Yellow Submarine (film)

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Movie
German title Yellow Submarine
Original title Yellow Submarine
Country of production UK , USA
original language English
Publishing year 1968
length 90 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director George Dunning
script Al Brodax
Jack Mendelsohn
Lee Minoff
Erich Segal
production Al Brodax
music John Lennon ,
Paul McCartney ,
George Harrison ,
George Martin
camera John Williams
cut Brian J. Bishop
occupation
chronology

←  Previous
Magical Mystery Tour
(1967)

Successor  →
Let It Be
(1970)

Yellow Submarine is a cartoon directed by George Dunning from 1968. The score was from the Beatles and George Martin and was released in 1969 on the album Yellow Submarine . The script was written by Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn and Erich Segal . The Beatles were not involved in the conception of the film. The film title goes back to the Beatles song of the same name from 1966.

Emergence

Yellow Submarine is based on a proposal by Al Brodax. He had produced an animated series with the Beatles as cartoon characters for the American network ABC from 1965 to 1967. He turned to Brian Epstein , the then manager of the Beatles, and suggested that he make an animated film about the Beatles. Epstein agreed and also gave permission to use pre-existing pieces by the Beatles. In July 1967, work began on the concept for the film under the direction of George Dunning. The production was under considerable time pressure, because the premiere of the film was scheduled for July 1968. A finished script was not available when work began, and the design was not yet fully developed. The book was changed several times; a total of four authors were involved. The dialogues were obviously based on the style of John Lennon's playful works, In his own writing and A Spaniard doesn't make a summer . The design of the figures and scenery proved difficult. In the end, Heinz Edelmann was hired as the responsible art director , whom one had become aware of through his work in the magazine twen .

Over a period of a good eleven months, the cartoon was created in London in the TV Cartoons studios, on which up to 200 employees worked at times. Animators , colorists and background artists sometimes worked in two shifts.

The schedule could be kept, and on July 17, 1968 at 8 p.m. in the London Pavilion in Piccadilly Circus the World Gala Premiere of Yellow Submarine took place in the presence of the Beatles and other celebrities. A new edition of the film has been available on DVD / Blu-ray since 2012 .

action

The British toy manufacturer Corgi Classics released a licensed toy model of the Yellow Submarine in the 1960s and 1990s
Entrance to The Beatles Story exhibition in Liverpool
Yellow Submarine - Sculpture in front of Liverpool Airport

Pepperland is a joyous, music-loving paradise under the sea, protected by the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band . A yellow submarine ( Yellow Submarine ) resting on a pyramid on a hill. On the edge of the country is a series of tall blue mountains.

The country is suddenly attacked by the music-hating Blue Meanies , who live beyond the blue mountains. The attack begins with a music-protected blue bubble sealing the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band . The Blue Meanies fire, among other things, projectiles that turn the inhabitants of Pepperland into statues.

In the final minutes before his capture, Pepperland's old mayor sends Old Fred , an aging seaman, to fetch help.

An explosive that was fired by a Blue Meanies clown reactivates the mothballed yellow submarine and takes off with Fred. He travels to Liverpool (backing music: Eleanor Rigby ), where he follows a depressed Ringo Starr to the pier and persuades him to return to Pepperland with him . Ringo collects his "friends" John Lennon , George Harrison and Paul McCartney and the five begin the journey in the yellow submarine to Pepperland . While driving the submarine, they sing All Together Now , and finally they cross several regions on their way to Pepperland :

Sea of ​​time : where time goes both backwards and forwards (accompanying music: When I'm Sixty-Four ). At some point the sub will happen to itself as it goes through time.

Sea of ​​Science : There they sing Only a Northern Song . Just before the song ends, they record a monster.

Sea of ​​Monsters : The monster is thrown into a sea that is inhabited by other monsters. Ringo accidentally presses the panic button and throws himself out of the submarine into the sea. He is then seen riding one of the monsters and he is then pursued by Indians , which leads to John pressing another button, which sends the US cavalry to rescue Ringo. Immediately thereafter, the eerie " vacuum cleaner monster " devours all loose objects, creatures, the submarine, the entire landscape and finally itself and hurls the submarine into a void.

Sea of ​​Nothing : In this empty region they meet Jeremy Hillary Boob Ph.D., a little chubby creature with a painted clown face. While he repairs the submarine's engine, the Beatles sing Nowhere Man . When they wanted to continue, Ringo invited him to join them on board the submarine.

Foothills : When the submarine propeller stops working, Jeremy uses chewing gum to fix it. The Beatles get into the foothills where John Lucy sings in the Sky with Diamonds . Spilled pepper makes the landscape sneeze and blow the Beatles and Jeremy into a sea of ​​holes.

Sea of ​​Holes : While they're all looking for the hole that leads to the Green Sea , Jeremy is kidnapped by a Blue Meanie . Ringo examines one of the innumerable holes and puts it in his pocket. In search of Jeremy, Ringo jumps onto a green hole that turns the sea of ​​holes into the Green Sea . From here the Beatles arrive in Pepperland , followed by Old Fred in the submarine.

Together with Old Fred and the Mayor's resuscitation, they look at the landscape: it is a sad sight. The beautiful flowers have become thorns, and the once beautiful landscape is now a gray wasteland. The residents can only move if the Blue Meanies allow it. The Beatles make it up the hill where the Blue Meanies confiscated anything that could make music. While trying to crawl down the hill the next morning, the four Beatles are spotted at the last second, when Ringo accidentally steps on a bagpipe , a clown (helper of the Blue Meanies ) sounds the alarm. The Beatles are fleeing hastily from the reawakened Blue Meanies .

After defeating some Apple Men (aides to the Blue Meanies ), the four Beatles gather outdoors and sing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band , eventually forcing the Blue Meanie troops to retreat. The boss of the Blue Meanies reciprocates and sends out his main defender, the Flying Glove , but John defeats him by singing All You Need Is Love . Pepperland shines in color again and its flowers bloom again as the residents, strengthened by the music of the Beatles, rise up against the Blue Meanies, who are now on the run for the blue mountains from which they come. The Beatles then have a victorious fight against the four-headed Blue Meanie dog, (Backing music: Hey Bulldog ) The Blue Meanies are forced to retreat and the Blue Meanies boss tries to save face by trying to get Jeremy in "Transforming a blue burger", but Jeremy does some "transformation magic" on him, causing the Blue Meanies to admit defeat. John offers the boss of the Blue Meanies an offer of friendship, who accepts. A big party follows where everyone is singing It's All Too Much .

At the end you can see the real Beatles who have returned home and show off their travel souvenirs: George has the engine of the submarine, Paul has (literally) "a little love" and Ringo still has half a hole in his pocket (supposedly he gave the other half to Jeremy, who, as Paul says, "will fix it to keep his mind from wandering," a reference to the song Fixing a Hole ). John looks through a telescope and Paul asks (remembering Paul's first line in the film), "What is it, John-Love? Blue Meanies?" John replies that "newer and bluish meanies have been spotted near this theater (movie theater)" and says that there is only one way out: "Sing!" The four sing All Together Now , which ends with the title of the song being translated into different languages ​​that appear one after the other on the screen or on the big screen.

Remarks

The subversive and often absurd humor of the songs as well as their successful implementation in pictures differed greatly from the cartoon films à la Walt Disney that were common at the time . Therefore, the film appealed to both a child and an adult audience. Today it is generally not only considered the best film by the Beatles, but also one of the most interesting cinematographic works of art of this time.

The Beatles did not synchronize their cartoon characters themselves, but had language doubles . Only at the very end of the film is there a real-life part in which they play a short scene themselves.

Reviews

“[...] psychedelic pop fairy tale - funny and original drawn by the German star graphic artist Heinz Edelmann . (Rating: 2 1 ⁄ 2  stars - above average) "

- Adolf Heinzlmeier , Berndt Schulz : Films on TV 

"Style-defining cartoon as an expression of an attitude towards life, whereby popular culture and artistic avant-garde congenially influence each other."

- Lexicon of International Films

“Fantastic, full of symbols characterizes this animated cartoon about the four popular mushroom heads, made in an artful pop manner. Pleasant entertainment for everyone, although not primarily intended for children. "

- Protestant film observer 

Awards

In 1970, the film's soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show category. He lost to two bandits .

Collaboration with the Beatles

The Beatles had little influence on the film, their involvement was limited to providing four new plays for Yellow Submarine and appearing in a real film scene for the final sequence of the film. As part of the anthology , George Harrison recalled meeting Edelmann and a few other key figures once or twice. They talked about ideas, but the Beatles contributed little.

"But we only had one or two meetings, maximum, with them and the producer, Al Brodax - basically there was very little involvement from us."

"But we only met once, at most twice, with them and the producer Al Brodax - we actually had very little to do with the matter."

- George Harrison, The Beatles Anthology , p. 292

Harrison was very satisfied with the result and described it as a classic that appeals to every generation.

Paul McCartney had expected a Disney-style cartoon and was initially disappointed that the film presented itself completely differently and was shaped by the psychedelic mood of the Sgt.-Pepper album. In retrospect, however, McCartney agreed with the makers and liked the film.

“I love the Disney films, so I thought this could be the greatest Disney movie ever - only with our music. That would be a lovely mix. They didn't want that, though, and luckily, it wasn't my decision. Looking back on the film, I do like it now. "

“I love the Disney movies, and I thought it could be the greatest Disney movie of all time - just with our music. That would have been a nice mix. But they didn't want that, and luckily I didn't have to decide. Looking back, I like the film now. "

- Paul McCartney, The Beatles Anthology , p. 292

John Lennon was the only Beatle to complain that the film's producers had "stolen" ideas for the film from him without paying him due credit.

“Brodax got half of Yellow Submarine out of my mouth. The idea for the Hoover, the machine that sucks people up - all those were my ideas. They used to come to the studio and chat: 'Hi, John, old bean. Got any ideas for the film? ' And I'd just spout out all this stuff, and they went off and did it. "

“Brodax got half of Yellow Submarine from me. The thing with the vacuum cleaner, the machine, the people sucking up - those were all my ideas. The guys came into the studio and said, 'Hi, John, old house. Any ideas for the film? ' And I gushed all this nonsense out, and they pulled out again and implemented that. "

- John Lennon, The Beatles Anthology , p. 292

Film music and soundtrack album

Yellow Submarine cardboard stand

The new songs the Beatles made available for the film were All Together Now , Hey Bulldog , Only a Northern Song, and It's All Too Much . Otherwise, the producers fell back on existing material. George Martin was responsible for the instrumental pieces of music , who recorded the pieces Pepperland , Sea of ​​Time , Sea of ​​Holes , Sea of ​​Monsters , March of the Blue Meanies , Pepperland Laid Waste and Yellow Submarine in Pepperland with an orchestra. With the exception of the latter piece, which is an instrumental orchestral version of the song Yellow Submarine , all compositions are by George Martin.

Songs used

  1. Pepperland (George Martin)
  2. Yellow Submarine (Lennon / McCartney), from the album Revolver
  3. Eleanor Rigby (Lennon / McCartney), from the album Revolver
  4. Love You To (George Harrison), from the album Revolver , only intro, on George's first appearance
  5. A Day in the Life (Lennon / McCartney), from the Sgt.-Pepper album , excerpt of the swelling orchestra during the departure from Liverpool
  6. All Together Now (Lennon / McCartney)
  7. Sea of ​​Time (George Martin)
  8. When I'm Sixty-Four (Lennon / McCartney), from the Sgt.Pepper album
  9. Only a Northern Song (Harrison)
  10. Sea of ​​Monsters (George Martin)
  11. Nowhere Man (Lennon / McCartney), from the album Rubber Soul
  12. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (Lennon / McCartney), from the Sgt.Pepper album
  13. Sea of ​​Holes (George Martin)
  14. Sea of ​​Green , short, repetitive line of text from Yellow Submarine , when Ringo discovers the entrance to Pepperland
  15. Think for Yourself (Harrison), from the album Rubber Soul , short excerpt, sung a cappella to revive Lord Mayor
  16. Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Lennon / McCartney), from the Sgt.Pepper album
  17. With a Little Help from My Friends (Lennon / McCartney), alluded to, immediately after Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band , as recorded on the Sgt.-Pepper album
  18. March of the Blue Meanies (George Martin)
  19. All You Need Is Love (Lennon / McCartney)
  20. Baby, You're a Rich Man (Lennon / McCartney), as background score, added to the restored version of the film
  21. Hey Bulldog (Lennon / McCartney), added scene in the restored version of the film
  22. Pepperland Laid Waste (George Martin)
  23. Yellow Submarine in Pepperland (Lennon / McCartney, arranged by George Martin)
  24. It's All Too Much (Harrison)
  25. All Together Now (Lennon / McCartney), repetition of the song after the scene with the real Beatles
  • The soundtrack album Yellow Submarine was released on January 13, 1969 in the USA, on January 17 in Great Britain and on January 21, 1969 in Germany . The instrumental songs by George Martin on the album are new recordings.
  • As a revised version of the album Yellow Submarine, the album Yellow Submarine Songtrack was released in September 1999. It contains 15 songs by the Beatles and no instrumental songs by George Martin.

publication

title format language date Label Remarks
Yellow Submarine VHS English  Feb 1987 MGM / UA Home Video Hi-Fi digital stereo
Sep 14 1999 MGM Home Entertainment / Apple
DVD Sep 14 1999 MGM Home Entertainment / Apple Sound track 5.1; digitally restored film; Conversion to widescreen format; Bonus: Various specials
DVD / Blu-ray 0June 1, 2012 Apple Images revised again in 4K ; Bonus: Various specials

Charts and sales

Charts

Charts Top ranking Weeks
Chart placements
Switzerland (IFPI) Switzerland (IFPI) 1 (1 week) 1

Awards for music sales

Country / Region Award Sales
Awards for music sales
(country / region, Award, Sales)
France (SNEP) France (SNEP) Gold record icon.svg gold 7,500
All in all Gold record icon.svg 1 × gold
 7,500

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Roger Ebert's review on rogerebert.com, accessed May 2, 2007
  2. ↑ Illustration of a ticket to the Yellow Submarine World Gala Premiere
  3. ↑ Craig Cross: Beatles-Discography.com: Day-By-Day Song-By-Song Record-By-Record , iUniverse (2004), p. 185.
  4. ^ Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg 1990, expanded new edition, ISBN 3-89136-392-3 , p. 945.
  5. ↑ Critique No. 3/1969, p. 7
  6. ^ The Beatles Anthology, p. 292
  7. ↑ The Beatles - Yellow Submarine (DVD). hitparade.ch, accessed on February 28, 2020 .