I would love to see this movie again. I saw it at the CINERAMA Dome in Hollywood, CA, 1976. The vinyl LP was a double album and had lots of cool stills and lyrics. I still remember the footage of the youngsters riding out to the english countryside in trains with gas masks on. What will it take to get this film printed again?
25 Reviews
Get Back, it's gonna go KA-BOOM!!!
ptb-813 January 2006
Fox must have had very big hopes for this documentary by Susan Winslow. She had previously produced BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME for Phillipe Mora which married 30s newsreel and mostly Warner Bros movie footage to gramophone songs of the period...a bit like PENNIES FROM HEAVEN, but as a narrative and narration free jigsaw puzzle of depression era imagery. She later produced the superb documentary on George Stevens: A FILM MAKERS JOURNEY which you must see for a definitive look at this great director's career. This time round, mid 70s and post THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT and just after TOMMY and its retro Brit rock success, somehow the idea to have The Beatles chart-hit songbook narrate World War 2 via Newsreels and 40s era Fox movies must have seemed like a great cocaine boardroom fueled possibility. So the context to create this film was definite and legitimate. It opened in Australia in the same huge 70mm Cinerama screen palaces that screened big Fox pix like The Poseidon Adventure or Butch Cassidy. I saw it at The Plaza Sydney which was the 1200 seat Imax style Spanish galleon plaster palace design - home of those pix above as well as long run reserve seat roadshows like Lucky Lady, and Mad Mad World. The opening salvo of Battleships Beatles and Blitzkreig in mega 6 track magnetic stereo through whopper speakers was enough to derail the subway below and send the audience to Jupiter. What followed was such a bizarre but strangely compelling visual and aural collision that it seemed so ambitious and ugly that it worked. I think there was only about 20 people at that session. It lasted a week or so and was quickly sent into storage. Even a few years later I ran it at my holiday resort cinema without even a wisp of curiosity or possibility that it might become a cult item. Probably it is a noble failure that might now be watchable for half an hour or so, but like BROTHER/DIME it became tiresome after 40 minutes when you realized, ironically, Peggy Lee style 'Is that all there is?". No story, just newsreel - Beatles MTV.
Oddly compelling
JamieClay22 November 2007
This film isn't perfect but it does get under your skin. The music combined with the war footage can evoke feelings you might not have expected. Even though the songs were not written to be the soundtrack for World War II, they have been remixed here to do an unusually evocative job.
This film for sure was ahead of its time, mixing media from generations to help convey a time in our history where civilization was on the brink of destroying itself.
Most people don't realize that many of our first rock and roll 'heroes' were WWII War babies, the music that came out of them was planted by the experiences they had as children growing up in a war torn country. So though it was not written for collage of WWII footage, there's an eerie fit.
Keep in mind that when watching some of this footage, there are real lives being lost. The sacrifice of that generation should not be forgotten and this film helps to preserve it a little.
BTW - If you want to see this film, write me.
This film for sure was ahead of its time, mixing media from generations to help convey a time in our history where civilization was on the brink of destroying itself.
Most people don't realize that many of our first rock and roll 'heroes' were WWII War babies, the music that came out of them was planted by the experiences they had as children growing up in a war torn country. So though it was not written for collage of WWII footage, there's an eerie fit.
Keep in mind that when watching some of this footage, there are real lives being lost. The sacrifice of that generation should not be forgotten and this film helps to preserve it a little.
BTW - If you want to see this film, write me.
An entertaining presentation of history
dmk23 June 1999
I first saw this film on British TV (shown in the middle of the night during a TV based 24 hour fund raising event). Worried I might fall asleep before the film, I recorded it.
It remains one of my prized possessions.
The film's message (and final song) is 'Give peace a chance'. It is a remarkable collage of film clips (from movies and documentaries and actual war footage) and music. The film is an entertaining presentation of history, showing many aspects of the second world war.
Particularly interesting for historians of WWII and/or Beatles music.
Over the Christmas 1992/93 I saw a similar film on Dutch TV using classical music and footage of the Balkan conflict (the Serbia vs Croatia one, for those who have lost count), showing the carnage of the war. Since then we've had Bosnia. Now it's Kosovo.
Perhaps it is time to re-release this film for a new generation.
Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
It remains one of my prized possessions.
The film's message (and final song) is 'Give peace a chance'. It is a remarkable collage of film clips (from movies and documentaries and actual war footage) and music. The film is an entertaining presentation of history, showing many aspects of the second world war.
Particularly interesting for historians of WWII and/or Beatles music.
Over the Christmas 1992/93 I saw a similar film on Dutch TV using classical music and footage of the Balkan conflict (the Serbia vs Croatia one, for those who have lost count), showing the carnage of the war. Since then we've had Bosnia. Now it's Kosovo.
Perhaps it is time to re-release this film for a new generation.
Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
All This and a Headache Too
Varlaam28 November 2000
I saw this oddity once upon a time at one of Toronto's oddest little theatres, The Screening Room, which no longer exists. The room is still there, over the Kingsway Cinema, but it doesn't operate as a theatre anymore.
This would have been in 1979 or 1980, and they were showing a double bill of blasphemous Beatles films, this one and the Bee Gees' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1978). We knew the Bee Gees would be an embarrassment, but we had greater hopes for this film. (And the Bee Gees were free if you bought a ticket for the other one, as I recall.)
It was certainly a relief to learn that the Allies won World War II but otherwise... The combination of sacrosanct Beatles tunes and wartime stock footage didn't sound like such a good idea, and when you actually saw it, it turned out to be even more ridiculous than you would have guessed. The only image I still recall 20 years on is one of the "famous" ones, "Get Back" being sung over German tank footage run in reverse. As the philosopher said, "It's a fine line between clever and stupid."
But it was better than the Bee Gees!
This would have been in 1979 or 1980, and they were showing a double bill of blasphemous Beatles films, this one and the Bee Gees' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1978). We knew the Bee Gees would be an embarrassment, but we had greater hopes for this film. (And the Bee Gees were free if you bought a ticket for the other one, as I recall.)
It was certainly a relief to learn that the Allies won World War II but otherwise... The combination of sacrosanct Beatles tunes and wartime stock footage didn't sound like such a good idea, and when you actually saw it, it turned out to be even more ridiculous than you would have guessed. The only image I still recall 20 years on is one of the "famous" ones, "Get Back" being sung over German tank footage run in reverse. As the philosopher said, "It's a fine line between clever and stupid."
But it was better than the Bee Gees!
Not Available Because...
igribbish23 March 2006
Everyone seems to want to know why this film has never been released in any official form for domestic consumption. Here's my guess. Copyright clearance. Most of the documentary footage is probably public domain, so it's not that. But there is a LOT of feature film footage from all over the place included, and I'm sure it would be a nightmare to clear it all for commercial publishing of the film. Then there is the music. Beatles would cost a lot, and there's a lot of Beatles in it - let's face it, it's wall-to-wall Beatles, and what is this film likely to return? The significance of the Second World War is rapidly diminishing in a world besieged by a whole new set of super-villains (take your pick). As you can read here, folks either LOVE it or LOATH it. Fascinating! Don't hold your breath expecting this one to be legally available soon. It's just too hard.
I liked this very unique film and wish it were available!
rod-8321 July 2000
For those who don't read the message board: I first saw this film on cable TV about 1977-78. Since I'm into history (especially military, especially WW2), film, and music (not an unequivocal Beatles fan--I liked their Revolver/ Rubber Soul period best), I loved it. I got the soundtrack record album, which had photos, but really wanted the film. I checked the film books each year, but if listed at all, it was as not available on tape or disc. I kept looking for it to air again on TV (so I could tape it), but never saw it. Now that I'm into DVD, I'm hoping it'll be released in that format.
It's, err, an experience...
vlvetmorning9811 August 2005
Mind-imploding cinematic disaster from Twentieth-Century Fox pairs archival World War II footage and Fox films from (primarily) the same period along with "choice" Beatles covers. It's sort of like THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! gone terribly wrong. Did people think that this film would have some sort of educational purpose? Maybe a Fox executive thought this would fill in the void for Beatles fans desperate for the band to reunite? Some of the stock footage is quite interesting, like Japanese-American owned businesses disguising their ethnicity and footage of James Stewart enlisting. So too is a look at some of the fictitious films Fox made in response to the war (in one clip, a woman hears news of Pearl Harbor on the radio and says, "Oh, it must be Orson Welles!"). But most of the music is pretty awful, and cuing "The Fool on the Hill" and "Nowhere Man" with Hitler and Mussolini respectively can't take the place of a scholarly exploration of the subject.
It's been a hard day's war, and they're looking for some peace.
mark.waltz25 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
In what is obviously a response to the final end of the Vietnam war, this anti-war documentary takes a dark but nostalgic look back a to z main events surrounding World War II. Through the best music of The Beatles, many sides of the war are shown in theme segments that for the most part are not in any type of chronological order. Of course, it starts with events leading up to the war and concludes with Hitler's death and the bombings in Japan, but the middle takes both serious and humorous looks at the events, mainly an American point of view, that took place between the late 1930's and 1945. Newsreel clips, previously unseen footage of various war events and obvious footage shot by Leni Riefenstahl of Hitler's supposedly triumphant parades, and clips from movies mainly 20th Century Fox although "Casablanca" from Warner Brothers is inserted in) are utilized to dramatize d cold hard facts of the war and the impact of it at home.
"The Long and Winding Road" and "Help!" make the most impact in their usage as statements over the tragedies of war, showing violent newsreel footage and clips from movies (as far up as "Patton"), giving no doubt that this was a reminder of the violence and carnage that war brings on. They are profound montages that are quite effective. The audience gets to see both true and false inductions of celebrities of the time to serving in war (it's obvious that Charlie McCarthy and Laurel and Hardy, seen in footage from "Great Guns" were not recruits), and some comical animated footage shows how Hollywood tried to depict the enemy as ruthless cowards in order to improve moral. The shots of Hitler greeting his many people watching his parade and him looking over the mountainside at his hideaway are disturbing, and it's interesting to see how after the war ended, how regular German people came out to aid invading soldiers in the removal of Nazi paraphernalia. this apparently was a great flop when it first came out, and I can see why it remains a curiosity. The footage is done without any kind of narration which adds to the impact. It's an interesting curio that has a small cult following, and certainly that Beatles soundtrack doesn't hurt either.
"The Long and Winding Road" and "Help!" make the most impact in their usage as statements over the tragedies of war, showing violent newsreel footage and clips from movies (as far up as "Patton"), giving no doubt that this was a reminder of the violence and carnage that war brings on. They are profound montages that are quite effective. The audience gets to see both true and false inductions of celebrities of the time to serving in war (it's obvious that Charlie McCarthy and Laurel and Hardy, seen in footage from "Great Guns" were not recruits), and some comical animated footage shows how Hollywood tried to depict the enemy as ruthless cowards in order to improve moral. The shots of Hitler greeting his many people watching his parade and him looking over the mountainside at his hideaway are disturbing, and it's interesting to see how after the war ended, how regular German people came out to aid invading soldiers in the removal of Nazi paraphernalia. this apparently was a great flop when it first came out, and I can see why it remains a curiosity. The footage is done without any kind of narration which adds to the impact. It's an interesting curio that has a small cult following, and certainly that Beatles soundtrack doesn't hurt either.
Why hasn't this film been released on video ?!
lupita24 May 1999
I remember when this movie came out, and begging my parents to drive me to the theatre to see it. I willl admit, you have to be a fan of the Beatles and into WW2 history to really get into this movie. I am not lying when I tell you that I'm staring at the album soundtrack right now on my shelf in front of me. I could never figure out why they have never released this movie out on video, being that so many 'stinkers' are thrown on the shelves every year. I will admit, when I went to see it (over 20 years ago), there were few people in the audience at the theatre. But the way that the music is in sync with the film footage was really great, but I'm relying on a twenty year old plus memory of the film.
Weirdly delightful
cdimdb2 June 2008
The (few) negative reviewers here seem to have suffered from something of a 'But what's it for?' syndrome. It's understandable - the concept of this film is deeply odd.
But for those who get over trying to puzzle out the rationale and concentrate on the result, it's a very enjoyable one. What this film IS, is what counts: WW2 newsreel footage is interesting to watch. So are clips from war movies. Good covers of Beatles songs by competent artists are interesting to listen to. But none of these, by itself, would be likely to sustain a viewer's attention for 88 minutes. So they stuck 'em all together, edited it to add a little continuity and connection between timeline, subject matter and lyrics, and made this film.
For the majority, it seems to work strangely well. If any element flags, the others carry you along, and the gestalt somehow manages to be didactic, amusing and entertaining by turns.
I first saw this in Cinerama back in the '70s, in a state of non-ordinary reality. It blew me away. I ran around for a few days assembling a group of like-minded friends, and we all got lightly toasted and went to see it the next week. Some clot in the projection booth screwed up most of the sound system, leaving what appeared to be an effects channel, a rear speaker producing newsreel mono, and only leakage music. The result was terrible. My chums were looking at me quizzically and equating my taste in entertainment with a haemorrhoid.
Happily, the projection-room clot woke up sometime around the Battle of Midway and Elton's 'Lucy in the Sky', and the rest of the film played with all six channels as intended. My reputation was saved, but I still wanted to see the whole thing again, properly. Alas, the film was off by the next week. I'd love to see it again.
But the experience has made me nervous about buying this film from specialist DVD sellers, in case the sound has been mixed or cut down. This film is an AUDIO-visual experience, and without the multi-channel sound it's a lesser thing. I know. I was that haemorrhoid.
CD
But for those who get over trying to puzzle out the rationale and concentrate on the result, it's a very enjoyable one. What this film IS, is what counts: WW2 newsreel footage is interesting to watch. So are clips from war movies. Good covers of Beatles songs by competent artists are interesting to listen to. But none of these, by itself, would be likely to sustain a viewer's attention for 88 minutes. So they stuck 'em all together, edited it to add a little continuity and connection between timeline, subject matter and lyrics, and made this film.
For the majority, it seems to work strangely well. If any element flags, the others carry you along, and the gestalt somehow manages to be didactic, amusing and entertaining by turns.
I first saw this in Cinerama back in the '70s, in a state of non-ordinary reality. It blew me away. I ran around for a few days assembling a group of like-minded friends, and we all got lightly toasted and went to see it the next week. Some clot in the projection booth screwed up most of the sound system, leaving what appeared to be an effects channel, a rear speaker producing newsreel mono, and only leakage music. The result was terrible. My chums were looking at me quizzically and equating my taste in entertainment with a haemorrhoid.
Happily, the projection-room clot woke up sometime around the Battle of Midway and Elton's 'Lucy in the Sky', and the rest of the film played with all six channels as intended. My reputation was saved, but I still wanted to see the whole thing again, properly. Alas, the film was off by the next week. I'd love to see it again.
But the experience has made me nervous about buying this film from specialist DVD sellers, in case the sound has been mixed or cut down. This film is an AUDIO-visual experience, and without the multi-channel sound it's a lesser thing. I know. I was that haemorrhoid.
CD
Excellent!
amontalv6 September 2005
It's a fantastic film. I had the chance of listening to the music, first and the I went o see the movie and both experiences were great, something that I'd really like to repeat sometime again. I strongly recommend it. The atmosphere created by the director and the songs are really well matched with the II World War scenario. May be I got stuck on the music, because the performers are really great, just to name a few: Rod Stewart, Leo Sayer, Jeff Lynne, Elton John, Ambrosia, The Bee Gees, Keith Moon, Richard Cocciante, and the London Symphony Orchestra, it's really great! Maybe now the film is available on DVD, is it? And I'd be very pleased if you could tell me: Where can I get the soundtrack on CD? Sincerely, Álvaro
It's Time To Re-Release This Movie!!.
larry-6127 September 1998
Weirdness!
BandSAboutMovies27 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Russ Regan, president of both UNI Records and 20th Century Records and vice-president of A&R at Motown, was a recording industry success story. He's one of the few record executives to have a number one record in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
He has plenty of moments that place him at the center of rock and roll history, like promoting the first Motown song to go to #1, "Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes. He suggested that The Pendletones change their name to the Beach Boys. He helped produce Sinatra's "That's Life." He helped start the careers of Elton John, Neil Diamond, Barry White and Olivia Newton-John. Four of the films he did music supervisor for - The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Flashdance and Chariots of Fire - won Oscars for best song.
He also had a dream about World War II, an era he grew up in, constantly seeing the horrors of war through newsreels. He wondered, "What if The Beatles provided the soundtrack?" And then he thought on it further and wondered, "What if we did a soundtrack with tons of 1976's best-selling music artists and made some money?"
Imagine: 20th Century Fox films and newsreels of World War II, scored in a satirical way by The Beatles. Or their songs, at least. Tony Palmer, who directed 200 Motels with Zappa and All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music, would fit it all together (Susan Winslow is also credited as director). And The Bee Gees would record all of the music.
Well, the brothers Gibb did record six songs. Three of them, "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight," "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" and "Sun King" are in the film, but they also did versions of "Lovely Rita," "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" and "She's Leaving Home." We'll get back to them in a bit.
The album was put together by Lou Reizner, who produced the first two Rod Stewart albums, brought Bowie to America and created the orchestral version of Tommy. And you know, the music is the best thing about this.
Here's a breakdown of the artists and the songs they covered:
"Magical Mystery Tour" by Ambrosia, who may not be remembered today, but they had some monster hits between 1975 and 1980, including the top 5 hits "How Much I Feel" and "Biggest Part of Me", and top 20 hits "You're the Only Woman (You & I)" and "Holdin' on to Yesterday." All four original members played on the Alan Parsons Project album, "Tales of Mystery and Imagination," as Parsons had been the engineer of their first album and producer of their second. It's also where Bruce Hornsby got his start.
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by Elton John and Dr. Winston O'Boogie on lead guitar and backing vocals. The esteemed doctor is actually John Lennon.
"I Am the Walrus," "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" by Leo Sayer, who was pretty much the mid-70's soft rock king with songs like "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" and "When I Need You."
"She's Leaving Home" by Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry, who is no stranger to soundtracks, with "Slave to Love" appearing in 9 1/2 Weeks and Kingsman: The Secret Service, "Crazy Love" in She's Having a Baby, "More Than This" in Lost In Translation, "Love is the Drug" in Casino and the Baz Luhrman The Great Gatsby, "Same Old Scene" in Times Square and many more.
"Lovely Rita" and "Polythene Pam" are by Roy Wood, a member and co-founder of The Move, Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard, who are best known for the song "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday." He also covered ABBA's "Waterloo" in 1986 with Doctor and the Medics, reaching #45 on the UK charts.
"When I'm Sixty-Four" was covered by Keith Moon, who sadly only lived to see half that age. As for movies, Moon appeared as J.D Clover, the drummer for the Stray Cats - not the later rockabilly band - in That'll Be the Day and Stardust. He's also in Sextette.
"Get Back" is by Rod Stewart, whose songs have been in tons of movies. Just off the top of my head, I can pick "(I Know) I'm Losing You" in Zodiac, "Every Picture Tells a Story" in Almost Famous, "Maggie May" in Wes Craven's Deadly Blessing, "That's What Friends Are For" in Night Shift, "Love Touch" in Legal Eagles and "Twistin' the Night Away" in Innerspace.
"Yesterday" was recorded by David Essex, whose "Rock On" was a worldwide success. He's gone on to act in EastEnders, Smashing Time, Silver Dream Racer and other films.
Speaking of ELO, "With a Little Help from My Friends/Nowhere Man" is by Jeff Lynne. Known alternatively as Otis and Clayton Wilbury, he also produced the soundtrack for Xanadu.
"Because" is by Lynsey de Paul. Who, you ask? She represented the UK in the Eurovision contest in 1977 with "Rock Bottom" and her song "Sugar Me" led to her becoming the first British female artist to reach #1 on the charts with a self-written song. She died unexpectantly in 2014, leaving behind plenty of broken hearts like Dudley Moore, Chas Chandler, Roy Wood, Ringo Starr, James Coburn, Bill Kenwright, Dodi Fayed, Sean Connery, George Best, Bernie Taupin and David Frost.
"Michelle" is by Richard Cocciante, a French-Italian singer whose lone English language album "When Love Has Gone Away" made it to #41 on the U.S. Billboard chart. He also recorded several songs for the Italian version of Toy Story.
"We Can Work It Out" by The Four Seasons was a major song on this soundtrack. Along with the Beach Boys, they're the only American pop group to enjoy substantial chart success before, during and after the British Invasion.
"The Fool on the Hill" by Helen Reddy? Yep. I always thought she was Canadian, but she was born in Australia. She was the queen of 70's pop, with 25 singles charting. If you don't know her, you probably know her song "I Am Woman." She also appeared as the singing nun in Airport 1975.
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was Frankie Laine's last chart appearance. He was a big influence on the band and also starred in several Blake Edwards-directed musicals.
"Hey Jude" was covered by The Brothers Johnson, the American funk and R&B band best known for "I'll Be Good to You", "Strawberry Letter 23" and "Stomp!"
"Getting Better" is by Status Quo, who in addition to recording "Pictures of Matchstick Men" opened Live Aid with "Rockin' All Over the World."
"Help!" is by Henry Gross, a founding member of Sha Na Na who also recorded the song "Shannon." John Lennon said that this version of the song is closer to what he intended it to sound like.
"Strawberry Fields Forever" was covered by Peter Gabriel, who had left the band Genesis just the year before. His songs are all over popular culture, from seven of them being used on Miami Vice to "In Your Eyes" in Say Anything and even a compilation of songs he wrote for soundtracks entitled Rated PG.
"A Day in the Life" is by Frankie Valli, which is an odd pick that works. Valli is, of course, from the Four Seasons.
"Come Together" is by Tina Turner, who played The Acid Queen in Tommy and, of course, Aunty Entity in Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome.
"You Never Give Me Your Money" is by Wil Malone (who produced the scores for The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony," arranged the orchestra for Tommy and composed the music for the movie Death Line. Metalheads know that he produced Iron Maiden's self-titled album and arranged the strings on Opeth's Sorceress and Black Sabbath's "Spiral Architect") and Reizner.
The last song on the album, "The End" is by The London Symphony Orchestra.
The soundtrack outperformed the movie, reaching #23 on the UK Albums Chart and #48 on the Billboard Top 200. Elton John's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" went to #1 in the U.S., Ambrosia's "Magical Mystery Tour" hot #39 and Frankie Laine's "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" got to #86. The entire album was re-released in 1979 as The Songs Of John Lennon & Paul McCartney Performed By The World's Greatest Rock Artists.
The results of the movie? Well, it was in theaters for all of two weeks and has never been released from the vaults of 20th Century Fox. Gonzo Multimedia released a bootleg called The Beatles and World War II in 2016, but this is a revised version with a slightly different soundtrack.
If you're interested in seeing "Sun King" juxtaposed with kamikaze pilots and "Fool On the Hill" with German leaders at Adolf's mountain hideaway in Berchtesgaden, this would be the film for you. There's nothing quite like it, to be perfectly honest. I can see why people hated it - the world was not yet ready for culture jamming mashups in 1976 and probably still hadn't gotten over the breakup of the Fab Four.
But if you can find this, wow. It's something.
He has plenty of moments that place him at the center of rock and roll history, like promoting the first Motown song to go to #1, "Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes. He suggested that The Pendletones change their name to the Beach Boys. He helped produce Sinatra's "That's Life." He helped start the careers of Elton John, Neil Diamond, Barry White and Olivia Newton-John. Four of the films he did music supervisor for - The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Flashdance and Chariots of Fire - won Oscars for best song.
He also had a dream about World War II, an era he grew up in, constantly seeing the horrors of war through newsreels. He wondered, "What if The Beatles provided the soundtrack?" And then he thought on it further and wondered, "What if we did a soundtrack with tons of 1976's best-selling music artists and made some money?"
Imagine: 20th Century Fox films and newsreels of World War II, scored in a satirical way by The Beatles. Or their songs, at least. Tony Palmer, who directed 200 Motels with Zappa and All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music, would fit it all together (Susan Winslow is also credited as director). And The Bee Gees would record all of the music.
Well, the brothers Gibb did record six songs. Three of them, "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight," "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" and "Sun King" are in the film, but they also did versions of "Lovely Rita," "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" and "She's Leaving Home." We'll get back to them in a bit.
The album was put together by Lou Reizner, who produced the first two Rod Stewart albums, brought Bowie to America and created the orchestral version of Tommy. And you know, the music is the best thing about this.
Here's a breakdown of the artists and the songs they covered:
"Magical Mystery Tour" by Ambrosia, who may not be remembered today, but they had some monster hits between 1975 and 1980, including the top 5 hits "How Much I Feel" and "Biggest Part of Me", and top 20 hits "You're the Only Woman (You & I)" and "Holdin' on to Yesterday." All four original members played on the Alan Parsons Project album, "Tales of Mystery and Imagination," as Parsons had been the engineer of their first album and producer of their second. It's also where Bruce Hornsby got his start.
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by Elton John and Dr. Winston O'Boogie on lead guitar and backing vocals. The esteemed doctor is actually John Lennon.
"I Am the Walrus," "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" by Leo Sayer, who was pretty much the mid-70's soft rock king with songs like "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" and "When I Need You."
"She's Leaving Home" by Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry, who is no stranger to soundtracks, with "Slave to Love" appearing in 9 1/2 Weeks and Kingsman: The Secret Service, "Crazy Love" in She's Having a Baby, "More Than This" in Lost In Translation, "Love is the Drug" in Casino and the Baz Luhrman The Great Gatsby, "Same Old Scene" in Times Square and many more.
"Lovely Rita" and "Polythene Pam" are by Roy Wood, a member and co-founder of The Move, Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard, who are best known for the song "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday." He also covered ABBA's "Waterloo" in 1986 with Doctor and the Medics, reaching #45 on the UK charts.
"When I'm Sixty-Four" was covered by Keith Moon, who sadly only lived to see half that age. As for movies, Moon appeared as J.D Clover, the drummer for the Stray Cats - not the later rockabilly band - in That'll Be the Day and Stardust. He's also in Sextette.
"Get Back" is by Rod Stewart, whose songs have been in tons of movies. Just off the top of my head, I can pick "(I Know) I'm Losing You" in Zodiac, "Every Picture Tells a Story" in Almost Famous, "Maggie May" in Wes Craven's Deadly Blessing, "That's What Friends Are For" in Night Shift, "Love Touch" in Legal Eagles and "Twistin' the Night Away" in Innerspace.
"Yesterday" was recorded by David Essex, whose "Rock On" was a worldwide success. He's gone on to act in EastEnders, Smashing Time, Silver Dream Racer and other films.
Speaking of ELO, "With a Little Help from My Friends/Nowhere Man" is by Jeff Lynne. Known alternatively as Otis and Clayton Wilbury, he also produced the soundtrack for Xanadu.
"Because" is by Lynsey de Paul. Who, you ask? She represented the UK in the Eurovision contest in 1977 with "Rock Bottom" and her song "Sugar Me" led to her becoming the first British female artist to reach #1 on the charts with a self-written song. She died unexpectantly in 2014, leaving behind plenty of broken hearts like Dudley Moore, Chas Chandler, Roy Wood, Ringo Starr, James Coburn, Bill Kenwright, Dodi Fayed, Sean Connery, George Best, Bernie Taupin and David Frost.
"Michelle" is by Richard Cocciante, a French-Italian singer whose lone English language album "When Love Has Gone Away" made it to #41 on the U.S. Billboard chart. He also recorded several songs for the Italian version of Toy Story.
"We Can Work It Out" by The Four Seasons was a major song on this soundtrack. Along with the Beach Boys, they're the only American pop group to enjoy substantial chart success before, during and after the British Invasion.
"The Fool on the Hill" by Helen Reddy? Yep. I always thought she was Canadian, but she was born in Australia. She was the queen of 70's pop, with 25 singles charting. If you don't know her, you probably know her song "I Am Woman." She also appeared as the singing nun in Airport 1975.
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was Frankie Laine's last chart appearance. He was a big influence on the band and also starred in several Blake Edwards-directed musicals.
"Hey Jude" was covered by The Brothers Johnson, the American funk and R&B band best known for "I'll Be Good to You", "Strawberry Letter 23" and "Stomp!"
"Getting Better" is by Status Quo, who in addition to recording "Pictures of Matchstick Men" opened Live Aid with "Rockin' All Over the World."
"Help!" is by Henry Gross, a founding member of Sha Na Na who also recorded the song "Shannon." John Lennon said that this version of the song is closer to what he intended it to sound like.
"Strawberry Fields Forever" was covered by Peter Gabriel, who had left the band Genesis just the year before. His songs are all over popular culture, from seven of them being used on Miami Vice to "In Your Eyes" in Say Anything and even a compilation of songs he wrote for soundtracks entitled Rated PG.
"A Day in the Life" is by Frankie Valli, which is an odd pick that works. Valli is, of course, from the Four Seasons.
"Come Together" is by Tina Turner, who played The Acid Queen in Tommy and, of course, Aunty Entity in Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome.
"You Never Give Me Your Money" is by Wil Malone (who produced the scores for The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony," arranged the orchestra for Tommy and composed the music for the movie Death Line. Metalheads know that he produced Iron Maiden's self-titled album and arranged the strings on Opeth's Sorceress and Black Sabbath's "Spiral Architect") and Reizner.
The last song on the album, "The End" is by The London Symphony Orchestra.
The soundtrack outperformed the movie, reaching #23 on the UK Albums Chart and #48 on the Billboard Top 200. Elton John's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" went to #1 in the U.S., Ambrosia's "Magical Mystery Tour" hot #39 and Frankie Laine's "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" got to #86. The entire album was re-released in 1979 as The Songs Of John Lennon & Paul McCartney Performed By The World's Greatest Rock Artists.
The results of the movie? Well, it was in theaters for all of two weeks and has never been released from the vaults of 20th Century Fox. Gonzo Multimedia released a bootleg called The Beatles and World War II in 2016, but this is a revised version with a slightly different soundtrack.
If you're interested in seeing "Sun King" juxtaposed with kamikaze pilots and "Fool On the Hill" with German leaders at Adolf's mountain hideaway in Berchtesgaden, this would be the film for you. There's nothing quite like it, to be perfectly honest. I can see why people hated it - the world was not yet ready for culture jamming mashups in 1976 and probably still hadn't gotten over the breakup of the Fab Four.
But if you can find this, wow. It's something.
Paul is Dead
mrdonleone23 October 2019
Unfortunately All this and World War II works rather as a huge music clip than as a full movie. In this it is boring and starts to ennerve rather than please the eye. Really a downgoer for the Beatles acc to me. Fake Paul might laugh about it now.
Four Clues To Its Whereabouts...
jeffoc_991 January 2009
About a gazillion copies of the soundtrack (on CD and vinyl) are being sold via Amazon.com and eBay, but the film?
Well, here are 4 possible sources to acquire this movie (at your own risk). Since I cannot post direct online links, you will have to do the searches for yourself on Google and YouTube.
1. Subterranean Cinema (do search on Google with "All This And World War II DVD")
IMDb will not allow this web address to be posted. You must e-mail the site's proprietor for information on obtaining a DVD copy, which is listed at the site.
2. The Video Beat (do search on Google with "All This And World II DVD")
(apparently selling a DVD or VHS copy for $29 plus s/h, with the following bonus features:
JOHN LENNON : MAN OF THE DECADE
1969 U.K. TV special. Dec-30-69. Rare ATV special that examined three influential men of the 1960s; John F. Kennedy, Ho Chi Minh and John Lennon. When esteemed sociologist and anthropologist Dr. Desmond Morris was asked whom he felt was the man of the decade, he chose John Lennon. Dr. Morris presents the John Lennon segment which included analysis of John Lennon's contribution to the 1960s, Beatles footage (selected by Lennon) and interviews with John as he strolled through the grounds of Tittenhurst Park. Topics discussed by Lennon include youth culture, Vietnam, peace, love, LSD, the establishment, Woodstock, and more.
BEATLES COVER GROUPS 1960s
From U.S. TV. The girls from TV show Petticoat Junction call themselves "The Lady Bugs" and perform "I Saw Her Standing There." From TV show Shivaree "The Mermaids" perform Twist and Shout." From an unknown Chinese movie a group of mop-top Orientals perform a very weird version of "I Saw Her Standing There." )
3. Shocking Videos (the website name is actually "revengeismydestiny") has advertised a DVD copy for $14.95 plus s/h (do search on Google with "All This And World II DVD"). It is listed in their "Hot 100" section of cult movie offerings on DVD.
4. The ENTIRE film has been posted on YouTube, with a catch: the soundtrack has been re-dubbed with the music of Beatallica, a comedy speed-metal group that covers/rewrites Beatles songs in the style of Metallica...in 9 parts. Just do a YouTube search using the exact words "Beatallica - All This And World War II."
So the above four options are the closest ways that you'll ever have to view/own this film at home (so far...). I haven't seen the original version of "ATAWWII," so I cannot add any reviews or star ratings yet...
Well, here are 4 possible sources to acquire this movie (at your own risk). Since I cannot post direct online links, you will have to do the searches for yourself on Google and YouTube.
1. Subterranean Cinema (do search on Google with "All This And World War II DVD")
IMDb will not allow this web address to be posted. You must e-mail the site's proprietor for information on obtaining a DVD copy, which is listed at the site.
2. The Video Beat (do search on Google with "All This And World II DVD")
(apparently selling a DVD or VHS copy for $29 plus s/h, with the following bonus features:
JOHN LENNON : MAN OF THE DECADE
1969 U.K. TV special. Dec-30-69. Rare ATV special that examined three influential men of the 1960s; John F. Kennedy, Ho Chi Minh and John Lennon. When esteemed sociologist and anthropologist Dr. Desmond Morris was asked whom he felt was the man of the decade, he chose John Lennon. Dr. Morris presents the John Lennon segment which included analysis of John Lennon's contribution to the 1960s, Beatles footage (selected by Lennon) and interviews with John as he strolled through the grounds of Tittenhurst Park. Topics discussed by Lennon include youth culture, Vietnam, peace, love, LSD, the establishment, Woodstock, and more.
BEATLES COVER GROUPS 1960s
From U.S. TV. The girls from TV show Petticoat Junction call themselves "The Lady Bugs" and perform "I Saw Her Standing There." From TV show Shivaree "The Mermaids" perform Twist and Shout." From an unknown Chinese movie a group of mop-top Orientals perform a very weird version of "I Saw Her Standing There." )
3. Shocking Videos (the website name is actually "revengeismydestiny") has advertised a DVD copy for $14.95 plus s/h (do search on Google with "All This And World II DVD"). It is listed in their "Hot 100" section of cult movie offerings on DVD.
4. The ENTIRE film has been posted on YouTube, with a catch: the soundtrack has been re-dubbed with the music of Beatallica, a comedy speed-metal group that covers/rewrites Beatles songs in the style of Metallica...in 9 parts. Just do a YouTube search using the exact words "Beatallica - All This And World War II."
So the above four options are the closest ways that you'll ever have to view/own this film at home (so far...). I haven't seen the original version of "ATAWWII," so I cannot add any reviews or star ratings yet...
This should be Re-Released on Video !!
dougie-615 August 1999
A treasure that may have been lost
dingomantexas17 October 2000
I saw this film when it came out around Christmas in San Francisco at the Vogue. Excellent film that was far ahead of its time in concept. From what I heard 20th Century Fox pulled the prints and stripped them of mineral/element content, including negatives after the film received such horrible reviews and died quickly at the box office.......any truth to this???
An Interesting and Entertaining Documentary Film.
frschoonover19 September 2021
20th Century Fox released this documentary film in November 1976 in the wake of the USA celebrating its Bicentennial year and thirty-one years after the war ended. The film comprises newsreel footage of WWII, with scenes from films of that era released by both 20th Century Fox and many other various studios. The soundtrack is completely saturated with covers of Beatles' songs from various artists of different music genres.
The film delivers the goods as far as WWII goes. The footage of both newsreels and films of that era really bring WWII up-close and personal The footage is simply right on and shows the hell of that particular war and how it changed and shaped world history in the years ahead after the war ended on September.2, 1945. It actually takes one back to that era if they lived within that particular time. It also educates those unaware about how this war was one that really made the world look like a different place in the ensuing years after it all ended. It manages to deliver everything that a documentary film is all about and doesn't leave anything out.
Under the direction of Susan Winslow, the film paces smoothly. The editing of this film is top notch and the researching for this film is also right on. Again, it delivers the goods and doesn't fail to entertain.
It is actually the soundtrack of this film that made this film the flop that it became. It only made a scant amount of money against a budget of one point three million dollars. It was in US movie theaters for only two weeks before it was withdrawn from distribution and sent back into the 20th Century Fox vault where it remains to this very day after it bombed. It was also savaged by film critics mainly due to it's Beatles' covers soundtrack.
This particular film was made and released in the wake of the 1975 documentary film "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" that also used the same approach of this film, but only with the appropriate music of the time period, which was The Great Depression to the Attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese soldiers.
It probably would've been more appropriate to use actual music from the era that this film is about, but then, we wouldn't really have this interesting, strange and entertaining film. This film, with its soundtrack, entertains in a campy sort of way and has "cult classic" written all over it. I do get that the producers utilized the covers of Beatles' songs to symbolize certain aspects of WWII and how they connect with the newsreel footage of the war. However, the film still entertains in a campy way and has the making of becoming a "cult classic". I was entertained when I first watched this movie and I thought that it was informative and entertaining. I am still entertained by this film and I still enjoy it immensely.
I wasn't aware of this particular film until I picked up a used UK pressing vinyl copy of the soundtrack album on Riva Records at a garage sale. I took the double record album home after buying it and, IMHO, the covers of these wonderful songs by The Beatles, who happen to be my all time favorite band, vary in quality with some of them being very good to not so good in a wide variety of music genres. The supreme cover on the soundtrack is Elton John's cover of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", which features John Lennon on guitar, that went to #1 in both the USA and Canada and was also an enormous hit all over the world. I then began a frantic search to locate this film, but came up empty each time. I even asked a few local video stores about it, but neither of them ever heard of this particular film. It wouldn't be until the internet age when I finally managed to score a bootleg DVD copy of this. When I received the bootleg DVD, I was surprised by the very good quality this DVD had for a bootleg. The picture was sharp and very watchable. IMHO, it was well worth the wait to finally see and watch this film for the first time as, IMHO, it is very entertaining in a campy sort of way and really documents the second world war very accurately, although the soundtrack really doesn't gel, but again, if it weren't for the soundtrack, it wouldn't be this interesting, strange and campy entertaining film that it became and also, has the term "cult classic" written all over it. Later on, I also managed to score a UK 8-Track Cartridge tape of this particular soundtrack album, which I still have along with the vinyl copy.
Now, if only an official DVD/Blu-Ray release of this film would happen, that would be "IT!", but for now, only bootleg DVDs are the only way that this particular film is available.
Overall, an interesting, strange and campy entertaining film that entertains and informs even if the soundtrack isn't right, but still, wonderfully entertaining and well worth the time to watch it.
The film delivers the goods as far as WWII goes. The footage of both newsreels and films of that era really bring WWII up-close and personal The footage is simply right on and shows the hell of that particular war and how it changed and shaped world history in the years ahead after the war ended on September.2, 1945. It actually takes one back to that era if they lived within that particular time. It also educates those unaware about how this war was one that really made the world look like a different place in the ensuing years after it all ended. It manages to deliver everything that a documentary film is all about and doesn't leave anything out.
Under the direction of Susan Winslow, the film paces smoothly. The editing of this film is top notch and the researching for this film is also right on. Again, it delivers the goods and doesn't fail to entertain.
It is actually the soundtrack of this film that made this film the flop that it became. It only made a scant amount of money against a budget of one point three million dollars. It was in US movie theaters for only two weeks before it was withdrawn from distribution and sent back into the 20th Century Fox vault where it remains to this very day after it bombed. It was also savaged by film critics mainly due to it's Beatles' covers soundtrack.
This particular film was made and released in the wake of the 1975 documentary film "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" that also used the same approach of this film, but only with the appropriate music of the time period, which was The Great Depression to the Attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese soldiers.
It probably would've been more appropriate to use actual music from the era that this film is about, but then, we wouldn't really have this interesting, strange and entertaining film. This film, with its soundtrack, entertains in a campy sort of way and has "cult classic" written all over it. I do get that the producers utilized the covers of Beatles' songs to symbolize certain aspects of WWII and how they connect with the newsreel footage of the war. However, the film still entertains in a campy way and has the making of becoming a "cult classic". I was entertained when I first watched this movie and I thought that it was informative and entertaining. I am still entertained by this film and I still enjoy it immensely.
I wasn't aware of this particular film until I picked up a used UK pressing vinyl copy of the soundtrack album on Riva Records at a garage sale. I took the double record album home after buying it and, IMHO, the covers of these wonderful songs by The Beatles, who happen to be my all time favorite band, vary in quality with some of them being very good to not so good in a wide variety of music genres. The supreme cover on the soundtrack is Elton John's cover of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", which features John Lennon on guitar, that went to #1 in both the USA and Canada and was also an enormous hit all over the world. I then began a frantic search to locate this film, but came up empty each time. I even asked a few local video stores about it, but neither of them ever heard of this particular film. It wouldn't be until the internet age when I finally managed to score a bootleg DVD copy of this. When I received the bootleg DVD, I was surprised by the very good quality this DVD had for a bootleg. The picture was sharp and very watchable. IMHO, it was well worth the wait to finally see and watch this film for the first time as, IMHO, it is very entertaining in a campy sort of way and really documents the second world war very accurately, although the soundtrack really doesn't gel, but again, if it weren't for the soundtrack, it wouldn't be this interesting, strange and campy entertaining film that it became and also, has the term "cult classic" written all over it. Later on, I also managed to score a UK 8-Track Cartridge tape of this particular soundtrack album, which I still have along with the vinyl copy.
Now, if only an official DVD/Blu-Ray release of this film would happen, that would be "IT!", but for now, only bootleg DVDs are the only way that this particular film is available.
Overall, an interesting, strange and campy entertaining film that entertains and informs even if the soundtrack isn't right, but still, wonderfully entertaining and well worth the time to watch it.
So It Failed at the Box Office, So What?
gfreebirdk423 January 2007
I saw this film about six times over a month long period at sea while serving on the USS Parche (SSN 683) way back in 1978. It was still on 16mm format at that time! I enjoyed it immensely as did many others in the crew (thus the repeated viewings) because of the odd marriage of WWII movie and newsreel footage with Beatles music. Remember, this was a time when movies featuring rock music soundtracks were in vogue (Pink Floyd's The Wall and Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same come to mind), so I can see why 20th Century thought it might play well. I for one would love to see this come out on DVD so I could add it to my collection. Considering some of the trash that makes it to the home entertainment market these days, it's not that bad a film. Not to mention the message it leaves us with is as timeless now as it was in the 1970's-- give peace a chance!
Now playing on YouTube
vicky-l-sheets20 January 2024
This documentary was released in 1976 and I was never able to watch it because the film flopped at the box office and never made it to my small hometown. To my surprise, I accidentally found it streaming on YouTube. It's never been released on any media VHS, laser disc, or DVD. I had almost given up entirely on finding it. If historical documentaries, old 1940s WWII movies, & Beatles songs are your thing, please give it a look. Thank goodness for YouTube. And of course, this won't be everyone's cup of tea. I always watch historical WWII footage, hoping to get a glimpse of my late father in action. I was so excited to see some scenes of the American military and their jeeps with their girls' names painted on them, hoping to glimpse my dad's Jeep with my mother's name. Sadly, I did not. But our family has a wonderful photo to cherish.
A DVD release of this film is essential
mikesuebroome15 April 2002
All This and World War Two is essential Lennon and McCartney as recorded by other artists. Some interpretations and productions are next to brilliant. All this (and World War Two) is played on a backdrop of amazingly choreographed historical and artistic footage of the War in question. When can we see and hear this on disc in our own homes?
Lifelong quest to find this movie
burnsc15 September 2004
I saw this movie on BBC2 in 1976(?).I was 5 years old at the time and it has stuck in my mind ever since.If anyone out there has a copy I would dearly love to have it in my collection.I will,of course,pay for any conversion,copying and shipping costs.This has been a lifelong quest of mine ,I would dearly love to scratch this one off my "someday Ill find it" list.Until I found this site I thought the war footage was set to actual Beatles recordings.Never realized they were cover versions by different artists.This makes it even more interesting.Is the soundtrack available anywhere?Anyway,my memory may be a little clouded but I would recommend this film to anyone with even a vague interest in either music,history or movies.It is well worth seeing.If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it.
available on CD
mataof612 August 2008
I haven't seen the documentary, All This and World War Two,however I did buy the album many years ago and really enjoyed it,the various versions of the Beatles songs were really well done, especially the Bee Gees - Golden Slumbers. And so recently,I have found the soundtrack from the documentary is available on CD from Hip-o-select, a online music store for hard to find - classic music,trust this helps anyone out there. If any one does find this documentary is available on DVD,I would be grateful to know.Thanks for sharing the information about this movie/documentary. I have found this information to be very helpful and I am glad this forum exists to help people like myself to find info out. Thanks
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