Film review/ Midas Man

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Film review/ Midas Man

Director: Joe Stephenson 

Cast; Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Jonah Lees, Blake Richardson, Darci Shaw, Emily Watson 

Rating: ***

The recent Red Lorry Film Festival organised by BookMyShow at the PVR Maison and Inox in Bandra Kurla Complex had two films of interest to Beatles fans. I missed One To One: John & Yoko, which I hope to catch when it's out in theatres in April.

There was little hype about the other film Midas Man. The movie aroused my interest only after a casual glance of the synopses of films slotted, while I was deciding which ones to watch. It only mentioned this film was about Brian Epstein, without getting into detail.

Epstein was a legend in his own right, having managed the Beatles from 1961 till his premature death from an overdose on August 27 1967. In fact, he was the man behind the great band's mop-tops look, their first record deals, their introduction to George Martin of their label Parlophone and the brain behind their successful debut US tour and appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Sadly enough, only four of us watched the film from different corners of the luxurious Screen 2 at Inox. Nobody probably had a clue whether the other three were Beatles fans. Who knows, the title Midas Man may have made some think it was about some gold treasure hunt.

In reality, the film is all about the early years of the Beatles. While Epstein is played by Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, a bunch of young actors played John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, earlier drummer Pete Best and his replacement Ringo Starr. 

The film, directed by Joe Stephenson after the earlier team of filmmakers quit, works on two contrasting levels. As a biopic of Epstein, it definitely brings out his belief in the band, as he tells everyone they will be bigger than Elvis Presley. It talks of his Liverpudian origins, his passion for spotting talent, his business acumen, his strained relationship with his father and his homosexuality. Considering there hasn't been too much material about him, both visual and literary, this is a fairly informative  account of his career.

Where the film fails - miserably at that - is in the soundtrack. For copyright reasons, the famous Beatles songs haven't been used. They have used 'My Bonnie', 'Besame Mucho' and 'Please Mr Postman' in live performance, but these were cover versions. There are only a few spoken references, like the song 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' and the album Revolver. So if you're thinking of walking out of the hall with a Beatles earworm, that won't happen, moreso because the end credits feature the Gerry & The Pacemakers song 'You'll Never Walk Alone".

Yet there are the nostalgia moments. Epstein, who hails from a family in the furniture business, gets into music retail by running the NEMS outlet. He spots the Beatles at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, after their famous Hamburg stint. At that point, Pete Best was the drummer. Epstein approaches them with the promise that nobody else will work harder over their growth. Lennon quips, "We are a rock n' roll band, not a church choir."

Epstein approaches various labels including Decca Records and Columbia before going to Parlophone. Its head George Martin feels a few changes were needed if he had to sign them. McCartney was fine, but Lennon needed to work on his higher notes. Harrison's rhythm guitars were great but his lead solos needed more fire. And finally, they needed a new drummer as Pete Best didn't fit in with this sound. The scene where Epstein tells Best he had to find another option is touching.

Once they establish themselves in the UK, Epstein thinks it's time for them to head to the US. There is a brief reference of Beatlemania but that's something covered in various documentaries. There is also the famous Lennon quote, "Those in the cheaper seats clap your hands, the rest may rattle your jewellery", besides the controversy he created by his Jesus remark.

Though Epstein was primarily associated with the Beatles, the film mentions other acts he managed, like Gerry & The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, the Fourmost and Cilla Black. What's not mentioned is that he managed the Moody Blues for a year, even before they released their iconic 1967 album Days Of Future Passed.

One thing in the film's favour is the casting. Jonah Lees, Leo Harvey-Elledge and Campbell Wallace look and talk like Lennon, Harrison and Starr. Blake Richardson doesn't resemble McCartney too much but puts in a spirited performance. Darci Shaw has a cameo as singer Cilla Black, Ed Speeleers plays Epstein's homosexual partner Tex and Emily Watson is fabulous as Epstein's mother. Also convincing are Charley Palmer Rothwell as George Martin and Adam Lawrence as Pete Best. No big stars, but an ensemble cast that does its job well. And a brief guest appearance by Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan.

In the end, Fortune-Lloyd does a fantastic job as Epstein. The way he handles the band and how he is shattered by financial loss at one stage are enacted with elan. Epstein had his own part in Beatles history, described by McCartney as the fifth Beatles (a title also given by others to Martin and Best). This film is a good reminder of the manager's contribution. One only wishes it had the songs to make people sing along, like they sang Bob Dylan numbers at screenings of A Complete Unknown. In this case, four complete unknowns walked out of the hall, totally unconcerned about what the others thought of Midas Man, humming 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.