The Yellow Submarine (London Pavilion) is a rather pretentious piece of popular entertainment. Its nominal stars are the Beatles, but – except for a shatteringly effective minute at the end of the film – we never see them, only rather inept cartoon caricatures instead. The backgrounds against which their non-story evolves are, however, brilliantly chic, constituting not an anthology but a veritable roll-call – one might almost say a pillage – of every contemporary artist: Hockney, Lichtenstein, Oldenburg, Blake – you name him, and he’s there. Also present are the European cartoonists –Lenica, Borowcyck, and the lot. Not surprisingly, the nicest moment in the film is when director George Dunning is allowed, or allows himself, to take a hand in the designing, and his smearily waltzing couples in the Lucy in the Sky number are charming.
The film actually looks as if everybody got together, decided which Beatles songs they were going to use, and wrote the film around them. It might have worked in live-action where the charm of their presence would have pulled it off; in cartoon form, it soon begins to pall. Still, it’s nice to hear the songs, and if you want a refresher course in modern graphics, do drop in.
Beatles’ stalls fans rave but back row silent
By Adam Raphael
7 August 1968
“Smashing” … “I like the songs, who cares about a story” … “Came in halfway through but it was great”… “Them critics, they’re a bunch of creeps …”
Rank’s decision to withdraw the Beatles’ 90-minute cartoon film The Yellow Submarine from half the cinemas in its chain because of unfavourable pre-release audience reactions struck no chords with the fans in the four bobs at the Holloway Odeon in north London yesterday. The audience, 90% under 16, dotted with a few shopping mums with toddlers asleep in their arms, whistled the tunes, joined in the gags, and generally seemed to enjoy themselves.
“Ravi Shankar who’s he?” replied one pop corn chewing 12-year-old, “I don’t know about him but it was a rave.” Upstairs, in the pricey six bob seats, there were empty rows and the atmosphere was definitely cooler, apart from one mutually engrossed courting couple. By the time Ringo, Paul, John, and George had belted out All you need is Love for the umpteenth time they had got that message, at least.
Mr Harvey Marriner, the Holloway Odeon’s assistant manager, seemed a bit dazed at the turn of events. “I thought we were lumbered with real bad business when I first saw it. I mean it’s rubbish isn’t it? But the phone has been ringing all morning with people wanting to know if it is still on. We’re getting all the children in. With this publicity, it looks like we’re on to a good thing.”
At Rank’s headquarters in Belgravia, they were less sure. “There are no surprises in the film business,” said a spokesman wearily. “It’s not a flop but some of the results at the pre-release theatres were frankly disappointing. It’s just a commercial decision.” United Artists, the company distributing The Yellow Submarine said they were “absolutely astonished” at Rank’s decision. It pointed out that at the London Pavilion, where the film opened less than three weeks ago, audiences had already paid more than £20,000 to see it and business was continuing to be excellent.