Magical Mystery Tour (film)

Magical Mystery Tour
The 1988 VHS release cover art
Written by	John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Starr
Directed by	John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Starr Bernard Knowles (uncredited)
Starring	John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Starr Jessie Robins Vivian Stanshall Mal Evans Ivor Cutler Derek Royle Victor Spinetti Miranda Forbes
Narrated by	John Lennon
Composer(s)	The Beatles Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band Shirley Evans (accordionist)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Starr Gavrik Losey Dennis O'Dell
Cinematography	Daniel Lacambre Richard Starkey M.B.E.
Editor(s)	Roy Benson
Running time	52 minutes
Production company(s)	Apple Corps BBC
Distributor	New Line Cinema (US)
Release
Original network	BBC1
Original release	26 December 1967 (1967-12-26)

Magical Mystery Tour is a 52-minute-long British surreal comedy television film starring the Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) which originally aired on BBC1 on Boxing Day, 26 December 1967. Upon its initial showing, the film was poorly received by critics and audiences. The film received an American theatrical release in 1974 by New Line Cinema, and in select theatres worldwide in 2012 by Apple Films.

The situation is that of a group of people on a British mystery tour in a 1967 coach, focusing mostly on Mr Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr) and his recently widowed Aunt Jessie (Jessie Robins). Other group members on the bus include the tour director, Jolly Jimmy Johnson (Derek Royle); the tour hostess, Miss Wendy Winters (Miranda Forbes, credited as Mandy Weet); the conductor, Buster Bloodvessel (Ivor Cutler); and the other Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison).

During the course of the tour, "strange things begin to happen" at the whim of "four or five magicians", four of whom are played by the Beatles themselves and the fifth by the band's long-time road manager Mal Evans.

During the journey, Ringo and his Aunt Jessie argue continually. Aunt Jessie begins to have daydreams of falling in love with Buster Bloodvessel, who displays increasingly eccentric and disturbing behaviour. The tour involves several strange activities, such as an impromptu race in which each of the passengers employs a different mode of transportation (some run, a few jump into cars, a group of people have a long bike they pedal, while Ringo ends up beating them all with the bus). In one scene, the tour group walk through what appears to be a British Army recruitment office and are greeted by the army drill sergeant (Victor Spinetti). (McCartney appears briefly as "Major McCartney", on whose desk rests a sign reading "I you WAS".) The sergeant, shouting incomprehensibly, appears to instruct the assembled onlookers on how to attack a stuffed cow.