The Beatles skated through much of their career, getting nothing but the most laudatory notices from the press. Their music was hailed and set apart as an ideal by music critics. But they eventually took some hits from the press about the quality of their work, especially upon the release of their 1967 television movie Magical Mystery Tour.
The group made the movie themselves and attempted an avant-garde production with a non-linear plot and trippy filming techniques. Unfortunately, the public and the press were expecting something much different. Here is the story of the rare Beatles’ project that was, dare we say it, labeled a flop at the time of its release.
Making the Movie
The Beatles’ first project following the August 1967 death of their manager Brian Epstein, Magical Mystery Tour was planned out just a month later at a group meeting. Filming began almost immediately and continued into October. The group would record six new songs for inclusion in the soundtrack.
Most of the “plot” revolves around a “magical” bus trip featuring The Beatles and a bunch of random passengers. Although there was a rough plan mapped out by the group for what was to be filmed and when and where, they also left room for happy accidents to make their way into the movie. Occasionally, sequences were filmed separate from the bus trip.
Filming didn’t go smoothly, as the band failed to realize the logistics of putting together a film and handling the demands of cast and crew. It didn’t help that the press were following their every move, making it difficult for them to locate the spontaneity they desired. On top of that, arguments between group members about the filming and editing added to the general chaos.
The Reaction
On December 26, 1967, Magical Mystery Tour was broadcast across the United Kingdom. Many fans tuned in excitedly, having heard the songs from the film, including soon-to-be-classics like “I Am the Walrus” and “Fool on the Hill.” But they just weren’t prepared for what they were about to see, and that went double for the critics preparing to review the film.
It didn’t help that the BBC lacked the ability to show the film in color, robbing it of much of the psychedelic spirit in which it was made. Maybe The Beatles thought they were indestructible based on past successes, or perhaps they overestimated their audience’s tolerance for experimental silliness being beamed into their home on the day after Christmas.
In any case, the reaction was swift and nearly unanimous that the film was an unmitigated misfire by the band. Just two days after the broadcast, Paul McCartney was out giving interviews trying to defend the film and asking audiences to try and understand what the band was trying to achieve. The damage control didn’t do much to salvage the film’s reputation.
The Aftermath
Releases of Magical Mystery Tour on video and other home-viewing formats have been a bit haphazard and sporadic in the years since it arrived. Perhaps stung by those initial reviews, The Beatles seemed reluctant to revisit it. A release on Blu-ray in 2012 by Apple is the closest it ever came to a major reissue.
Still, you can’t stream the film anywhere. Maybe there will be an all-in effort at some point by the Apple decision-makers to give it the full bells-and-whistles treatment. After all, the fact that Let It Be, the documentary the group shunned for years, has received such new life in recent years gives hope that Magical Mystery Tour can benefit from the same care.
The film wouldn’t seem nearly as out-there to the sensibilities of modern audiences. And the Magical Mystery Tour film served as the impetus for some of the most inventive songs of their career, so it can’t be all that bad. Even The Beatles’ flops had silver linings.
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Photo by ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
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