A Face"). After a heated argument with his parents about his future, Max drops out of college and moves to New York City, accompanied by Jude. Max works as a taxi driver, while Jude pursues work as a freelance artist. They become roommates in a bohemian enclave in Greenwich Village, where they share an apartment with others, most notably Sadie (Dana Fuchs), their landlady, who is an aspiring singer and a representation of Janis Joplin. Other residents include Jojo (Martin Luther McCoy), a guitarist representing Jimi Hendrix, who arrives from Detroit, Michigan after the death of his younger brother during the 12th Street Riot ("Let It Be") ("Come Together"); and Prudence (T. V. Carpio) a young woman who has hitchhiked to New York City from Dayton, Ohio, and recently escaped an abusive "boyfriend" who lives in a nearby apartment. Prudence's arrival through the bathroom window is likely a reference to The Beatles' song ("She Came in Through the Bathroom Window"), also her explanation to where she came from, "Nowhere." is a reference to ("Nowhere Man"). After Lucy's boyfriend, Daniel (Spencer Liff), is killed in Vietnam, she goes to New York City to visit Max ("Why Don't We Do It in the Road?") before she starts college, despite the fact that her parents are against the idea.

Romantic relationships develop between Lucy and Jude ("If I Fell"), and between Sadie and Jojo, while Max visits the Army draft board and cannot avoid recruitment ("I Want You (She's So Heavy)"). One night, Prudence (who seemingly has a crush on Sadie) becomes depressed, and hides in a closet. Upon realizing where she is, her friends coax her out of the closet ("Dear Prudence"). Prudence mysteriously leaves the group after wandering off enthralled by street performers at a peace rally. As Sadie and Max discuss Prudence's now-empty room, Max uses a hammer to bang out the first seven notes of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer".

Sadie and her band, the Po Boys (referencing a line in "Down on the Corner"), with Jojo as her lead guitarist, are courted by a prospective manager, who invites them to a book function for an existential drug guru named Doctor Robert (Bono), based on Ken Kesey. After serving punch that appears to be laced with LSD (aka Kesey's Electric Kool-Aid), Doctor Robert lectures that the New Yorkers are two years behind the new agers of California, and urges everyone that "time is of the essence, we have to transcend fast" ("I Am the Walrus").

The friends embark with Doctor Robert and his followers on an epic journey inside a psychedelically painted bus named "Beyond", an allusion to Ken Kesey's real-life bus "Furthur". They wake up not knowing where they are or how they got there. They learn Doctor Robert has taken them to the spiritual retreat compound of Dr. Frank Geary, a fellow psychonaut "Navigator", and leader of a cult called the "League of Spiritual Deliverance" (Geary is an allusion to Timothy Leary, who headed the International Foundation for Internal Freedom, from his estate in Millbrook). Mirroring the real-life refusal of Leary to commune with Kesey when the latter showed up unexpectedly at Leary's rural retreat house, Geary refuses to see Doctor Robert who, resigned to this news, retires to California. The friends, however, are stranded.

At the cult compound, the friends are reunited with Prudence, who now is a performer in the circus of "Mr. Kite," (Eddie Izzard) a merry entertainer, who wants to challenge the world of show business with his "blue people" (a reference to the Blue Meanies from the Beatles 1968 film Yellow Submarine). The Marry Pranksters can also be seen playing the instrumental part of the song "Mr. Kite" ("Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite") ("Because").

Meanwhile, Sadie has been signed to the prospective manager's record label, but he wants her to drop her backing band. She eventually, yet rather reluctantly, agrees, and this leads to a bitter break up between Sadie and Jojo, both musically and romantically. This culminates in a gig in which Jojo sabotages the band's performance by adding dissonant guitar chords to the song they're playing, causing Sadie to angrily unplug his guitar, all of which ends in Sadie leaving to go on tour, while Jojo plays guitar in a local bar ("Oh! Darling").

When Max is drafted and sent to Vietnam, Lucy becomes increasingly involved in the anti-war movement, while Jude (who, despite potentially having U.S. citizenship due to his American father, is still living without a visa and thus cannot be drafted) remains comparatively apolitical, but ever enamored by Lucy ("Something"). Jude becomes unhappy with the amount of time Lucy spends with a political group, "Students for a Democratic Republic" (SDR), an allusion to the real life group Students for a Democratic Society suspecting that its leader, Paco, is a lothario. Jude's art and his relationship with Lucy both start to falter ("Strawberry Fields Forever").

Meanwhile, the differences and tensions between Jude and Lucy escalate. One day, Jude storms into the SDR office where Lucy works and points out the activists' hypocrisy as well as the violence their actions invite, but he is thrown out by Paco's people ("Revolution"). This leads to an argument between the couple, which results in Lucy leaving Jude ("While My Guitar Gently Weeps") ("Across the Universe"). Jude finds her at an anti-war demonstration at Columbia University during which many protesters, including Lucy, are arrested ("Helter Skelter"). Pushing through the crowd to help her, Jude is also beaten and arrested.

Lucy contacts Jude's father, Wes, who convinces the police not to press charges, but he cannot prove that Jude is his son (and thus an American citizen), so Jude is deported to England. Going back to work at the Liverpool shipyards, Jude encounters his old girlfriend, Molly. She is now pregnant by Jude's old friend and shipyard co-worker Phil Scully, which does not upset the apathetic Jude.

Max is wounded in Vietnam and is repatriated, emotionally and mentally shattered by his experiences and dependent on morphine to relieve his pain (Happiness Is A Warm Gun), while Lucy remains involved in her anti-war movement, which is becoming more and more violent (much as the SDS broke apart, with hard-left extremists forming the domestic terrorist group The Weathermen). Lucy finally leaves the group when she returns to the SDR headquarters one night to find the offices deserted and Paco and some of his followers making bombs. One of their bombs explodes, killing Paco and his confederates and destroying the building, an allusion to the Greenwich Village townhouse explosion that killed three members of the Weather Underground in 1970 ("Blackbird").

Jude reads about the explosion in a Liverpool newspaper and believes that Lucy has also been killed. However, he subsequently hears from Max that she is alive, and, encouraged both by a vision of Max singing "Hey Jude" to him and by his understanding mother, he arranges to legally return to the United States. He meets Max, who drives him to Sadie's music headquarters where a rooftop concert is underway that recalls the Beatles' famous 1969 performance. Jojo and Sadie have reunited, and their band (which now includes Prudence) sings "Don't Let Me Down". Lucy is supposed to be there, but she arrives late and cannot get into the building to join them on the roof. After seeing Sadie's recording company logo (an abstract strawberry Jude had created - a reference to the Beatles' Apple Corps), Lucy slowly walks away, overwhelmed with grief.

The police begin to force the group to leave, a specific reference to the Beatles' rooftop concert on January 30, 1969, where "Don't Let Me Down" was one of five songs sung by the Beatles before the concert was broken up by the police. Jude manages to evade the police and stay behind on the roof. Hesitantly, he begins to sing "All You Need Is Love". Sadie, Jojo and the rest of the band hear him, and the police allow them to go back onto the roof to accompany him with their voices and instruments.

Down in the street, Lucy hears Jude as well and tries to enter the building, but is turned away by the police. Max suddenly looks out across the street and sees Lucy, causing him to break into She Loves You at the exact musical point when Paul McCartney self-parodies the earlier song in the in the original release of "All You Need is Love". Jude also sees Lucy, and they smile at one another with tears in their eyes. The screen fades out to white clouds and blue sky. This is a reference to "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", which commences in the background.

Use of The Beatles' music

The film begins with Jude (a reference to the song "Hey Jude") singing the beginning verse of "Girl". As the opening credits roll, Sadie and her band are heard singing "Helter Skelter". The scene intercuts scenes of Lucy's prom and Jude's date at the Cavern Club in Liverpool with his girlfriend Molly. "Molly" and "Lucy" are references to the Beatles songs "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". Molly and Lucy are both singing "Hold Me Tight". At the shipyard, Jude can be seen working on the yellow bottom half of a boat, perhaps a subtle reference to "Yellow Submarine." The shipyard payroll clerk says to Jude that he told himself "When I'm Sixty-Four", he was going to be out of this place. "All My Loving" is then sung by Jude to Molly prior to departing for America. When Prudence (referring to the song, "Dear Prudence") appears at football practice at her school in Dayton, singing "I Want to Hold Your Hand", she is thinking of one of the cheerleaders, which becomes clear as she sings the line, "And let me be your man." When Jude meets his father for the first time he is mentioning his mother's name, Martha (a reference to the song "Martha My Dear"). When Jude meets Max, (referring to the song "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"), "With a Little Help from My Friends" is sung around the Princeton campus, the college Max attends. Towards the climax of the musical number, the melody for the song transcends to "Dig A Pony" and reverts back to "With A Little Help from My Friends". Lucy sings "It Won't Be Long" when she gets a letter from her boyfriend saying he'll be home before he ships out to Vietnam. During the thanksgiving dinner scene Max refers to his uncle as Uncle Teddy, which could possibly be a reference to the song "Teddy Boy" (an outtake from the 1969 Let It Be sessions), and during this same family gathering one of the relatives can be heard muttering "cranberry sauce", an obvious reference to the fade-out of "Strawberry Fields". At a bowling alley, Jude realizes he has feelings for Lucy, singing "I've Just Seen a Face". Max and Jude rent a New York apartment from a landlady named Sadie, (referring to the song "Sexy Sadie"), who then remarks that Max may have "murdered [his] granny with a hammer", further referring "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". The scene shifts to show a small child hiding next to a burned out car during the 12th Street riot, singing "Let It Be". The style of the song changes into a gospel rendition behind intercut scenes of the funeral of the boy, who was shot by police in the riot, and that of Lucy's boyfriend, killed in Vietnam.

As Jojo (referring to the song "Get Back") arrives in New York City, Joe Cocker sings "Come Together", switching between playing a bum, a pimp, and a street seller. When Prudence comes into the group's apartment, the lines "Hello Hello" are said in greeting and "She came in through the bathroom window" is said in response to Sadie's questioning her sudden appearance. Later, Sadie sings "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" at Cafe Huh? (a reference to Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village). Next, Jude and Lucy are at a dock, and Lucy sings "If I Fell" as she realizes her own feelings toward him. The songs ends with their kiss and embrace at a party. Max is drafted and during his recruitment tests we hear "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"; the scene later shifts to Sadie singing to Jojo and Prudence distantly singing to Sadie through her window. Prudence is heartbroken, locking herself in the closet. Sadie, Max, Lucy, and Jude sing "Dear Prudence" to convince her to come out. Max is later seen fixing a fan with a silver hammer referring to the song "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." The name of Sadie's manager is Bill (both referring "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" and Billy Shears in "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"). "Flying" and "Blue Jay Way" appear in the background shortly thereafter.

Dr. Robert (a reference to the song "Dr. Robert) sings "I Am the Walrus", and the song continues as they drive away on Dr. Robert's bus Beyond (a nod to Ken Kesey's Furthur). They find a circus grounds and Mr. Kite (Eddie Izzard) performs "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" (the song of which his name is derived), accompanied by the Blue Meanies from Yellow Submarine. Reunited with Prudence, who was performing in the circus and is involved with a contortionist named Rita (a reference to the song "Lovely Rita"), they all lie down in a field and sing "Because."

Back in New York, Jude sings "Something" as he sketches the sleeping naked Lucy. In the apartment, the naked sketches of both Jude and Lucy on the walls are also a reference to the Two Virgins album by John Lennon as both appear in similar poses. Next, Sadie and her band sing "Oh! Darling" at a gig at a large venue, leading to Jojo and Sadie's breakup, where Jojo deliberately messes up the guitar and makes Sadie storm out. When Jude is working on a logo for Sadie's new record label (first drawing a green apple like that of Apple Corps) in his bedroom, tacking strawberries on a board, he (later joined by Max, who is currently in Vietnam) sings "Strawberry Fields Forever". The sequence for this song sometimes resembles parts of the Beatles' promotional video for the song.

Jude bursts in on Lucy at the Students for a Democratic Reformation's (SDS) office ("Revolution"). After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., there is a shift to Jojo, seen in the bar singing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

Jude sings "Across the Universe" on the subway on his way to find Lucy at the Columbia University protests of 1968. He continues singing the refrain as the scene shifts between the protest and Sadie in concert singing "Helter Skelter". When Max is in the Stateside hospital, he and other wounded soldiers sing "Happiness Is a Warm Gun." When Lucy is caught in the middle of a violent demonstration, there is a slight reprise of "Revolution". Jeff Beck's version of "A Day in the Life" plays as Jude, back in the Liverpool shipyards, wanders the Liverpool streets. When Max is out of the hospital, Lucy sings "Blackbird" to him.

Later, Jude and Max sit at different bars, and Max begins to sing "Hey Jude" as Jude goes back to New York. Max picks him up from the port and drives him to hear Sadie and Jojo sing "Don't Let Me Down" atop a building in reference to the last concert of The Beatles, on the rooftop of the Apple Records building in London, where the band played some songs, "Don't Let Me Down" included. The building carries the house number 9, a clear reference to the composition "Revolution 9" in which the words "number nine" are frequently repeated. Jude then sings "All You Need is Love" a cappella. Max inserts the refrain from "She Loves You", which is doubly a propos, as Paul McCartney sang the line twice himself in a moment of ebullient self-parody during the live recording session for "All You Need is Love" in June 1967 (audible in the released recording's fade out) - and as Lucy is revealed to be watching Jude sing from a neighboring rooftop.

Over the credits, Bono (with background vocals by The Edge) sings "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." "Flying" is reprised in a cover version by The Secret Machines.

Cast

As mentioned above, the names of the six main characters (and most minor characters) were inspired by Beatles song titles and lyrics.

* Evan Rachel Wood as Lucy Carrigan
* Jim Sturgess as Jude Feeny
* Joe Anderson as Maxwell "Max" Carrigan
* Dana Fuchs as Sadie
* Martin Luther McCoy as Jojo
* T. V. Carpio as Prudence
* Timothy T. Mitchum as Jojo's younger brother
* Carol Woods as Gospel Singer
* Orfeh as Hooker #1
* Tracy Nicole Chapman as Hooker #2
* Jacob Pitts as Desmond
* Logan Marshall-Green as Paco
* Bono as Dr. Robert
* Salma Hayek as Bang Bang Shoot Shoot nurses
* James Urbaniak as Sadie's manager
* Eddie Izzard as Mr. Kite
* Harry Lennix as Army sergeant
* Lawrence Leritz as Singing riot cop
* Joe Cocker as Pimp / Mad Hippie / Bum
* Angela Mounsey as Martha Feeny, Jude's mother
* Lisa Hogg as Molly, Jude's Liverpool Girlfriend
* Robert Clohessy as Wesley "Wes" Hubert, Jude's father
* Dylan Baker and Linda Emond as Mr. and Mrs. Carrigan
* Lynn Cohen as Grandmother Carrigan
* Bill Irwin as Uncle Teddy
* Spencer Liff as Daniel, Lucy's High School Boyfriend

Production

In March 2007, the media reported a dispute over the final cut of the film. Concerned with the length of director Julie Taymor's cut of the film, Revolution Studios chairman Joe Roth tested a sneak preview of a shortened version without first informing Taymor. The incident sparked some heat between the two, later involving Sony Pictures' Amy Pascal urging Taymor to agree to the shorter version. After several months of dispute, Taymor's version was eventually reinstated as the theatrically released version.

Music

Follows is a listing of the thirty-three compositions written by members of The Beatles that are heard on the soundtrack, in the order featured in the film. This listing includes notation of three compositions that are heard twice in the course of the film, so there are a total of thirty-four individual music cues.

1. "Girl" — Jude
2. "Helter Skelter" — Sadie
3. "Hold Me Tight" — Lucy, Molly, and Prom Night Singers
4. "All My Loving" — Jude
5. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" — Prudence
6. "With a Little Help from My Friends" — Max, Jude, and Dorm Buddies
7. "It Won't Be Long" — Lucy and Students
8. "I've Just Seen a Face" — Jude
9. "Let It Be" — Carol Woods, Timothy T, and Church Choir
10. "Come Together" — Pimp, Bum, Mad Hippie, Jojo, and Prostitutes
11. "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" — Sadie
12. "If I Fell" — Lucy
13. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" — Max, Sadie, Prudence, and Soldiers
14. "Dear Prudence" — Sadie, Jude, Lucy, and Max
15. "Flying" instrumental — The Secret Machines
16. "Blue Jay Way" — The Secret Machines
17. "I Am the Walrus" — Dr. Robert (Bono)
18. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" — Mr. Kite
19. "Because" — Lucy, Jude, Max, Sadie, Prudence, and Jojo
20. "Something" — Jude
21. "Oh! Darling" — Sadie and Jojo
22. "Strawberry Fields Forever" — Jude and Max
23. "Revolution" — Jude
24. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" — Jojo and Jude
25. "Across the Universe" — Jude (interwoven with "Helter Skelter")
26. "Helter Skelter" — Sadie (interwoven with "Across the Universe")
27. "And I Love Her" (brief extract incorporated into the orchestral score during the "Across the Universe"/"Helter Skelter" sequence, also sung by McCoy in a deleted scene)
28. "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" — Max, Bang Bang Shoot Shoot Nurses, and Soldiers
29. "A Day in the Life" — Jeff Beck
30. "Blackbird" — Lucy
31. "Hey Jude" — Max
32. "Don't Let Me Down" — Sadie and Jojo
33. "All You Need Is Love" — Jude, Sadie, Prudence, and Jojo
34. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" — Bono and The Edge

Extended musical numbers

There is extra music, such as in "Hold Me Tight", to have more opportunity for things such as dance solos. In "Come Together" on the special features there is extra music for a dance solo and a well-planned "Six Degrees of Separation" which connects the main characters as they enter New York lifestyle. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is also extended to add time for Max's medical check-up that is shown and for the dialogue about Max eating cotton balls and other theories to get out of the draft. The extended music is used as undertone during dialogue like after "Dear Prudence", "Something", and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Other extended songs include "I Am the Walrus", "Oh! Darling", "Across the Universe", "Helter Skelter".

Soundtrack

The film's end credits identify 33 Beatles compositions featured in the film, either in their entirety or in part. All of these songs were written between the 1960s and 1970 by the members of The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) and recorded by The Beatles. Twenty-nine of them are compositions that are officially credited to the songwriting partnership of Lennon/McCartney. Three are credited to George Harrison. One title ("Flying") is a 1967 composition credited to all four members of the Beatles (Lennon-McCartney-Harrison-Starkey).

Of the 29 songs that bear the official Lennon/McCartney credit, 16 are customarily attributed primarily to Lennon as a writer, and 10 are customarily attributed primarily to McCartney. The remaining three songs ("I Want to Hold Your Hand", "With a Little Help from My Friends", and "A Day in the Life") are titles that Lennon and McCartney have confirmed were written in collaboration.

Thirty of the soundtrack's songs feature vocals. Two of them ("And I Love Her" and "A Day in the Life") are brief instrumental versions of songs that were originally written with lyrics, although "And I Love Her" is sung in a deleted scene. One song ("Flying") was originally written as an instrumental.

Twenty-five of the vocal tracks are performed by one or more of the six lead cast members. Four of the songs are sung by stars with cameo roles (Bono, Eddie Izzard, Salma Hayek and Joe Cocker). One song ("Let It Be") is sung by supporting members of the cast. Another song ("Blue Jay Way") is sung by indie Texan trio The Secret Machines. In 29 of the vocal tracks, the vocalists are singing on-screen. Two of the vocal tracks ("Blue Jay Way" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds") are sung by off-screen vocalists.

The remaining three of the 33 songs are instrumentals. "Flying" is performed by The Secret Machines, "And I Love Her" is heard briefly as part of the orchestral score, and "A Day in the Life" is performed on guitar by Jeff Beck in a version recorded for Sir George Martin's 1998 album In My Life.

In addition to the Beatles compositions, the soundtrack features an original score composed by Elliot Goldenthal. Goldenthal worked on Taymor's previous films Titus and Frida. (Goldenthal and director Taymor have been partners since 1982.)

Interscope Records has released three variations of soundtrack from the film — a standard edition and two deluxe editions. The standard edition contains 16 tracks from the film soundtrack, although "Let It Be" is shortened, missing the third verse. The first version of the deluxe edition features 31 tracks — all of the vocal performances and one of the three instrumental tracks. In the US this 31-track version is available solely at Best Buy stores and in a digital version from iTunes, while in Europe it is available at other retail outlets. A second version of the deluxe edition is available at other retail outlets and digital download suppliers. The second version differs from the 31-track version in that it omits two tracks ("Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)").

The song "It Won't Be Long" was released as a single on iTunes on September 11, 2007. On October 15, 2007–October 17, 2007, and again on October 22, 2007–October 23, 2007, the 31-track deluxe edition was the #1 downloaded album on iTunes.

The soundtrack includes seven songs from The Beatles (also known as The White Album), five from Magical Mystery Tour, five from Abbey Road, four from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, three from With The Beatles, two from A Hard Day's Night, two from Let It Be, one from Help!, one from Rubber Soul, and three other non-album singles.

Standard edition track list

1. "All My Loving" — Sturgess
2. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" — Carpio
3. "It Won't Be Long" — Wood
4. "I've Just Seen a Face" — Sturgess
5. "Let It Be" — Mitchum, Woods
6. "Come Together" — Cocker
7. "I Am The Walrus" — Bono
8. "Something" — Sturgess
9. "Oh! Darling" — Fuchs; McCoy
10. "Strawberry Fields Forever" — Anderson, Sturgess
11. "Across the Universe" — Sturgess
12. "Helter Skelter" — Fuchs
13. "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" — Anderson, Hayek
14. "Blackbird" — Wood
15. "Hey Jude" — Anderson
16. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" — Bono, The Edge

Deluxe Edition track list

Disc 1

1. "Girl" (Jim Sturgess)
2. "Hold Me Tight" (Evan Rachel Wood)
3. "All My Loving" (Jim Sturgess)
4. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Teresa Victoria Carpio)
5. "With a Little Help From My Friends" (Joe Anderson, Jim Sturgess)
6. "It Won't Be Long" (Evan Rachel Wood)
7. "I've Just Seen a Face" (Jim Sturgess)
8. "Let It Be (long version)" (Timothy T. Mitchum, Carol Woods)
9. "Come Together" (Joe Cocker)
10. "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" (Dana Fuchs)
11. "If I Fell" (Evan Rachel Wood)
12. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, Teresa Victoria Carpio)
13. "Dear Prudence" (Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Teresa Victoria Carpio)
14. "Flying" (The Secret Machines)
15. "Blue Jay Way" (The Secret Machines)

Disc 2

1. "I Am the Walrus" (Bono, The Secret Machines)
2. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" (Eddie Izzard)
3. "Because" (Joe Anderson, Teresa Victoria Carpio, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy, Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood)
4. "Something" (Jim Sturgess)
5. "Oh! Darling" (Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy)
6. "Strawberry Fields Forever" (Joe Anderson, Jim Sturgess)
7. "Revolution" (Jim Sturgess)
8. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (Martin Luther McCoy, Jim Sturgess)
9. "Across the Universe" (Jim Sturgess)
10. "Helter Skelter" (Dana Fuchs)
11. "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" (Joe Anderson, Salma Hayek)
12. "Blackbird" (Evan Rachel Wood)
13. "Hey Jude" (Joe Anderson)
14. "Don't Let Me Down" (Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy)
15. "All You Need Is Love" (Teresa Victoria Carpio, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy, Jim Sturgess)
16. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (Bono, The Edge)

Release and reception

The film's release date and release pattern became the subject of some media and public discussion. The film had been originally scheduled for release in 2006. The release was postponed as the editing process became extended and internal disputes arose. The film was subsequently scheduled for a wide release on approximately 1,000 U.S. screens on September 28, 2007. In early September 2007, Sony Pictures announced that the release would be brought forward to September 14, 2007, with a "platform release" pattern starting on a small number of screens — with additional screens to be added in subsequent weeks. The film received its world premiere on Monday, September 10, 2007, at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was then given a very limited "platform release" on 27 screens in the U.S. on Friday, September 14. The film had the second-highest "per-screen" average on its opening weekend. In the following three weeks, the release was gradually expanded to select regions. After four weeks in limited release, on October 12, the film was elevated to a comparatively broader release on 954 U.S. screens, breaking into the U.S. box office top ten at number 8.

The DVD, UMD, and Blu-Ray formats were released on February 5, 2008.

Financially the film was a failure, recouping only $29 million of its $45 million budget.

General reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. As of 19 April 2010, the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 54% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 150 reviews. Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 56/100, based on 29 reviews. However, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times was extremely positive towards the film, giving it four stars, calling it "an audacious marriage of cutting-edge visual techniques, heart-warming performances, 1960s to 1970 history and the Beatles songbook" and calling Julie Taymor an "inventive choreographer". Negative reviews criticized a lack of coherence in plot and an overtly-literal interpretation of The Beatles catalogue of songs. The film did appear on a few notable critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2007:

* 1st - Carrie Rickey, The Philadelphia Inquirer
* 7th - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
* 9th - Stephen Holden, The New York Times; Holden felt the film deserved to be nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.

Awards

* 65th Golden Globe Awards
o Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
* 80th Academy Awards
o Nominee for Costume Design
* 19th GLAAD Media Awards
o Nominee for Best Film - Wide Release

Wikipedia