Midas Man: Missed Opportunity
"A cack-handed biopic... the genius who made The Beatles deserves better than this" - NME
"This superficial biopic about Beatles manager Brian Epstein renders him and the Fab Four as
mere cardboard cut-outs.... A flimsy portrait of the man who discovered The Beatles" - The
Telegraph
"...as though scripted by Wikipedia." - Uncut Magazine
"... it just feels way too by-the-numbers. It just never excites" - DVD Fever
" It's all a bit too sanctified and safe - lacking in rock'n'roll edge" - The Guardian
"...you are left wishing for something else to commemorate the wonderful yet short life of one
of the music industry's greats." - The Upcoming
" it feels compromised and clumsily staged. There are some good moments and ideas here, but
they sorely reminded me of what was missing" - The Post
"Midas Man" fumbles a golden opportunity to tell us what we don't know about the tragically
short life of Beatles manager Brian Epstein" - Limelight Magazine
"It's plain to see it's hopeless..."
(That last one isn't a review of the film. But a presciently apt line that applies to the
film. It's from a song written and recorded in August 1967 - the month that Brian Epstein
died. By Graham Nash of The Hollies. "King Midas In Reverse" Quite...)
Given the history of the film the bad reviews are not remotely surprising.
The film was several years in production. It went through THREE directors, numerous
scriptwriters, multiple cast changes. The official credits list no less than TWENTY producers!
Spoiler Alert: Great art is not created by committees! Each of the Beatles' films had just ONE
director. ONE producer!
It was originally intended that the film be given a proper theatrical release. Seen in movie
theaters and cinemas. Especially in the UK and the USA. First at film festivals - Sundance,
Venice, Toronto, SxSW, London, Los Angeles, New York. Then a series of grand premieres -
London, NYC, Hollywood. Followed by a respectable release for a quality art-house film.
It was to be an important film that could do for Brian's legacy what the movie "The Imitation
Game" did for the reputation of WWII hero Alan Turing.
But so bad was the film that no theatrical distributor would release it. It has ended up as
just another streaming product on
Amazon. The "direct-to-video" of
today's world. It has
all the status, cultural significance and artistic gravitas of a Ricky Gervais stand-up
special or a puff-piece "documentary" about the Kardashians.
And when we write "Amazon" - at present it's only available on Amazon in the UK. It's not
showing up on Amazon USA. Which is bizarre for a film relating to the Beatles. And so
highly-regarded is the film by Amazon-UK they aren't highlighting it on their homepage or
boosting it as a new release. It's a non-event. A loser. "A shanda fur di
goyim"
What a dreadful shadow to cast over Brian Epstein.
But no wonder... The film didn't spring from the muse of a writer or filmmaker. It was
confected by an advertising executive with an ambition to become a big shot in movies.
Were the intentions behind the film good? Presumably.
Was it a noble effort? Probably.
Did they want to do well by Brian? Certainly.
Has it succeeded? No. The precise opposite
Why did it fail?
• Misconceived premise
• Parochial perspective
• Poor script
• Confused vision
• Bad casting
• Uneven direction
• Failure to accurately capture Brian's charm
• Botched negotiations about Beatles music
• Absolutely dreadful film title
• Abysmal amateur publicity & marketing
Apart from that - it's fine...
Damage done: Immense.
This massively lessens the chance of a proper film ever being made about Brian in the future
Silver lining: It may have brought you to this website.
Want to see a good film about Brian?
Here are a couple:
First - a short film.
It says more about Brian in just 6 minutes than the new mish-mash could say in 6 lifetimes...
One Of Us - The Ultimate Tribute To Brian Epstein
Second - the film of a new TED Talk about the Beatles - that includes a major heartfelt salute
to Brian
The Greatest Beatles Story NEVER Told!
Lastly - here's a tribute to Brian by the Beatles scholar who orchestrated the successful
campaign to get Brian inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame
No Brian Epstein? No Beatles!
Shalom Brian
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