When The Beatles toured Germany 50 years ago, the "Fab Four" were the most popular musicians. They took their talents to the big screen, leaving behind a legacy documented in the book, "I saw a film today, oh boy!"
Image: Imago/EntertainmentPicturesOnly through sheer coincidence did The Beatles made it onto the big screen. After United Artists wanted to make a deal with the band, the production company that owned rights to the musicians felt forced to offer them a film contract. Thus, "A Hard Day's Night" by director Richard Lester was created, a wildly successful mixture of documentary and movie that featured the band in their daily life.
In 1965, Richard Lester shot his second Beatles film with the four members of the band. In contrast to "A Hard Day's Night," a fictional narrative in "Help!" focuses on an East Asian sect, human sacrifices and a ring that Ringo Starr cannot get rid of. "Help!" is still seen as slapstick entertainment, but never became quite as popular as The Beatles' debut.
The Beatles completely took over production on their third film, which they also directed on their own. "Magical Mystery Tour" features their bus trip through the South of England. The film resembles a magical film experiment, rather than a conventional movie. Shortly before, The Beatles had released their legendary album "Sgt. Pepper," in line with the film.
A far cry from Disney aesthetics, the animated "Yellow Submarine" turned into an exciting stylistic film adventure. Director George Dunning and the four musicians from Liverpool created an experimental, unconventional, fantastic, and modern film miracle.
Released in 1970, "Let It Be" was the very last Beatles film. In contrast to its predecessors, the documentary showed the musicians working in their studio during the get-back-session in January 1969. The film, solely concentrating on authenticity, does so without commentary or categorization, letting viewers witness The Beatles' creative processes.
Apart from the five famous original Beatles films, quite a few works were produced in which The Beatles played roles, or for which they composed the music even after the band's breakup. George Harrison wrote the soundtrack of "Wonderwall," produced in 1968. Although back then the movie was anything but a hit, it did attain cult status later on.
"Live and Let Die" is probably the most famous and successful film song composed by one of the four Beatles. Three years after the breakup of the band, Paul McCartney wrote the theme song for the eighth James Bond film. Together with his band, "Wings," he turned the title song into a world success. "Live and Let Die" was even nominated for an Oscar for best music.
Beatles music also plays a big role in "I am Sam" by Jessie Nelson (2001). It tells the story of a mentally handicapped man named Sam who is raising his little daughter all by himself. The music of the Fab Four gives him a sense of orientation in a world in which he feels totally lost. However, the music of a cover band had to be used for legal reasons.
"Across the Universe" (2007) by Julie Taymor may well serve as a perfect example of how The Beatles music came to be used in a movie. The plot, set in the 1960s, describes the youth culture of the era. A total of 33 Beatles songs come up over the course of the movie; far more than just background music, they form part of the plot.
Almost three decades after the band's split, Paul McCartney once again provided proof of his extraordinary talent for producing movie soundtracks as he created the theme song for "Vanilla Sky," a psychothriller by Cameron Crowe, starring Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz and Penélope Cruz. That song earned McCartney a second Oscar nomination.
More than the other Beatles, George Harrison developed an interest in producing films after the band had broken up. Harrison founded the company HandMade, which produced several films, including "Water" (1985), which tells the fantastic story of a Caribbean island where a valuable source of mineral water is suddenly discovered.
Every so often, one of The Beatles also acted in movies. John Lennon starred in Richard Lester's anti-war comedy "How I Won the War" (1967) and Ringo Starr acted in "That'll Be the Day," a British movie produced in 1973. In the latter, The Beatles' drummer convincingly plays a macho womanizer.
A book released in Germany this year features film stills from the more than 200 movies made about or inspired by The Beatles to date.
"I saw a film today, oh boy!" by Jörg Helbig is touted by its publisher Schüren Verlag as the encyclopedia of Beatles movies.
Of course, the most meaningful of the films featured are those made before the band's breakup and starring The Beatles themselves: "A Hard Day's Night," "Help!," "Magical Mystery Tour," "Yellow Submarine," and "Let it Be."
Readers can also discover the lesser-known films that were inspired by the Fab Four or in some way have an affiliation with the band from Liverpool that changed the music world. That includes movies for which band members served as producers (George Harrison started the HandMade production company) or created the soundtrack for (as Paul McCartney had done, winning two Oscars for best music).
Via the silver screen, The Beatles can remain in the hearts of their fans long after they've gone.
