Customer Reviews

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [VHS]

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

The first time I had seen this film was the summer of 1978. I was 7 years old, really into the music of The Beatles and had to see this movie. This film was not a tribute to The Beatles, nor did the actual members of the group have anything to do with the movie. It was a fantasy film about the fictitious characters that The Beatles used in their songs off the "Sgt. Pepper" and "Abbey Road" albums.

The story takes place in the make-believe town of Heartland where we are introduced to the original Sgt. Pepper and his Lonely Hearts Club Band. Twenty years after Sgt. Pepper dies, his grandson Billy Shears (Peter Frampton) decides to form a new Lonely Hearts Club Band with his friends, the Henderson Brothers (The Bee Gees). The film continues with the success of the Lonely Hearts Club Band, the problems the citizens are having in Heartland with Mean Mr. Mustard (Frankie Howard) taking over the town and the Lonely Hearts Club Band helping Strawberry Fields (Sandy Farina) recover Sgt. Pepper's instruments that Mean Mr. Mustard stole. They encounter many obstacles and hardships, but in the end, evil is overcome and everyone is happy.

This film was not well received when it was released in 1978. Actually, everyone, including the critics and the public, hated the movie. The film was produced by Robert Stigwood (of 'Grease' and 'Saturday Night Fever' fame) and executive produced by Dee Anthony. Stigwood wanted to make his name associated with modern day musicals and had sunk 12 million dollars into "Sgt. Pepper." He approached the project with a lot of enthusiasm and publicity. When it was released, it was a big let down in the eyes of the critics and adults (who were teenagers when the original "Sgt. Pepper" was released) who went to see the movie. According to Paul Nelson of 'Rolling Stone' magazine (October 5, 1978) "...Stigwood and Anthony not only produced one of the worst movies ever made, but also managed to trash whatever rock and roll reputations such seventies artists as Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees..." Two reasons for the dislike of the film is the fact that no one spoke during the duration of the film (except for the narration done by the late George Burns who played Mr. Kite) and old Beatle songs were redone by popular seventies artists. The run of the film in some cities was "...so short...that those who were lucky enough to blink may have missed it," according to 'Rolling Stone' magazine (October 5, 1978). I have never read a review on this movie from a critic who actually liked it. Only myself, my friends and my parents seemed to like this movie.

While watching this movie and reading so many bad reviews about it, I still liked it and thought it was done creatively. Musicals usually have dialogue with the songs to help move the plot along. In this musical, the only spoken words are the late George Burns' narration of the storyline. The Beatles' songs and the plot are intertwined and that's what tells and moves the story along. The songs communicate to the audience whether a character was good ("Strawberry Fields Forever") or bad ("Mean Mr. Mustard"), it emphasizes what is happening in the scene ("She's Leaving Home"), how a person feels for another one ("I Want You, She's So Heavy"). The songs also show feelings of cheerfulness ("Good Morning, Good Morning") and sadness ("Golden Slumbers" and "Carry That Weight"). What a way of putting a movie together by telling a story through musical dialogue! I don't agree with the statement made by 'Rolling Stone' magazine that "...Sgt. Pepper is better on vinyl than it was on film." I thought that for remaking some of the Beatles' classic songs, these artists did a good job. Some that I find particularly good are Aerosmith's "Come Together" and Earth, Wind and Fire's "Got To Get You Into My Life." The finale tops off the film with the entire cast and many other superstars such as Tina Turner, Bonnie Raitt, and Robert Palmer singing the reprise of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

I saw this movie for the first time on television when i was very young - maybe 10? I've always remembered the movie - and I am the only person I know who did. Even my mother, who bought the album for me way back when, didn't remember it. That is, until my obsession with proving its existence brought me to buying both the VHS and CD. This movie is pure camp. I view it as a spoof on other musicals, melodrama, and the overabundance of "good versus evil" provided by the contemporary Star Wars (the battle between Billy Shears and Maxwell Edison is simply lovely). As a bonus, the Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, Sandy Farina, and Frankie Howerd all do renditions of classic Beatles' tunes which are to be judged separately from the originals. No one will ever sing "Lucy" like the Beatles - but in the context of the movie, Diane Sternberg does an exceptional job that is independent of the classic. Aerosmith's "Come Together" actually can hold its own with the original. Personally, I think the movie is worth watching simply for George Burns' softshoe version of "Fixin' a Hole" - well, that and seeing Peter Frampton in that oh-so-sexy silver disco suit. It's time to "Get Back" to movies that are just plain fun, and Sgt. Pepper is a great starting point.

When I was really young (like nine), I used to LOVE this flick. Today I have watched it as a grown man.

Wow.

Sometimes you forget just how much times have changed, and then something comes along and smacks you upside the head like a two-iron and reminds you. Movies like this used to fly.

Incredible.

It makes me want to watch "Shields and Darnell" reruns. Or "That's Incredible".

This film TOTALLY encapsulates the weird transition-phase that pop-culture went through as it kissed the seventies goodbye and leaped into the eighties. Everything is SO colorful, everyonoe looks SO innocent. Peter Frampton is dancing around in a sweet pair of white overalls with his name on them.

Twisted man, really out there. This film really helps you understand where the punk movement came from.

I don't know that this film has any redeeming qualities as an actual film, but as a study of late-disco era white culture, it is priceless.

If there was ever a movie that deserved a golden turkey, it was this one. Horribly conceived, garish, acting with the consistency of several small trees and musical numbers so literal that it could have been dreamt up by a high school drama club, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is so cheesy that it effectively derailed the RSO Movie organization, who were looking at this as the latest blockbuster following "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease." (Not too mention the lucrative best selling soundtracks and cross promotions.)

I am sure that everyone knows the history of this 1978 Technicolor gag fest, so there is no need to bore you with the details. But what needs to be stated is why I bought it almost as soon as It finally made its DVD debut. Beyond mere nostalgia, there is the goofiness of it all. Where else could you see Peter Frampton and Steve Martin square off in a Star Wars battle parody? And the peculiar shtick of allowing only George Burns the only speaking part? (That could be stretched; between Burns, Donald Pleasance and Frankie Howard, they might share a full octave between them, and they ALL sing.)

And speaking of the songs, most are carried off dutifully. Frampton and the Bee Gees were at their peaks; Robin Gibb's "Oh Darling" is a standout. The two groups that brought in outside producers, Aerosmith and Earth Wind and Fire, are the ones that fair the best. Aerosmith had Jack Douglas work their version of "Come Together" into a perfect rock sleaze concoction and EW&F self produced "Got To Get You Into My Life" with their customary flair.

So get this at your own peril. It rates with the same kind of goofy fun that makes me own "Can't Stop The Music" and "Rock and Roll High School."

I had not watched this film in like 28 years, but I remembered seeing it as a kid and liking it, so I bought the DVD last week. And I am very happy I did. The music and performances can still lift my soul as if it were only yesterday. The audience can easily feel the love and friendship between the characters. If you come away from the movie without having your heart strings tugged on, then I think you should follow the advice of "...get back to where you once belonged..." and remember what it was like to be young.

Beatles' purists hate this film. Why? One, the Beatles do not perform in any of the songs. Two, the Beatles do not appear in any of the scenes. And three, this film is not surreal enough for Beatles' films/music videos enthusiasts. Actually, I remember being shocked after seeing the film in 1978 when my sister told me that all of the songs were remakes of Beatles' music. To my generation, the Beatles were a bit frightful. Of course we enjoyed their music, but at the time the Beatles were in their hippie phase, and hippies were scary to us. For example, you might go to the supermarket with your mommy and there would be a group of people who hadn't bathed all week, with bad breath and long hair, flashing you the peace sign. And then you would see similar people on TV yelling, screaming, and shaking their fists. It was a scary time to grow up in. Vietnam. Nixon. The oil crisis. The nation felt like it was falling apart. I think that's why there was such a rejection of this failed era, a backlash of normalcy in the 80s, by my generation. The only reason anything in that era is embraced now is because young people have no idea how terrible that time was.

This film is one of the better things to come out of that time.

aw, c'mon, this movie was never trying to be 'crash'. it's a total flashback to everything fun and funky about the era. flashy costumes, tons of rare performances, and creatively produced music and visuals by the best in the business at the time, ensure there is something for everyone. so few films manage to capture both the naivete and the darkness of those times. i think the greatest thing about this movie is that everyone looks like they're having fun. must have been a blast to be on this set! i thoroughly enjoyed watching it with my teen daughter-- totally amused, entertained and remembering how exciting it all was on the big screen. let your cares fly and enjoy this glittery romp through a fantastical decade.

I think this movie gets a bum rap. It was never meant to be a serious movie, nor was it meant to be in any way about the Beatles or their music. It was simply a funny, imaginative fairy tale told using the music of one of the best pop groups of all time (the Beatles); and performed by another of the best pop groups of all time (the Bee Gees). Is it "Citizen Kane"? Of course not! But it's a lot more imaginative than some movies that were big hits. And the Bee Gees make it very easy on the eyes and ears!

When this movie first came out I was a young teenager and a huge fan of: the Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, Earth Wind & Fire, Aerosmith and Steve Martin. I used my allowance to see this movie over and over - I couldn't get enough of it. The story was corny, but the musical performances were fantastic! It was so cool to see my favorites all in the same movie!
I was never really a fan of the Beatles. I didn't like their sound and didn't appreciate their music. This movie was my first real exposure to Beatle's music. I later learned that all the songs in the movie were actually remakes. When I finally heard the Beatles' original versions of these songs, I realized that I actually liked the versions in this movie much better than the originals by the Fab Four!
Once in a while I'll hear Aerosmith's "Come Together" or Earth, Wind & Fire's "Gotta Get You Into My Life" on the radio and I love it, because those versions came from this movie!

I loved this movie as a kid and love having it on DVD....that's what the 4-stars are for. The fifth star is missing because I don't want people who've never seen the movie to get the impression that I'm saying it's a block-buster of a movie. In truth, it's pretty darn cheezy...but it's fun to see a young George Burns, Steve Martin, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Frampton, Sandy Farina, and the Bee-Gees. I also think it's cool the way the movie is basically the entire Bee-Gee's version of the Beetles Sgt. Pepper hits (and others) put to music, all 4 sides of the 2-record album and, I believe, in order. Oh, and I'll admit it, I like the Bee-Gees.

When it came out in theatres I think I saw it about a million times. Of course then it cost about 50 cents to see a movie. It was so much fun, and the music is wonderful. I agree with one review that mentioned how it takes you back to a time when things were so much more simple. Don't get this movie if you are one of those that likes to rip every single aspect of a movie apart. This movie has no great drama or acting, it's just fun and it has some really great Beatles remakes in it.