History Film / Help

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* ExcitedShowTitle: Out of necessity, since the title "Help" was already taken.

* AffectionateParody: Of the Franchise/JamesBond films.

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

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: The film is sometimes erroneously taken to be an example of this trope, because it features the goddess Kaili which is "obviously" a misspelling of Kali. However, according to the DVD commentary, this was done deliberately to avoid UnfortunateImplications; they wanted a goddess who sounded like Kali without actually being her.

* NiceHat: The Beatles have them during the "Ticket To Ride" scene. John and Ringo wear Breton caps, George wears a top hat, and Paul wears a beanie.

* NonActorVehicle

-->'''Bhuta:''' Pardon me, sir. That's a very fascinating ring you've got there. Unless I'm mistaken, is it...?

-->'''Paul:''' Say no more.

-->'''George:''' Not a bit like Cagney.

-->''Algernon (when walking):''"I am now moving my left leg....I am now moving my right leg...."

* {{Corpsing}}:
** When the Eastern cult members are breaking into the Beatles' home, John hits one of them with a telephone, saying "Oh, sorry, I hit him..."
** In the "Another Girl" scene, Paul pretends to play bass by using a girl. While "strumming", [[ThanksForTheMammaries his hand briefly skims her top]], and he visibly chuckles.

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

* SimSimSalabim: The country of the "Easterners".

* LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition: The film was released in a special collectors' edition (costing £50 as opposed to £15 for the standard edition) which came in an A4 (210mm*297mm)*50mm box; for that extra £35 one got reproductions of the lobby cards, publicity posters and shooting script, plus a "Making Of" book.

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Secondary villains Foot and Algernon, a somewhat bumbling mad scientist and his assistant who are out to get the sacrificial ring in order to Take Over The World... [[StepThreeProfit somehow]].

JustForFun/NotToBeConfusedWith ''Film/TheHelp'' or with ''Film/Help2021''.

JustForFun/NotToBeConfusedWith ''Film/TheHelp''.

** The version of "Help!" used in the movie's opening credits and on the American soundtrack starts with a snippet of the ''Film/JamesBond'' theme; in the film itself, a parody of said theme plays as Clang and his cult prepare to pursue the Beatles in their car. In another scene, Bhuta distracts a chef by imitating [[Film/{{Goldfinger}} Oddjob's hat toss attack.]]

The plot involves a cult from "the eastern country" (presumably but not definitely UsefulNotes/{{India}} and loosely based on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuggee Thuggee]]) who make sacrifices to their goddess, "Kaili". 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 Music/RingoStarr, who is now wearing it. So, the cult scrambles to England to get the ring.

The problem is, nobody can get the ring off Ringo. Thus, the deadline for the ring going to its original sacrifice passes, and Ringo is now the official sacrifice for the cult. In their attempts to get the ring off Ringo, the Beatles approach two mad scientists. The mad scientists fail to get it off, and the Beatles cease co-operating with them. By this point, the scientists have decided that it's their ticket to world domination. This leads to a chase which leads the Fab Four and both sets of their pursuers to the Austrian Alps, Salisbury Plain (near Stonehenge), Buckingham Palace and The Bahamas.

* 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 'Music/OdeToJoy' sung to him.

* 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. (As mentioned above, they were usually stoned, to the point that many times they disregarded memorizing the script at all).
* BadHumorTruck: The Eastern death cult tails Ringo in a "Yippee! It's Mister Whippy!" ice-cream van. As thugs exit from the truck, one is eating a cone.

** About halfway through the film the scientists' bomb goes off and breaks a hole in an ice rink, with a cross-channel swimmer emerging from beneath and asking the way to the White Cliffs of Dover. He can be seen at the end emerging on a beach in the Bahamas and being redirected again by the Beatles.

* CreativeClosingCredits: During the end credits, a many-faceted gem filters the cast members into multiple images as they file past - on the soundtrack "The Barber of Seville" overture plays as The Beatles hum, laugh, and talk over it.
* CrowdSong: The ''Ode to Joy'' from Music/LudwigVanBeethoven's Ninth Symphony, in German.

* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Paul heard the melody of "Yesterday" in a dream. At first he thought it was an existing song, but it turned out he thought it up himself, so he recorded it, become the most often covered song in human existence.

* DeusExMachina: Sort of.

* ThemeTuneCameo: Clang and his thugs attempt to ambush The Beatles in an Indian restaurant, first nabbing the house musicians and replacing them, playing an instrumental medley of tunes from ''A Hard Day's Night'' on Eastern instruments.

* PhoneBooth: The cult calls the Beatles in Scotland Yard from a phone booth across the street - several of them are jammed inside playing instruments as the leader hypnotically chants "Go-o-o to the ''window!''...Go-o-o to the ''window!''"

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", a song InTheStyleOf Music/BobDylan addressing homosexuality.
** When the record producer asks "Boys, are you [[AddledAddict buzzing]]?" John answers "No thanks, I've [[DrunkDriver got the car]]."

** The naked Paul from "The Exciting Adventure of Paul On The Floor".

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

* FrickinLaserBeams: Algernon has Foot turn a laser on the Beatles...but seconds later a fuse blows. The flunky stammers "...wrong plug. Just give me five minutes..."

* IdenticalLookingAsians: Inverted when Swami Clang can't tell the Beatles apart: "They look all the same in their similarity and language!"

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: The film is sometimes erroneously taken to be an example of this trope, because it features the goddess Kaili which is "obviously" a misspelling of Kali. However, according to the DVDCommentary, this was done deliberately to avoid UnfortunateImplications; they wanted a goddess who sounded like Kali without actually being her.

* BuffySpeak: "Hey, it's a thingie! [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments A fiendish thingie]]!"

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: John's line, "No doubt about it, we're risking our lives to preserve a useless member!" (In context, it's about Ringo's ''ring finger'', which isn't necessary to his drumming but which he refuses to part with; taken with the RunningGag of [[StuckInTheirShadow Ringo's reputation]], it sounds as if the line is meant to refer to Ringo himself as the useless member of the band.)

-->'''George''': They're talking about your finger, you know.