The Magical Mystery Tour: Satisfaction Guaranteed?

Let me start by saying that I'm a huge Beatles fan, but not even close to being as fanatical as my father. Ever seen that Simpsons episode where it turns out that Ned Flanders has a secret room filled with Beatles collectibles? Well, that's my dad (who, coincidentally, also wears glasses and sports a mustache, but is not as ripped as Ned). Every birthday, Christmas and Father's Day usually involves me buying the latest Beatles and Beatles-related release for him.

Needless to say, he's pretty excited about the upcoming re-release of The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour. Personally, I'm a little disappointed that the timing of the release  doesn't coincide with a gift-giving opportunity, but that's a minor quibble.

Available October 9th in North America, the long out-of-print 1967 television film will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and in a wallet-draining deluxe edition box set that includes both the DVD and Blu-ray, a 60-page book and a reproduction of the original UK double 7” vinyl EP (in glorious mono!). With this and the upcoming release of stereo remasters on vinyl, it's gearing up to be an expensive end-of year for Beatles collectors.

By 1967, The Beatles had stopped touring and were instead sending promotional films of their songs for broadcast (arguably inventing the music video). They had also just beamed a worldwide satellite broadcast of the song “All You Need is Love”. As a next audio-visual project, Paul McCartney came up with the idea of loading up a bus with friends, family and hired actors, heading west out of London and hoping that something “magical” would happen. No script was used; only a collection of rough ideas and situations, some based on the new songs to be included on the accompanying double EP: "Magical Mystery Tour", "Your Mother Should Know", "I Am the Walrus", "The Fool on the Hill", "Flying" and "Blue Jay Way"

From what I've read, as I've never had the opportunity to see the film, the end-result was far from magical. Two weeks of shooting and 10 hours of footage were whittled down to roughly an hour of footage that was broadcast on BBC1 on Boxing Day, 1967. The critical reaction was overwhelmingly negative and as a result, the film was not seen in North America until the mid-1970s when it was released theatrically in a limited number of theaters.

The movie's poor reputation has made it somewhat non-essential viewing for anybody but the most fervent Beatles fan. Even my dad, who as I mentioned, is the definition of a Beatle-maniac, has never seen it. However, this new remastered re-release is made much more intriguing by including director's commentary by Paul McCartney, unseen footage and various other extras.

I'm looking forward to seeing this, although my expectations are tempered; I'm not expecting to see a masterpiece by any means. So with that, I invite you to reserve a copy of movie at your local store. It may have everything you need, but I'm not so sure that satisfaction will be guaranteed.

-Idle Matt hosts Radio Fun Wednesdays from 9-10pm