YELLOW SUBMARINE

"Yellow Submarine" is one of my favourite films from the flower power year of 1968 and captures the essence of the drug culture with some of the weirdest LSD imagery you will ever see. It was perhaps best viewed under the influence on the big screen as I am sure the imagery perhaps sent many viewers into their own private psyched Pepperland. Kids will love this too as it is so vibrant and colourful with heaps of songs and enough silliness to appease the toddlers. Beatles fans can revel in the zaniness of Beatlemania at it's peak, psychedelic connoisseurs can indulge in the imagery including insane collages, rainbows, and a psyched up sub traversing surreal multi coloured oceans with bizarre creatures such as the Blue Meanies.

The story line is whimsical and quite incidental to the dreamscape imagery, making little sense, but it centres on proving to bonafide music critics the Blue Meanies that music is positive and necessary to create a better world. The Beatles' voice overs are enjoyable, though it is disappointing that they are all voiced by other actors, and the best moments are of course the songs such as All Together Now ("Can I take my friend to bed?"), and Hey Bulldog ("You think you know it but you haven't got a clue"); all are wonderful visual feasts. All You Need Is Love, ("It's easy!"), ends the film on a positive note and we see the footage of the band members at the end which is a nice touch. I kind of wished The Beatles real voices were used but it seems to work okay for the most part.

The scenes of Pepperland are absolutely eyeball searing with massive numbers and letters flashing on screen, words of the songs appear like great monoliths and the characters are soaked in a kind of psychedelic brilliantine colour scheme. The colours and images are bold and memorable throughout but may disturb some viewers with the references to druggy dreams and dark realms of the psyche. It all should sail completely over a younger viewer's head, and the film is designed for kids and adults alike. Perhaps this is the best Beatles film, it certainly is something different and it holds the attention for its rather short running time. "Yellow Submarine" is one to get hold of for film buffs, music connoisseurs and those intrigued by the acid soaked psychedelic movement of 1968.