All This and World War II

All This and World War II
Promotional movie poster
Directed by	Susan Winslow
Produced by	Sanford Lieberson Martin J. Machat
Music by	Lennon–McCartney
Cinematography	Anthony Richmond
Edited by	Colin Berwick
Production company	Visual Programme Systems Ltd.
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	November 12, 1976 (1976-11-12)
Running time	88 min.
Language	English
Budget	$1.3 million

All This and World War II is a 1976 musical documentary that juxtaposes Beatles songs, performed by a number of musicians, with World War II newsreel footage and 20th Century Fox films from the 1940s. It lasted two weeks in cinemas and was quickly sent into storage.

Cast

The film featured clips of the Army of the Third Reich, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, Milton Berle, Humphrey Bogart, Richard Burton, Neville Chamberlain, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Clark Gable, Adolf Hitler, Bob Hope, Joseph P. Kennedy, Laurel and Hardy, James Mason, Benito Mussolini, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin and James Stewart, among others.

Production

20th Century Fox asked Susan Winslow to direct with a budget of $1.3 million. Winslow had previously participated as a researcher in the crew that produced Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (directed by Philippe Mora) which married 1930s newsreel and mostly Warner Bros. movie footage to gramophone songs of the period.

The musical director was Lou Reizner, who also produced the soundtrack album.

Although it was rumoured that Terry Gilliam turned down the offer to contribute animation to the documentary, Russ Regan, who conceived of the film, has stated that Gilliam was never asked.

Reception

Critics savaged the movie with gusto, audiences stayed away, and Fox promptly yanked the film from release. The reviewer in the New York Daily News wrote that the film's PG rating had to have stood for "Positively Ghastly". It appeared out of competition at Cannes in 1977, has occasionally been shown at film festivals, and even on American cable TV. On June 1, 2007 the film played a single midnight show at Landmark's Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles.

Distribution

The film has never been officially released on home video or DVD, but bootleg copies of the film are available from several collector-to-collector resources. A fairly high quality transfer is also available as an unofficial DVD release.

Soundtrack album

All This and World War II
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	November 5, 1976
Recorded	1974–1976
Genre	Rock
Length	98:45
Label	Riva (UK), 20th Century (U.S.)
Producer	Lou Reizner
Singles from All This and World War II
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" Released: November 18, 1974 "Get Back" Released: 1976 "We Can Work It Out" Released: November 1976 "Magical Mystery Tour" Released: 1976

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

The original intention of the filmmakers was to use actual Beatles music in the film. The decision to use other artists covering Beatles music was made by the film's producers after they realised additional money could be made through a soundtrack album. The decision was a sound one, as the soundtrack actually generated more revenue than the film.

The album reached number 23 on the UK album charts, with a total of seven weeks on the chart. Elton John’s rendition of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", when previously released as a single in 1974, had been a number one hit. Rod Stewart’s version of "Get Back" was subsequently released and became a UK hit single. Ambrosia’s cover version of "Magical Mystery Tour" was released and became a US hit single reaching #39 on the Billboard Charts.

The Bee Gees, who contributed three songs, would go on to star in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, another phenomenally unsuccessful film featuring only Beatles music.

Track listing

All songs by Lennon–McCartney.

1. "Magical Mystery Tour" – Ambrosia – 3:52
2. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" – Elton John – 6:15

   Features John Lennon (under the pseudonym "Dr. Winston O'Boogie") on lead guitar & backing vocals.

3. "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight" – The Bee Gees – 3:17
4. "I Am the Walrus" – Leo Sayer – 3:49
5. "She's Leaving Home" – Bryan Ferry – 3:07
6. "Lovely Rita" – Roy Wood – 1:13
7. "When I'm Sixty-Four" – Keith Moon – 2:36
8. "Get Back" – Rod Stewart – 4:24
9. "Let It Be" – Leo Sayer – 3:43
10. "Yesterday" – David Essex – 2:44
11. "With a Little Help from My Friends/Nowhere Man" – Jeff Lynne – 6:56
12. "Because" – Lynsey De Paul – 3:24
13. "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" – The Bee Gees – 1:54
14. "Michelle" – Richard Cocciante – 4:00
15. "We Can Work It Out" – The Four Seasons – 2:39
16. "The Fool on the Hill" – Helen Reddy – 3:37
17. "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" – Frankie Laine – 3:27
18. "Hey Jude" – The Brothers Johnson – 4:58
19. "Polythene Pam" – Roy Wood – 1:30
20. "Sun King" – The Bee Gees – 2:03
21. "Getting Better" – Status Quo – 2:19
22. "The Long and Winding Road" – Leo Sayer – 4:47
23. "Help!" – Henry Gross – 3:07
24. "Strawberry Fields Forever" – Peter Gabriel – 2:30
25. "A Day in the Life" – Frankie Valli – 4:04
26. "Come Together" – Tina Turner – 4:08
27. "You Never Give Me Your Money" – Will Malone & Lou Reizner – 3:04
28. "The End" – The London Symphony Orchestra – 2:26

Personnel

• Barry Gibb – vocals
• Robin Gibb – vocals
• Maurice Gibb – vocals
• Nicky Hopkins – piano
• Les Hurdle – bass
• Barry Morgan – drums
• Ronnie Verrell – drums
• Wil Malone – orchestral arrangement
• Harry Rabinowitz – conductor
• David Measham - conductor

See also

• List of American films of 1976
• List of artists who have covered the Beatles
• Across the Universe, a 2007 musical film that also used the concept of using Beatles songs to tell a story.
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, a 1978 movie featuring Bee Gees covers of Beatles songs
• Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?, a 1975 documentary film with a similar concept

External links

• All This and World War II at IMDb
• All This and World War II at Rotten Tomatoes