Recently, the Apple Corporation and Capitol Records released a newly restored edition of “Help” the Beatles second film. The result is a rather disappointing two disc set of a truly significant piece of musical history.

The first disc is just the barebones presentation of the movie cleaned up beautifully with a sound and video quality that ends up being breathtaking. Every frame has been perfectly restored to a version better then the original 1965 copy.

The special features on disc two are simply disappointing. One of the duller special features on the disc is an in-depth look into the restoration process. To be fair, although the video is extremely slow, the moments of seeing cuts from the original compared to the now updated version is worthwhile. Still it takes a lot of patience to sit through this one.

Over the years the Beatles have become a goldmine of historical data. Most of what they did from the time they first became big in America has been recorded on either audio or video. So with all that information just lying around, how is that most of it simply got ignored when it came time to construct the special features for the release? The Beatles themselves do not even show up except in old clips and dated voiceovers. Seriously what is Ringo doing?

This edition is more for film historians than even the average Beatle fanatic. And from that perspective the film holds up nicely. Director Richard Lester and the rest of the crew have a great time getting nostalgic but given the focus of the film it feels as if the key element is lacking.

Disc two also includes a feature described as a missing scene. Saying this is a little misleading is an understatement. For something that clocks in like 10 minutes, director Richard Lester and screenwriter Marc Behm describe what must have been a really fun scene that they had to cut from the film. It would have been nice to have actually seen the scene after all the commentary leading up to it. This may not have been entirely the producer’s fault; in the 40 years since the movie was first released any number of things might have happened to the reel. Yet, the tale is so unsettling without getting to see any footage that the tease is just plain evil.

Inside the DVD jacket is a 16-page booklet outlining the historical significance of the film. Written by Martin Scorsese most of which is reiterated within the DVDs themselves,but it is still a good read. Though this edition of the film may not live up to rather high standards of other Beatles material it has some merit. Released just in time for the holidays, “Help” is perfect for those less picky Beatles fans especially if you don’t own a copy already.

Help! is a fun spy spoof that was a worthy follow-up to A Hard Day's Night. Hardcore connoisseurs will be disappointed if they were looking for some rare nuggets that have been hidden in the archives. But fear not, these days three more editions of the film will come out in the next couple of months with enough features to satisfy everyone. All hail the power of good marketing!

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