20/48

Midas Man was certainly worth the effort

Line of Events

On Thursday, November 9, 1961, a man named Brian walked down the stairs of a basement in Liverpool and changed the world forever. Much like 2023’s “Priscilla,” “Midas Man” doesn’t use any Beatles music, as they couldn’t get the rights to it, but instead used other songs that they either got the rights to or that were already in the public domain. Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles biopic will likely feature Beatles music, however… My Review – Midas Man in theaters now My Rating 8/10 It’s been a while since a movie showing in the theater caught my attention enough to make the effort to go see it on the big screen.

I found it entertaining, surprisingly moving, and beautifully written, directed, and acted

This story chronicles the initial meteoric rise to fame of the Beatles, known as Liverpool’s Fab Four, with an emphasis on Brian Epstein, their first manager, who saw something in this now legendary group of musicians that no one else could. If Brian Epstein hadn’t managed, groomed and promoted The Beatles, they would probably have gone unnoticed. Not only did Epstein introduce the world to The Beatles, but also Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers and many other artists.

Epstein also helped put his hometown of Liverpool in the UK on the world map by introducing The Mersey Sound, which was heralded in the 1960s and influenced the change in musical tastes and fashion forever

Unlike Elvis Presley’s manipulative manager Colonel Tom Parker, Brian Epstein kept his promise to John Lennon when he said that if I managed this group, you wouldn’t find anyone else in the business who would put more time or effort into making The Beatles the most famous band on the planet. Brian Epstein is so well played by Jacob Lloyd Fortune, a fine actor who manages to capture the emotional turmoil that plagued Brian Epstein, who had to hide his homosexuality at a time when gay people lived with the daily prospect of arrest and blackmail. His public professional persona was that of a successful and eventually very wealthy promoter and businessman, but his private life was at times chaotic and dangerous, leading to his untimely death at the age of just 32.

Kudos to director Joe Stephenson and writers Brigit Grant and Jonathan Wakeham for creating such an interesting and entertaining film

This is a very interesting film, I liked the theatrical technique of breaking the fourth wall when Epstein occasionally speaks to the audience, it is very effective in this case. I also enjoyed the performances of the supporting cast which includes Emily Watson who plays Malka Epstein, Brian’s protective and supportive mother and Eddie Marsan as Harry, the father who Brian Epstein craved approval and acceptance from but never really received. Jonah Lees is very impressive as John Lennon, he has some excellent scenes, as does Darci Shaw as Cilla Black and Blake Richardson as Paul McCartney.

I’ll be interested to see Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles biopic, which apparently has the rights to use more Beatles songs than Midas Man was able to perform, but since the emphasis is on Brian Epstein the man, that doesn’t matter

The film spans just six years, from Brian Epstein’s discovery of the Beatles in 1961, minus Ringo, at Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club, to the Beatles’ groundbreaking “Our World” first live performance at Satellite on June 25, 1967, which reached over 400 million viewers in 25 countries. Six months later, Brian Epstein was tragically found dead, but he certainly kept his promise and loyalty to the Beatles, who by that time had eclipsed Elvis Presley’s fame and their legacy lives on to this day with a songbook of hits performed by every great singer of an era when music and lyrics came first and live performers performed without gimmicks, CGI or lip-syncing.