Unseen footage from The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour has emerged after 55 years.
Stills from the film set show the Fab Four and their wives milling around on set in between takes. The images were taken by a visitor to the set.
Discovered by Lancashire-based memorabilia specialists Tracks Limited, there were also snippets from the magician's sequence and shows the group organising the ballroom spectacular which was the finale of the film. Paul Wane from Tracks Limited explained how he found the footage.
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He said: "Going back in time about a dozen years, this lady from Essex said her father had taken some film of when the Beatles were filming in West Malling. I kept in touch with her over the years and she decided to sell it. I went to her house, saw it, liked it and made an offer.
"She had it for all those years and she was there as well and her dad got her on film but it cut off so she was not in it."
He said he intends to auction the footage, along with the rights, from the Tracks Limited website and he has estimated the value to be between £3,000-£5,000. The 67-year-old added: "I don't know where it will end up. Could be Japan, could be Weston-super-Mare.
"Nothing has turned up in about 20 years so it is a rare find. What's happening with memorabilia associated with the top bands like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, is that a lot of the stuff that people have kept is because they have kept it for a reason, there are memories attached. But also, people are becoming increasingly aware of the value."
Inspired by Ken Kesey’s psychedelic bus tours across the United States, Paul McCartney thought up the idea of the Magical Mystery Tour and roped in the rest of the band and crew to make the film spontaneously. He recalled: “It was just a mad idea. We said to everyone, be on the coach on Monday morning. I told them all we’re going to make it up as we go along but don’t worry, it’ll be alright.”
To shoot the film they hired out RAF West Malling in Kent for a week in September 1967 where they filmed the sequences for Blue Jay Way, I Am the Walrus and Your Mother Should Know, segments seen in the film. It was broadcast later that year on Boxing Day and saw a poor reception among critics. The accompanying music however was widely celebrated.
The movie, made for BBC television, was the only one of the five films the band made that was slammed by critics. However, it is now considered to be a psychedelic mini classic and has been influential for music video producers.
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