NEW YORK -The "Yellow Submarine" released earlier this month on Blu-ray and DVD may not be the one you remember. It still features the Blue Meanies, the Nowhere Man and all the characters that have made the movie such an enduring favorite. But it's also digitally remastered with added footage that Americans didn't see when it first arrived in theaters nearly 35 years ago.
It also includes such bonus features as the original trailer, audio commentary by producer John Coates and a short making-of documentary titled "Mod Odyssey." The film's soundtrack also was released on CD. There may be a few other things you don't know about this classic Beatles cartoon from 1968. Here's a short quiz to test your "Yellow Submarine" knowledge.
Who wrote the title song?
Paul McCartney, of course, with help from John Lennon. But Scottish troubadour (and recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee) Donovan contributed these crucial words: "Sky of blue and sea of green/In our yellow submarine." Donovan modestly called it "not the most earth-shattering couplet in the world," although it now seems like the song's signature lyric.
Who created the movie's famous look?
The bold lines and psychedelic colors are often erroneously credited to the pop artist Peter Max. But the film's art director was Heinz Edelmann, a Czech-German graphic designer then well known in Europe. Max's similar-looking posters may have served as inspiration; he has said that Lennon initially asked him to work on the film.
Who played The Beatles?
The songs were theirs, but the voices came from actors: Geoffrey Hughes as Mc-Cartney, John Clive as Lennon and Paul Angelis as Ringo Starr. Peter Batten played George Harrison until he was arrested as a British Army deserter during production and then virtually vanished. Angelis also played Harrison.
Who wrote the script?
The story reportedly came from a writer named Lee Minoff, but the handful of screenwriters included future "Love Story" novelist Erich Segal. The movie's many puns and British witticisms are widely credited to poet Roger McGough.
What happened to "Hey Bulldog?"
It's here! An animated sequence for this hard-charging, piano-driven track reportedly appeared in the U.K. film version, but was later deleted to quicken the film's pacing. A 1999 rerelease restored the footage.
