Magical Mystery Tour

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The Beatles' 1967 BBC special Magical Mystery Tour, having been out of circulation since 1974 (when it ran in theaters on 16mm projectors), has been restored by Apple Films and has been released on DVD as well as making the rounds on PBS stations. It was the first project the group was involved with after the death of their manager Brian Epstein.

It had the bad fortune to air on Boxing Day (December 26) on BBC1 and in black and white. That was the least of its problems.

Purported to be a psychedelic bus tour where anything can happen (at the whim of four magicians, played by the Beatles), the special was an unfocused, scattershot mess, almost to the point of hilarity. It opens with Ringo and his aunt squabbling as they board the bus full of passengers and from that point, anything went. Victor Spinetti (Norm from A Hard Day's Night) was a daffy soldier whose blathering went on to the point of inanity. The Beatles themselves acted like they were simply improvising but none of the dialogue from them or anyone was incredibly inspired.

The music was top notch as usual with the title tune, The Fool On The Hill, Flying, Blue Jay Way, I Am The Walrus and Your Mother Should Know. The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band does Death Cab For Cutie in a cameo.

Whether or not Epstein would have greenlit MMT is moot, and even Paul admits that all they did was take a camera (Ringo is credited as the director of photography) and pretty much wing it. The negative reviews nearly prompted the Beatles to disassociate themselves with Yellow Submarine which was in production at the time (they saw the finished project and gave it their blessings). As a TV special, MMT manages to distinguish itself as being the Fab Four's most undistinguished project.