Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 11, 2017

On the Mount Rushmore of glitter-thwacked, cocaine-dusted cinematic camp from the late 1970s and early ‘80s, there’s “Xanadu,” “Can’t Stop the Music,” “The Apple,” and 1978’s “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” I’m sure the production marched into battle with a sincerity, striving to redefine an iconic album from The Beatles for a new generation, offering a loose narrative and legendary tunes to The Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, Aerosmith, Billy Preston, Alice Cooper, Steve Martin, and a host of additional musicians and comedians. Assuming the jukebox musical form, “Sgt. Pepper” means to be a good time with familiar music, but producer Robert Stigwood can’t help himself, with the feature bizarre and excessive; it’s an iffy idea that’s out of control, endeavoring to define classics, but ending up a garish curiosity. However, it’s no trainwreck, boasting many fine production achievements during its presumptuous run time. It’s an easy film to dismiss, and perhaps it should be, but director Michael Schultz is after something memorable, doing his best to marry classic Hollywood spectacle to the soft rock sounds of the 1970s.

In the homey realm of Heartland, U.S.A., the great Sgt. Pepper brought joy to all with his Lonely Heart Club Band, using special instruments to bring peace to the world. His legacy continues with Billy (Peter Frampton), Mark (Barry Gibb), Dave (Robin Gibb), Bob (Maurice Gibb), and their manager, Dougie (Paul Nicholas), who wow the locals with their songs. Hoping to sign the band is B.D. (Donald Pleasance), the owner of Big Deal Records, and a man who gets what he wants, tempting the Midwestern boys with drink and women, including lethal weapon, Lucy (Dianne Steinberg), getting them to sign a dangerous contract. While the boys are away in Los Angeles, real estate monster Mr. Mustard (Frankie Howerd) is unleashed on Heartland, tasked with stealing Sgt. Pepper’s magical instruments, taking over the town. Realizing their fall from grace, the band decides to retrieve the instruments, battling Dr. Maxwell (Steve Martin), cult leader The Sun King (Alice Cooper), and Future Villain (Aerosmith) for control of goodness. Along the way, Billy’s girlfriend, Strawberry Fields (Sandy Farina), gets caught up in the mess, with her virginal glow no match for West Coast corruption.

Perhaps serving as a warning for the viewing experience to come, George Burns appears as Mr. Kite, the Mayor of Heartland and a frustrated musician himself, imagining himself in Rock God mode while singing “Fixing a Hole,” and if that doesn’t scare up an immediate disc ejection, the rest of “Sgt. Pepper” is much easier on the ears, putting most of its focus on The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton, then coming off his powerhouse record, “Frampton Comes Alive.” The artists are tasked with diluting The Beatles, turning their wily hits into fluffier AOR recordings, and with that goal in mind, the production is wildly successful, even encouraging “fifth Beatle,” producer George Martin, to steer the sound of the film. Some of the music doesn’t live up to expectations, but certain moments excel, finding Billy Preston energizing “Get Back,” Steinberg and Stargard doing justice to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” and Aerosmith capturing the sinister roll of “Come Together.” Steve Martin also deserves credit for making an impossible task, performing “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” appear effortless, infusing the scene with his absurd sense of humor. Perhaps for Beatlemaniacs, “Sgt. Pepper” is a true abomination, but for those with a less rigid sense of ownership, the soundtrack has its moments, especially when it’s pried away from Frampton and his snoozy sway.

“Sgt. Pepper” is unbelievably goofy at times, and its confidence with nutty ideas is almost thrilling. While the picture is partially based on a stage play, Schultz keeps the film version big and weird, working to create a musical with silent comedy elements, most found with Mr. Mustard, a mime- ready real estate agent with a robot support staff (knows as “The Computerettes”), tasked with corrupting an instrument-free Heartland by building arcades and leasing office space, and he erects a giant cheeseburger in the town square. Why? Who knows, but asking questions is a futile cause with “Sgt. Pepper,” which tries to sprinkle magic dust around the proceedings with mugging Bee Gees, hot air balloon chases, vague messages on the corruptive powers of greed, and concert sequences, including one with Earth, Wind & Fire (taking on “Got to Get You into My Life”). A few bright ideas manage to survive, including Strawberry’s arrival in Los Angeles, where she imagines billboards for Billy and Lucy and her back-up singers, the Diamonds, coming to life, performing a seductive routine as she sets out to reclaim her boyfriend. Schultz gives the effort real cinematic scale here.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers an atypically comfortable viewing experience for a Universal catalog title. Clarity is generally strong overall, and while the feature does encourage softness with hazy cinematography at times (creating slightly bloomy whites), detail remains available for inspection, permitting examination of the sets and costuming, which retain adequate texture. Facial specifics are also appealing, clarifying reactions and passes at emotions, along with period hair and make-up. Most interestingly, HD brings out production limitations, with painted backgrounds easier to identify. Colors are bright and engaging, supported by an already explosive palette, which keeps primaries defined and secure, while more disco-y hues retain their shimmer. Dramatic concert and performance lighting handles well. Delineation is mostly ideal, preserving low-lit interiors and evening distances. Outside of expected roughness with special effects, the source is in wonderful condition, without overt points of damage.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The default choice for "Sgt. Pepper" is a 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix, but more compelling is the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track, which gives the musical the sonic presence it requires to sell oddball fantasy. Dialogue exchanges are limited here, with only a few characters permitted to speak, two of them being robots, and voices are defined to satisfaction. Music is the event here, and it's offered with compelling bigness, delivering sharp instrumentation, thumpy percussion, and hearty vocals, generating intended energy with cohesiveness. Soundtrack cuts are consistent and comfortable, never slipping into distortive extremes. Scoring is equally engaging. Low-end is active, keeping the beat and selling air travel sequences. Sound effects are adequate, fitting the needs of the movie. Surrounds are spare, but crowd sequences handle with depth.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features pop culture historian Russell Dyball.

• Press Gallery (2:00) collects publicity and promotional snaps from the movie, including a few lobby cards and a scan of the invitation that was sent to celebrities to encourage their participation in the film's finale.

• Trading Card Gallery (2:08) provides a look at the bubble gum cards used to promote the feature, though no close-ups are provided.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (3:30, SD) is included.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Interestingly, "Sgt. Pepper" arrived in theaters only a month after "Grease," another Stigwood production that became a pop culture phenomenon, still beloved to this day. Schultz's film was destroyed by reviews and fan response, and time hasn't been kind to the endeavor, but certain elements are impressively executed, including choreography by Patricia Birch (also from "Grease"), which keeps the movie shaking along, even while certain performers look bombed out of their minds. The picture overwhelms with oddity, and that's part of its appeal, extending to a final scene where stars from the day (including Carol Channing, Tina Turner, Dame Edna, Sha-Na-Na, and Wolfman Jack) gather in a chorus to sing the title track, sending viewers off with a celebratory festival that's not entirely earned. Despite its many faults, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" aims to please, and it's just wacky enough to pass at times, really pursuing era-specific interests in gaudiness to such a degree, it's difficult to resist its desire to become "Fantasia" for the disco era.