Libre: Yesterday

THERE is no argument that The Beatles made a tremendous impact on modern music and pop culture. Prior to the Fab Four’s appearance in “The Ed Sullivan Show,” the charts were ruled by performers who interpreted music written by hired songwriters. When John, Paul, Ringo and George burst into the scene, it was like a Pandora’s Box was opened, with many other combos (as they were called then) trying to imitate the sound of The Beatles. But most couldn’t cope as the boys from Liverpool transitioned from rock n’ roll disciples (with “Twist and Shout” and “I Saw Her Standing There”) to trendsetters as they experimented with Indian music, metal sound and orchestral arrangements. If the Beatles did not exist, we would never have had such rock classics as “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Across the Universe” and “Hey Jude.”

This was the premise of the jukebox musical, “Yesterday,” directed by Danny Boyle who also did “Slumdog Millionaire,” a beautiful and thought-provoking movie. The protagonist, Jack Malik (played by Himesh Patel), a singer-songwriter who is about to give up his hopeless music career, is hit by a bus, just as a global blackout occurs that erases any memory of The Beatles. When he recovers, he realizes that he is the only one who remembers most of the songs of the Fab Four. He soon becomes a sensation leaving behind his manager (and girlfriend) Ellie (played by Lily James) in favor of a mega-deal with a major record label.

Jack realizes that the road to stardom is complicated and he struggles with truth on plagiarizing the Beatles catalog. He tries hard to provide back stories to some of the songs by visiting Strawberry Field, Penny Lane and the grave of Eleanor Rigby, all in Liverpool. Writer Richard Curtis weaves an emotional ride of a story and brilliantly addresses the dilemma of Jack with a respectful homage to John Lennon, the most interesting and controversial member of the Beatles. In the fictional world, we find a 78-year-old Lennon who lives a peaceful life in his humble seaside abode. He was not a Beatle, nor did he become the poster boy of counter-culture, nor was he murdered in New York. Yet, old Lennon tells of fighting for what he believed in, and speaks words of wisdom. He advises Jack to “tell the truth to everyone you know.” The embrace of the two men, I say, was the highlight of the film.

Though the producers spent $10 million to use 17 Beatles songs, these were not featured unnecessarily. The perfectly timed songs were “Yesterday,” “Long and Winding Road” and “Help.”

This is one film I’d bunch together with the rest of my favorite “feel good” movies: “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “Forrest Gump,” “The Truman Show” and “Jerry Maguire.”

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph