by Dave Haber

I was not surprised to learn, when I looked it up, that we've passed the 10th anniversary of the DVD (the first DVD was released in November, 1996 in Japan and March, 1997 in the US). I was slightly surprised, however, when I noticed last night that my copy of the original DVD release of Help! by MPI Home Video (not to be confused with Paul McCartney's company, MPL), which has been out of print for many years, was dated 1997 as well. So, I guess the film was due for its second generation DVD makeover.

The film has undergone complete picture restoration. It looks better than great, but frankly, I was not "wowed" by the new picture (perhaps it looks better on a high-def screen). While I never thought the original MPI transfer looked bad, the new DVD from Apple is definitely much better.

More importantly, picturewise, the new DVD is the first home video release of the movie in its original 16:9 theatrical format. The original MPI transfer was an open matte transfer, resulting in a 4:3 image that is cut off on the left and right sides of the image, and contains parts of the image on the top and bottom of the screen that the director didn't intend for you to see.

Here's a comparison of two frames from the MPI release and their corresponding frames from the Apple restoration: (Click on the images to see bigger versions.)

As you can see, in the pub scene, in the MPI version, a small amount of the left and right of the scene are missing, and a lot of boring area above the clock and below the bar is included. Similarly, in the Scotland Yard scene, more of the top of the room and the Inspector's desk can be seen, while the original theatrical 16:9 view focuses much better on the characters. These may sound like small differences, but once again, for the first time, we are seeing the picture the way Richard Lester intended us to see it.

(By the way, the new restored picture looks better than my computer screen captures make it look.)

The extras on Disc 2 includes an extensive feature on the restoration of the movie, but I was surprised it only talks about the restoration of the picture, and doesn't mention the sound.

For me, the best part of the new DVD is the new 5.1 soundtrack. The original MPI contained a restored soundtrack, but that consisted of the film's original mono soundtrack with the Beatles songs replaced in stereo, and they did an adequate job.

However, compared to the MPI release, the soundtrack on the Apple Help! DVD jumps out at you, it's wonderfully vibrant and alive. In addition, it contains all of the incidental score by Ken Thorne in stereo as well. Here is a comparison of two sound clips from the same scene in both versions:

Help! Soundtrack - MPI Release (:51 excerpt)
Help! Soundtrack - Apple Release (:51 excerpt)

Perhaps the best part, for me, is the closing credits, finally in stereo for the first time. (I won't include that here, you'll have to hear it for yourself!)

Unfortunately, the new DVD does not contain the original Spanish and French soundtracks that the MPI release included. While poor quality (especially the Spanish one), they are a historical record of what the Beatles movies sounded like to fans in other countries, and were fun to listen to. For example, can you identify this scene, and who's talking?

Help! MPI Release - Spanish Soundtrack (:09 excerpt)

So, while the restored picture didn't "blow me away", I think this new release of Help! is definitely a must-have for any serious Beatles fan. You can't not have fun while watching it! For the techie fan, like myself, the differences between this and the original MPI release definitely justify having this new DVD in your library, even if you own the original!

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