History Film / Help

* BadBadActing: The Beatles indulge in this occasionally, particularly any time they're supposed to be acting like they're having a carefree, fun time and instead just deliver the most stilted laughs humanly possible.

* DeadpanSnarker: Each of the {{Beatles}}.

* EvilForeigner: Hilariously, the 'Eastern' cult members are all [[FakeNationality played by English actors]].
* FakeNationality: All the cultists from 'the East' are played by English actors (See: EvilForeigner, above). This is {{Lampshaded}} when the Beatles visit the Indian Restaurant "seeking enlightenment as to rings" from someone from "the mystic East" but quickly learn that everyone working there is English.

* NoSenseOfDirection: The Beatles' Road Manager [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mal_Evans Mal Evans]], does a cameo as a swimmer who has this, looking for the White Cliffs of Dover while under some ice (in Switzerland -- [[FridgeLogic just roll with it)]] and again at the end in a BrickJoke in the Caribbean Sea.

* InsistentTerminology: Referring to people and thing as "The ''famous'' X".

* SexyBack: Ahme's sister taking a bath in Part Two.

* PoliceAreUseless: Averted (the police in this case being the British police, the Bahaman Police and ''fricking army''). They do quite a good job protecting the Beatles, as the Inspector in charge turns out to be quite a bright penny. [[spoiler:Hell, they even save the Beatles]]. ''Twice''.

--> '''John:''' Oh, I like a lot of seasoning in me soup.

* FridgeLogic: How does owning a ring that can't be removed from one's finger help one gain global domination? Perhaps one could argue the value of replicating the metal, but it appears that there's no way to cut it and take samples...
** It does seem to be acknowledged: "With a ring like that, could I interest the military? No, I could not."

* HoYay: John and Ringo
--> '''Ringo''': "What was it that first attracted you to me?"
--> '''John''': "Well, you're very polite, aren't you?"

Note: the Beatles often weren't sober while making this film. They had recently discovered marijuana. This hurt their performances. Unfortunately, Richard Lester was probably sober.

In the mid-1960s, Music/TheBeatles were the hottest thing since sliced bread. The four guys from Liverpool not only topped the charts with their music, but they topped the box office with their movie ''AHardDaysNight'' in 1964. So, in 1965, they, director Richard Lester, and producer Walter Shenson got back together to make another movie for United Artists. The result was ''Help!''

Unlike its predecessor (though more like Richard Lester's non-Beatles films), ''Help!'' was a surreal and literally colorful action adventure parody and a {{homage}} to UA's most successful film series at the time, JamesBond. Its plot was ahead of its time -- real JamesBond films wouldn't be so nonsensical for another decade.

As a film, it's probably better than ''MagicalMysteryTour'', but not as good as ''[[AHardDaysNight A Hard Day's Night.]]''

* [[AccentUponTheWrongSyllable AcCENT Upon the Wrong SylLABle]]: Clang's pronunciation of "Beatle" as "be-A-tle".

--> '''Ahme''': *looks directly into the camera* "[[HeelFaceTurn I am not what I seem]]."

* WatchItStoned: Averted. The Fab Four being baked throughout the ''entire'' filming of the movie explains their weak acting performances compared to previous film ''A Hard Day's Night''.

* EveryThingsBetterOnDrugs: Averted. The Fab Four being baked throughout the ''entire'' filming of the movie explains their weak acting performances compared to previous film ''A Hard Day's Night''.

* DartboardOfHate: The opening credits -- the Beatles are on a movie clip, and the screen is the target for the cult's darts.

** This is probably the most glorious moment in the whole movie. After spending the entire time [[FunnyBackgroundEvent messing around in the background]], cheating at cards, and just sort of going with things, he [[BadAss very nonchalantly]] leaps on top of a car, rescues Ringo and pretty much wraps up the whole film.

The plot involves a cult from "the eastern country" (presumably but not definitely India) and loosely based on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuggee Thuggee]] who make sacrifices to their goddess, "Kali-li". The person to be sacrificed wears a large ring with an enormous ruby in it. Unfortunately, the cultists find out at the ceremony that the girl who was supposed to be sacrificed mailed the ring to RingoStarr, who is now wearing it. So, the cult scrambles to England to get the ring.

* FakeNationality: All the cultists from 'the East' are played by English actors (See: EvilForeigner, above). This is {{Lampshaded}} when the Beatles visit the Indian Restaurant.

* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: Clang's pronunciation of "Beatle" as "be-A-tle".

* [[AccentOnTheWrongSyllable AcCENT Upon the Wrong SylLABle]]: Clang's pronunciation of "Beatle" as "be-A-tle".

* AccentOnTheWrongSyllable: Clang's pronunciation of "Beatle" as "be-A-tle".

* AppliedPhlebotinum - The shrinking potion
* AllAnimalsAreDomesticated - The tiger that is sent to attack Ringo at the pub is actually from a zoo and won't attack Ringo if he has 'Ode to Joy' sung to him.

* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign - Clang's conversation with Bhuta on the train.
* AudienceParticipation - The film has been called "The Rocky Horror Beatles Show" at some conventions (most notably Beatlefest Chicago), where screenings are frequently interrupted by audience members counting the number of times John dials the phone and handing out sticks of Wrigley's spearmint gum during the "Paul on the Floor" segment.

* BigDamnMovie - Granted, anything with the Beatles in at the peak of their power is fairly awesome anyway, but then you throw in the British Army's tanks surrounding the band playing near Stonehenge accompanied by StuffBlowingUp, the stadium of people singing 'Ode to Joy' to calm a tiger...

* BiggerOnTheInside - The Beatles' house ''looks'' like 4 separate townhouses from the outside, but it is all one big room.

* {{BLAM Episode}}: Justified by the usage of drugs by many of the parties involved.
* BreakingTheFourthWall - When Ringo tries to escape from the tiger pit:

* BritishRoyalGuards - A small battalion of marching guardsmen [[InstantSedation immediately collapses mid-march]] after inadvertently getting hit with KnockoutGas.

* BuffySpeak - "Hey, it's a thingie! [[CrowningMomentOfFunny A fiendish thingie]]!"
* CaptainErsatz - Kaili = [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali Kali]].
* CaptionHumor - Comedic captions and intertitles abound in this.

* ClingyMacGuffin - The ring.
* ComedicSociopathy - John, most notably, but really all of them; at some point, each suggests cutting Ringo's finger off (John does so holding a steak knife and says it would be like "having a tooth out"), and George, Ringo and John's complete non-reaction when Ringo supposedly [[ItMakesSenseInContext squashes Paul]].
* CrowdSong - The Ode to Joy, in German.
* DartboardOfHate - The opening credits -- the Beatles are on a movie clip, and the screen is the target for the cult's darts.
* DeadpanSnarker - Each of the {{Beatles}}.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment - "Two lagers and lime, and two lagers and lime."
* DeusExMachina - Sort of.
* EvilForeigner
** Hilariously, the cult members are all played by English actors. The movie makes no attempt to hide this at all.
* EveryThingsBetterOnDrugs - Averted. The Fab Four being baked throughout the ''entire'' filming of the movie explains their weak acting performances compared to previous film ''A Hard Day's Night''.
* FakeNationality
* {{Fanservice}} - Probably most blatant in the "hand dryer ripping off the boys' clothes" scene.

* FriendToAllLivingThings - Algernon claims to be this.

* FridgeLogic - How does owning a ring that can't be removed from one's finger help one gain global domination? Perhaps one could argue the value of replicating the metal, but it appears that there's no way to cut it and take samples...

* HeelFaceTurn - Ahme.
* HoYay - John and Ringo

* IdiotBall
* IncredibleShrinkingMan - "The Exciting Adventure of Paul on the Floor".

* IsItSomethingYouEat - George's reaction when holding a cymbal at one point.

* LatexPerfection - How does one manage that for ''Ringo''?!
* {{MacGuffin}} - The ring.

* NoSenseOfDirection - The Beatles' Road Manager [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mal_Evans Mal Evans]], does a cameo as a swimmer who has this, looking for the White Cliffs of Dover while under some ice (in Switzerland -- [[FridgeLogic just roll with it)]] and again at the end in a BrickJoke in the Caribbean Sea.
* OldShame - John Lennon hated this film when he looked back on it. In fact, the band as a whole wasn't too fond of the end product.
* PathOfInspiration - This cult, probably.
* PerformanceVideo - It's a musical, and we get to see most of the songs performed.
* PinballProtagonist - All four Beatles for much of the film.
* PunkInTheTrunk - Ringo, courtesy of Foot and Algernon.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot -- The Beatles have admitted they more or less wanted a paid vacation, which is why they suggested some of the film's more exotic locations (The Bahamas, the Alps).

* RunningGag - "John: "Getting nowhere, are you, jeweller/mad scientist/superintendent?"
* SayMyName
* SceneryPorn -- The film does ''look'' good.
* ShoutOut -- The version of "Help!" used in the movie's opening credits and on the American soundtrack starts with a snippet of the JamesBond theme.

* TakeOverTheWorld -- The main reason the mad scientists want the ring.

* TookALevelInBadass -- George in the Bahamas. He jumps on the back of the scientists' moving car to rescue Ringo in the boot.

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight - The people in the Indian restaurant seem pretty undisturbed by the sight of a number of cultists strangling, kidnapping and replacing the staff.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse -- The gardener from George's room is not seen again after playing the flute in "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away".
* WigDressAccent
* YouNoTakeCandle

** Also, one scene takes place in an [[UsefulNotesOnIndia Indian restaurant]]; as noted above, this led to George (and countless others who followed his example) developing an interest in Eastern music, culture and religion which changed his life.

* CaptainErsatz - Kali-li = [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali Kali]].

* AppliedPhlebotinum - Several, most notably the ring itself and the shrinking potion