Screenplay Written by Henry Edwards
Directed by Michael Schultz
RATED PG
One of Savage Cinema's Favorite movies?! Yes, dear readers, you did read this correctly. Yes. You. Did! And now, after nearly 40 years since its original release, I feel that it is time to just come out, loud and proud, and say it.
Director Michael Schultz's critically lambasted, box office failing musical fantasy "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," long regarded as existing as one of the very worst movies ever made, is indeed one of my favorite movies. And at this time, I firmly need you to understand that I do not love this film through any sense of irony, kitsch or as some strange guilty pleasure or through some self-conscious hate-viewing. I love this movie as honestly and as completely as I do any other film that I have loved and to this day, it still feels as a knife in the heart whenever I still read the vicious reviews and interpretations of the film, which have seemed to grow in their excessive harshness over the years.
But yes, back in 1978, what a disaster this film was. It was dead on arrival with critics as well as at the box office, quite the surprise as the film was produced by Robert Stigwood (who passed away in 2016), who was already riding extremely high upon the music and cinematic hog with his music business dealings with the likes of Cream, Blind Faith and The Bee Gees and film productions of Norman Jewison's "Jesus Christ Superstar" (1973), Ken Russell's "Tommy" (1975), John Badham's "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) and Randal Kleiser's "Grease" (1978), which I believe was the highest grossing box office movie musical of all time for 30 years, until the release of "Mamma Mia!" (2008), and incidentally, was released in the very same summer at the ill fated "Sgt. Pepper."
I saw "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at the age of 9 in the summer of 1978 during a family vacation to a reunion in Detroit, Michigan. It was a film I was desperate to see ever since I had spotted the television commercial for the film. At this point in my life, I had not yet discovered my passion and reverence for all things related to The Beatles, so they were not the draw for me at all--my love for The Beatles arrived some time after seeing the film, thanks to my Dad.
But it was also with great and endless gratitude towards my Dad that I even saw the film at all. My parents more than knew how much I had wanted to see the movie (and they also knew my disappointment when we drove directly past the theater showing "Sgt. Pepper" and landed at the one showing "Grease" instead--maybe that is what led to my still lackluster opinion of that movie, despite the glowing soundtrack album. ) Yet, while in Detroit, and on one evening when my family did decide to go to the movies, my Mom relented to take my cousin to see "Jaws 2" (1978)--no way was I going to see the man eating shark sequel--while my Dad took me to "Sgt. Pepper" in the same multiplex.
As I sat, for nearly two full hours, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" more than exceeded my every wish for what it could possibly be, and that was even considering the negative reviews I had already read from the late, great Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert back home in Chicago. It was as all consuming an experience as I have had with any of the movies that has supremely shaped my life. I was just in awe with every song, every spectacle, every sight, image and moment and by film's end, I just wanted even more or even just the chance to see it all over again (something that I was not able to do for quite a number of years afterwards).
And therefore, I was so confused as to why critics hated it so much. If it was supposed to be so bad, then, how was it that I only saw greatness? Was there something wrong with me? I didn't know. I didn't comprehend anything about the nature of personal tastes or any platitudes about the eye of the beholder or one person's garbage is another person's masterpiece. I just knew that I loved it and I became obsessed...powerfully obsessed as I just wanted that cinematic fairy dust to linger for as long as possible.
As I previously stated, at that time, I was fortunate to see the movie only one time but I kept that magic in my head and heart throughout the rest of that summer through copious listenings to the soundtrack album (on 8-track, no less and to the annoyance of many family members), Screenwriter Henry Edwards' novelization (which I completely devoured in one night), the "behind the scenes" keepsake book entitled The Official Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Scrapbook and I even purchased a complete set of trading cards!! And still, the word throughout the vast sea of pop culture entertainment from film critics to the music and entertainment press, the movie was terrible to the point of being unwatchable and soon, the film's failure nearly ended the careers of many of the principals involved, including poor Sandy Farina, who in her first film role portrayed the lovely Strawberry Fields, and afterwards, never acted in film again.
By the time fall arrived and it was time to head back to school to begin 4th grade, I just knew that I had to keep quiet about my passion for this film. The student body at my school was especially savvy and sophisticated, including areas of pop culture, so I knew that they knew the word on the street was that "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was THE movie to avoid at all costs and since I did not wish to be ostracized, I kept my feelings to myself.
And as I look back upon that time, what a shame it was to feel that way at all. That something as simple as a movie, and one that brought so much joy to me, was something I felt I had to conceal just to continue to be accepted by my peers because the larger society deemed the film to be just that unthinkable, that horrific, that horrendous.
To this day, I still cannot understand why the vitriol against this movie remains so vicious, as if the film possessed absolutely no redeeming social value whatsoever, to the point that it is a crime against humanity. Look, dear readers, I will never be able to convince you that this film is a good film. I am just saying that out of all of the movies that have been made, there is no way to express to me that this film, a film that is indeed as innocent as a fairy tale, could be terrible and as many reviews have proclaimed as being completely incoherent. Incoherent?! It made total sense to me when I first saw it and I was noting more than a child. Perhaps that is the lens in which this film should be viewed and taken in--through the spirit of a child.
Upon Sgt. Pepper's death in 1958, the beloved musician entrusted the four magical instruments of his band (a cornet, tuba, drum and saxophone) to Heartland, which would protect the city in peace and love forever. As extra support, a magical weather vane in the shape of Sgt. Pepper was erected on top of the City Hall, always pointing to signs of goodness or trouble on the horizon. Finally, Pepper's grandson Billy Shears (Peter Frampton) was further entrusted to begin a new version of the band with his best friends The Henderson brothers, Mark (Barry Gibb), Dave (Robin Gibb) and Bob (Maurice Gibb)--while Billy's jealous and money-hungry step-brother Dougie (Paul Nicholas) appointed himself as the band's manager.
Upon the band's debut performance in the town square, and under the loving eyes of Heartland Mayor (and the film's narrator) Mr. Kite (George Burns) and Billy's true love, the beautiful Strawberry Fields (Sandy Farina), the new Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heats Club Band is an instant sensation, immediately coming to the attention of the sly Los Angeles record producer/mogul B.D. Brockhurst (Donald Pleasance) who demands the band's arrival into the big city to make an album and begin a tour.
While the band is off in L.A., seduced by money, drugs, women--most notably recording stars Lucy and the Diamonds (portrayed by Dianne Steinberg and Stargard, respectively) and being put through their paces of endless recording, touring and adoring fans, danger has risen its ugly head in Heartland.
The aptly named Mean Mr. Mustard (Frankie Howerd) has arrived to corrupt Heartland through the theft of the magical instruments, which rapidly transforms the idyllic community into a vulgar playground of winos, pimps, hookers, casinos and a giant sized hamburger smack in the middle of the town square, complete with oozing globs of vinyl mustard dripping downwards.
Mustard then delivers the instruments to the increasingly evil forces of the demented Dr. Maxwell Edison (Steve Martin), the creepy brainwashing master Father Sun (Alice Cooper) and finally, the Future Villain Band otherwise known as F.V.B. (Aerosmith), all in cahoots to build a youthful fascist army designed to take over the world, while endlessly voicing their organization's soulless chant, "WE HATE LOVE! WE HATE JOY! WE LOVE MONEY!!"
And to make matters even worse, Mustard has fallen in love with Strawberry Fields and wishes to steal her away from Billy Shears for his own nefarious purposes.
From this stage, the band's adventures continue into a rescue mission to retrieve the instruments, a benefit concert featuring Earth, Wind and Fire to save Heartland and a final battle with F.V.B. during which Strawberry Fields falls to her death, sacrificing her life to save Heartland.
After the funeral, a despondent Billy then attempts to commit suicide by leaping to his own death but is then saved by the spirit of Sgt. Pepper (Billy Preston), who emerges from the magical weather vane to then further vanquish evil, literally resurrect Strawberry Fields and transform us all into the stars (albeit of the 1970's) of our dreams with a finale designed to evoke the iconic Beatles' album cover.
And they all lived happily ever after. The end.
You see? That's the movie, as told through 29 songs by The Beatles but performed by the film's stars and re-arranged and produced by the fifth Beatle himself Sir George Martin, and aside from George Burns' aforementioned narration and some occasional title cards, absolutely no dialogue whatsoever.
If you think about it, the film is essentially a live action version of the animated fantasy "Yellow Submarine" (1968) and frankly, aside from the songs and the characters that populate them, Michael Schultz's film really has nothing to do with The Beatles or the album from which this film was inspired. In fact as Robert Stigwood explained himself in the Rolling Stone magazine behind the scenes article entitled "Sgt. Pepper Taught The Band To Play," written by Ed Zuckerman and published April 20, 1978, months before the film's release, "What we're doing is enhancing and drawing a dream around those songs."
Precisely. A dream.
Michael Schultz's "Sgt" Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is a child's dream starring some of the greatest songs ever written as the soundtrack, albeit ones not performed by their originators, a quality that does indeed lend itself to the film's overall dream world aesthetic. No, it is not nearly as titanic as "Tommy," but truth be told, this was the film that superbly led me to "Tommy."
To this day, I still feel that Schultz, working alongside Cinematographer Owen Roizman, helmed a beautifully lensed film filled with vivacious colors, dazzling costumes, innovative and imaginative set designs, simple yet evocative visual effects and innovative camerawork. Then and now, I absolutely LOVED the entirety of the "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" sequence where the band first lands in L.A. and is fully taken in, and surreptitiously led, to sign the recording contracts via copious drugs, wine, and Lucy and her sexy Diamonds, within a gently suggested orgy sequence concluding with a drugged Billy Shears entangled with Lucy upon a giant revolving bed shaped like a vinyl record.
The band's rise to stardom sequence, featuring "Polythene Pam," "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," a mellow "Nowhere Man" and a vibrant reprise of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is wonderfully performed and exquisitely staged. Aerosmith's "Come Together" sequence is a perfect slice of rock and roll villainy as the band, adorned in their fascistic wardrobe, performs atop towers of coins with Strawberry Fields chained to a neon dollar sign (and it also contains a cheeky fight sequence pitting Frampton against Steven Tyler).
Alice Cooper's "Because" sequence, while brief, remains one that is just dark enough to ensure his nightmare reputation is intact. And the Heartland funeral sequence for Strawberry Fields, encased in a glass coffin and set to "Golden Slumbers" and "Carry That Weight," which is then followed by Frampton's poignant "The Long And Winding Road" and The Bee Gees' powerfully faithful "A Day In The Life" is beautifully elegant and heartbreaking indeed--never will I forget how devastated I was as that most impressionable 9 year old swept away in music and fantasy.
And you know, I would imagine that Schultz included one of the first pop culture nods to the then one year old "Star Wars" (1977) within this film and yes, there are several wildly overt and even subtle references to The Beatles' iconography in this non-Beatle film (look at the wardrobe given to Frampton and The Bee Gees during the funeral sequence and tell me that they were not inspired by The Beatles' final photo sessions). Truth be told, what Michael Schultz devised in "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," from its whimsy and frivolity, which was based as much in silent film slapstick comedies as it was with the rock opera format, seemed to owe just as much, if not a tad more to The Monkees' television show than The Beatles. Prefab Four indeed!
Maybe that was a major issue for filmgoers and music fans back in 1978, for in the world of pop culture, this film arrived a mere eight years after The Beatles' break-up, so cultural wounds were still pretty fresh and all four Beatles were still alive, and making music apart from each other. Perhaps a film like this felt like an insult, especially due to its rock opera format and the complete re-makes of the songs themselves, which often felt like a pseudo disco/MGM musical styled hybrid.
With Sir George Martin at the helm, however, I felt that the music itself was in the best of hands and the sonic quality did indeed have much more to do with the 1970's jazz fusion work with Jeff Beck (who does perform as a session musician on the soundtrack) he was producing than what he accomplished in the 1960's with The Beatles. I guess you could say that these versions possessed a studio slick Steely Dan quality rather than anything really Beatle-esque, especially with the likes of session musician greats like drummer/percussionist Bernard Purdie, guitarist Larry Carlton, keyboardist Max Middleton and drummer Jeff Pocaro to name a few.
With the involvement of musicians of this particular caliber, the Beatles' music was then able to shape sift into something different altogether--the extended "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and "Mean Mr. Mustard" are particularly dazzling--while also retaining the bulletproof magic of the compositions by John Lennon and Paul McCartney along with George Harrison's "Here Comes The Sun," performed warmly by Sandy Farina.
While Earth, Wind And Fire (who perform "Got To Get You Into My Life"), Billy Preston (who triumphantly performs "Get Back") and Aerosmith (who perform "Come Together") are the most faithful (and some would say least offensive versions), the film's stars, Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees, do perform the material with reverence and place their individualized stamps on the proceedings as Frampton played most, if not all, of the guitar solos, and The Bee Gees devised of some highly imaginative vocal harmonies and passages, including those for Mr. Mustard's slightly kinky Computerette companions.
But still, Schultz's film does have a story to tell and the songs needed to reflect the musical fantasy on display. Steve Martin's unhinged version of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," for instance, to me felt to be just right for a song a character who is indeed a homicidal psychopath. Alice Cooper's exceedingly creepy version of "Because" certainly fit his nightmarish image and gave the film itself its darkest passage. By contrast, Sandy Farina proved herself to have a rich, lovely voice, absolutely perfect for a fairy tale princess like Strawberry Fields.
Even so, I know that legions of listeners felt these film versions to being bastardizations of the iconic, timeless originals and to that there is no reason to argue, as I agree to the untouchable greatness of what The Beatles accomplished themselves. And yet, somehow I was, and am still, able to separate the movie from the originals quite easily. Perhaps it had something to do with seeing the film and hearing the soundtrack album first and then going backwards to hear where everything had originated from--sort of like reading the novel after seeing the film from which it was adapted.
Or perhaps it was the fairy tale whimsy, which may make everything feel weightless to a degree that many may have felt insulting to The Beatles' legacy. I don't know. For me, as a child and even now, the innocence of Schultz's film (despite the nods to the tame references to illicit substances and adult sexuality) is what gives the film flight instead of being empty headed in its frivolity. In fact, I think this is why the film has a heart as wide as the open skies, again, just like a fairy tale.
The entire structure of the film follows the "Once upon a time..." and "...they lived happily ever after" framework, with all manner of darkness and tragedy thrown into the middle of the film, as if our heroes are going into the deep dark woods, from the corruption of the Hollywood record industry to the gradual descent into the villains' great evil lairs and of course, Strawberry's death.
And really, what else is the romance of Billy Shears and Strawberry Fields one that is pitched at a child's fairy tale level? All we really needed to see and feel was a genuine warmth between Peter Frampton (who truly dialed down his rock star swagger in favor of small town boyish charm) and Sandy Farina (who exudes sweetness). We didn't need anything approaching "realistic," so to speak, for this is not an "adult relationship." The romance of Billy and Strawberry is an evocation of a fairy tale's version of true love, with hand holding and swinging in circles by the lake at sunset.
While Strawberry Fields may seem to be too terribly passive and the eternal damsel in distress throughout the film, I do think that she is actually the hero of the film as we see her grow from passivity to proactiveness. If not for Strawberry Fields, Billy and the Henderson brothers would never have known about Mr. Mustard's nefarious plans and takeover of Heartland. It was Strawberry who snuck out of Heartland ("She's Leaving Home") to travel to L.A. alone, wrestle Billy back from Lucy's clutches, help find and secure the magical instruments and later saves Billy's life, and Heartland, by sacrificing herself.
As for Billy Shears, Frampton's work during the funeral and near suicide sequence is quite touching as I do think he captured not just the sadness but the level of guilt he feels for Strawberry's death, as well as the guilt he feels for leaving her behind in Heartland as he and the band chased rock and roll glory plus also allowing himself to be seduced by Lucy. No, this is nothing earth shattering and no, it isn't the greatest romance to hit the silver screen. But, I bought it!! And it moved me...like a fine love song.
So...even after all of this analysis, I also cannot help but to wonder just one, final element that really cannot be ignored. The budget for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was 12 million dollars, which back in 1978, was a massive budget--especially one afforded to a Black director (reportedly the most ever allotted to a Black filmmaker at that time). Yes, dear readers, Michael Schultz is indeed African-American and at that time, he was most famous for bringing classics of Black cinema to life, from the wonderful Chicago adolescent nostalgia of the excellent "Cooley High" (1975), the day long working class, music drenched ensemble comedy "Car Wash" (1976), landmark vehicles for Richard Pryor with "Greased Lightning" (1977) and "Which Way Is Up?" (1977) and even another terrific, yet Motown produced musical fantasy, the Kung Fu dream world of "The Last Dragon" (1985).
Maybe...just maybe...there was more than a little race based resentment for this Black filmmaker "coloring outside of the lines," so to speak, in the rock music format...and The Beatles, no less! Something that would have been considered to have been unforgivable in 1978, unlike a White filmmaker taking on a Black themed musical, like the late Sidney Lumet (who was indeed married to Lena Horne) helming the all African-American cast of "The Wiz" (1978) or even Bill Condon's "Dreamgirls" (2006).
So, just think about it for just a moment...a Black filmmaker is given an amount of money he is "not supposed" to have to make a movie he is "not supposed" to make featuring music he is "not supposed" to be listening to. While I certainly do not wish to read terribly much into the failure of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," I cannot help but to not ignore that the cards were definitely stacked quite highly against Michael Schultz. Whether race played a factor into some of the initial response to the film, I will never know but I am unable to discount the possibility. As for the continued pummeling the film has received over these past 39 years, especially now in 2017, I would gather that most viewers wouldn't even know Schultz's race and frankly, I do feel that there is a level of "piggybacking" with the extreme negativity to this film because its reputation has long been set in stone.
As I stated earlier, there is no way possible that I could convince you that this is a good movie, due to its reputation. But, I am able to say the following: I have been watching movies for 39 years since first seeing "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," from all manner of film styles, genres and eras and I am well versed in the movies and what it takes to make a good movie, let alone a great one. I have had more than enough opportunities to view films that are infinitely better than Michael Schultz's film as well. More importantly, I have seen so many films over these past 39 years that are truly unwatchable. Films that are demonstrably worse in quality than any one moment in "Sgt. Pepper." And with all of that being said, and with how terrible this film is supposed to be...it still has endured the test of time!!
Michael Schultz's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," for all of its detractors, has withstood nearly 40 years of cinema and criticism and people are still watching and discovering it, where so many of this film's contemporaries have vanished into the ether of time. For Pete's sakes, the film has even been issued to the Blu-Ray format and has also been included within the Netflix catalog as well! It has not been forgotten or lambasted into oblivion. It still exists, and for me, I cannot help t feel a little bit of vindication--perhaps...possibly...maybe...I was not the only person in the world who fell in love with this movie after all.
Dear readers, this posting arrives to you as honestly as everything else that I have written upon Savage Cinema since its inception. I love this film. So very much. So very truly. What has inspired this posting is the fact that I re-watched the film nearly two weeks ago, after not having seen it in many years. And still, my reaction remains one of great positivity, of happiness and enjoyment, of a splendid time guaranteed and fully received.
I found myself reaching for my copy of the movie as the events of 2017 were becoming too overwhelming to digest. The President and his endless lies, narcissism, cruelty and stupidity. The threat of nuclear war with North Korea. The sight of neo Nazis marching in the streets during broad daylight. I could go on but why bother? The times that we are living through are more than terrifying. And so, very late one night, something told me to head into my basement and pluck this movie from my shelves...and I did as internally suggested. I placed it into my DVD player, began watching and just like that, I was 9 years old again. Not courtesy of nostalgia. Just solely due to a musical fantasy of the utmost innocence and joy that I could forget the troubles, the worries, and the uncertainty to just have a cinematic bedtime story told to me again.
And if that ability is not the quality of a great film, regardless of what anyone else even thinks about it, then I do not know what is. Michael Schultz's "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is a film that makes me feel happy. Then. Now. And I am certain, for always.
