Magical Mystery Tour

Beatles fans are urged to curl up and enjoy the return of this 1967 film about a bunch of eccentric characters who join the Fab Four on a bus tour through the English countryside. Thanks to the extraordinary digital restoration in this new edition, the production's psychedelic hues boast a deep vibrancy that was absent from earlier grainy circulating prints. Indeed, the reworking is so crisp and sharp that the swirl of colors in the “Flying” and “Your Mother Should Know” sequences are startling, and the boldly intricate patterns decorating the group's jackets for “I Am the Walrus” and eerie camera effects in “Blue Jay Way” have never looked so distinctive. Nevertheless, Magical Mystery Tour remains the Beatles' weakest film, and the band's insouciant charm barely hides the self-indulgent nature of this often poorly conceived romp, which the Beatles directed themselves, along with Bernard Knowles. Extras include audio commentary by Paul McCartney, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and outtakes, as well as three intriguing deleted sequences—two interludes centered on comic supporting actors Ivor Cutler and Nat Jackley, and a musical number featuring the band Traffic. Recommended, overall. (P. Hall)