Rating: 
Summary: The Morning After a Hard Day's Night...
Review: After the Beatles made it big with "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help", there were a slew of copycat movies cranked out by the music industry. "Ghost Goes Gear" is one such attempt to capitalize on the success of Beatlemania.To be perfectly honest, I didn't want to like this film. Overall, I thought it was Monkees-lite. And any attempt at sticking with a storyline goes out the window about twenty minutes in. This is unfortunate, because the film would be far more memorable if the slick madcap weirdness of the opening segments could have been maintained. However, I wound up thinking the movie wasn't half-bad, for what it was. Some have criticized the director, Hugh Gladwish, for letting the plot get lost, but I think he did pretty good with the rest of it. Visually, the film has some minor flair. The camera motion is reserved, yet fluid when called for. And I was struck by how sharp the focus was throughout the whole film. I also liked the Monkees-ish drum chase down the river in the opening segment, and the umbrella-march to Rowthorpe Hall. The Spencer Davis Group isn't too bad at Monkee-like mugging for the camera. The lads are pleasant enough, and do their best. The ghost is kind of funny, too. There is even a touch of Python in the proceedings. Two personalities stand out in the rest of the cast; Jack Haig will be instantly recognizable to fans of the Britcom "'Allo, 'Allo!" And Nicholas Parsons is interesting as the uptight band manager, sort of a cross between John Cleese and Paul Lynde. The audio commentary is more about the music scene in England at the time of the film, rather than about the film itself. This commentary was enjoyable, though, and informative. Spencer Davis and humorist Martin Lewis readily joke that the film was a black hole for just about everyone career-wise. The Spencer Davis Group is not bad at cooking up the groovy tunes. The other acts are instantly forgettable, save for the Paramount Jazz Band which seems rediculously out of place in the movie (the commentary explains that, in reality, the jazz band fits for the era). And Dave Berry is just plain annoying with his weird, hide-his-face foolishness. Thank goodness he only has two songs! The Three Belles are an odd act, too. As Spencer and Martin Lewis remark in the commentary, they appear to be the inspiration for Austin Powers' Femmbots. In their first number, look for the middle Belle, who is the only one who seems to know how to react to the camera. One gets the sense that the producers just lined up whoever was available, but not bigger than the Spencer Davis Group. Of course, Stevie Winwood fans will want to see the film, but he really doesn't do much acting-wise. Spencer and Peter York do most of the work there. There's no naughtiness whatsoever, so you don't have to worry if your kids want to watch it (not that it will hold their attention past when the "gear" concert starts). This slice of the Sixties British Invasion will undoubtedly be more interesting if you're into the Spencer Davis Group or the era, but the movie really holds more significance for the British audience than for anyone in the US.
Rating:
Summary: The Morning After a Hard Day's Night...
Review: After the Beatles made it big with "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help", there were a slew of copycat movies cranked out by the music industry. "Ghost Goes Gear" is one such attempt to capitalize on the success of Beatlemania. To be perfectly honest, I didn't want to like this film. Overall, I thought it was Monkees-lite. And any attempt at sticking with a storyline goes out the window about twenty minutes in. This is unfortunate, because the film would be far more memorable if the slick madcap weirdness of the opening segments could have been maintained. However, I wound up thinking the movie wasn't half-bad, for what it was. Some have criticized the director, Hugh Gladwish, for letting the plot get lost, but I think he did pretty good with the rest of it. Visually, the film has some minor flair. The camera motion is reserved, yet fluid when called for. And I was struck by how sharp the focus was throughout the whole film. I also liked the Monkees-ish drum chase down the river in the opening segment, and the umbrella-march to Rowthorpe Hall. The Spencer Davis Group isn't too bad at Monkee-like mugging for the camera. The lads are pleasant enough, and do their best. The ghost is kind of funny, too. There is even a touch of Python in the proceedings. Two personalities stand out in the rest of the cast; Jack Haig will be instantly recognizable to fans of the Britcom "'Allo, 'Allo!" And Nicholas Parsons is interesting as the uptight band manager, sort of a cross between John Cleese and Paul Lynde. The audio commentary is more about the music scene in England at the time of the film, rather than about the film itself. This commentary was enjoyable, though, and informative. Spencer Davis and humorist Martin Lewis readily joke that the film was a black hole for just about everyone career-wise. The Spencer Davis Group is not bad at cooking up the groovy tunes. The other acts are instantly forgettable, save for the Paramount Jazz Band which seems rediculously out of place in the movie (the commentary explains that, in reality, the jazz band fits for the era). And Dave Berry is just plain annoying with his weird, hide-his-face foolishness. Thank goodness he only has two songs! The Three Belles are an odd act, too. As Spencer and Martin Lewis remark in the commentary, they appear to be the inspiration for Austin Powers' Femmbots. In their first number, look for the middle Belle, who is the only one who seems to know how to react to the camera. One gets the sense that the producers just lined up whoever was available, but not bigger than the Spencer Davis Group. Of course, Stevie Winwood fans will want to see the film, but he really doesn't do much acting-wise. Spencer and Peter York do most of the work there. There's no naughtiness whatsoever, so you don't have to worry if your kids want to watch it (not that it will hold their attention past when the "gear" concert starts). This slice of the Sixties British Invasion will undoubtedly be more interesting if you're into the Spencer Davis Group or the era, but the movie really holds more significance for the British audience than for anyone in the US.
Rating:
Summary: Obscure DVD with good audio commentary
Review: I know very little about the Spensor Davis Group except for a few of their songs and that Steve Winwood was a member. I decided to view this movie because I had enjoyed the Monkees' movie "Head" and Herman's Hermits' "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter." The actual movie is a terrific period piece that is light on plot (the ghost is barely in the film!) but it does contain performances by not only the Spensor Davis Group, but other obscure groups that I believe most Americans are not familiar with. Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band are very entertaining, as are the proto-Spice Girls act The Three Bells. The audio commentary by Spensor Davis and Martin Lewis is informative not only about the making of the film, but also about the music scene happening in the UK at that time. Even if you don't care for the film, you will want to hear the commentary if you enjoy music from the 1960s. The film quality is excellent and is presented in widesceen. One thing I wish the DVD would have included was captioning and a trailer (if one was made for the film.)
Rating:
Summary: Thankfully there's good music...
Review: I thought maybe there was a movie here...whew! HORRIBLY boring British chatter & aimless, silly story, BUT this is off a really sharp looking print of some obscure British mod-style groups. If nothing else, get this movie for this footage - there are some really nice segments of the artists if you've even heard of them. Not essential, but get it used or on eBay for a few bucks to add to your collection. If only the groups were a bit more popular (besides Spencer Davis), the music bits are superb. Story - blah...music, great!
Rating:
Summary: Thankfully there's good music...
Review: I thought maybe there was a movie here...whew! HORRIBLY boring British chatter & aimless, silly story, BUT this is off a really sharp looking print of some obscure British mod-style groups. If nothing else, get this movie for this footage - there are some really nice segments of the artists if you've even heard of them. Not essential, but get it used or on eBay for a few bucks to add to your collection. If only the groups were a bit more popular (besides Spencer Davis), the music bits are superb. Story - blah...music, great!
Rating: 
Summary: Switched on, baby, yeah!
Review: Lovers of so-cheesy-they're-great 'Sixties movies simply MUST own this. It has EVERYTHING you want - a naff story, cool sounds and wonderful bad dialogue. Best of all though, halfway through they forget the plot and just have a rave-up instead. Oh behave! Highlights include the Three Belles (lovely girls!), the Lorne Gibson Trio, Dave Berry in a field of grass (Hi fella!) and the legendary Nicholas Parsons as the Spencer Davis Group's manager. Technically, the disc is very good. The anamorphic picture is sharp, the print is in amazing condition for its age and the mono sound is fine. It also comes with an excellent commentary from Spencer Davis and the comedian Martin Lewis. Lewis' description of Parsons as Britain's answer to Pat Sajak is priceless! All in all, this is a great relic from the dawn of Swinging London and every home should have one.
Rating:
Summary: Switched on, baby, yeah!
Review: Lovers of so-cheesy-they're-great 'Sixties movies simply MUST own this. It has EVERYTHING you want - a naff story, cool sounds and wonderful bad dialogue. Best of all though, halfway through they forget the plot and just have a rave-up instead. Oh behave! Highlights include the Three Belles (lovely girls!), the Lorne Gibson Trio, Dave Berry in a field of grass (Hi fella!) and the legendary Nicholas Parsons as the Spencer Davis Group's manager. Technically, the disc is very good. The anamorphic picture is sharp, the print is in amazing condition for its age and the mono sound is fine. It also comes with an excellent commentary from Spencer Davis and the comedian Martin Lewis. Lewis' description of Parsons as Britain's answer to Pat Sajak is priceless! All in all, this is a great relic from the dawn of Swinging London and every home should have one.
Rating: 
Summary: Director Needs Brain Transplant
Review: No, that ain't the premise of this flick. That's what SHOULD HAVE been done to the director of this Grade Z film. The Spencer Davis Group is the only worthwhile thing in the movie and it's great to see these guys having fun, singing and giving each other sly looks like "this movie IS bad, ain't it?" Okay, so the ghost goes gear. They show this ghost once, for a few seconds, maybe twice. It has nothing to do with the plot....then the director fills up the allotted time with lame British bands that plod through crummy songs till the end of the movie. So why did I give it TWO stars? Because, bad film or not, it's still a piece of 60's nostalgia and it's fun to watch for that reason and to see the Spencer Davis Group (who do a terrific job). In comparison, it makes PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE look like STAR WARS.
Rating:
Summary: Shagadelic baby!
Review: Queue up for this scary shagadelic musical adventure with The Spencer Davis Group (featuring Steve Winwood) who stumble into a haunted English manor. A rarely seen flick full of groovy tunes, mods galore, and ghosts gone gear!
Rating: 
Summary: One Star - But Fabulous!
Review: This movie is so awful you have to love it! I can't believe someone actually directed it - no...I can't believe that someone actually CHOREOGRAPHED it! What's with the dance in the kitchen with the apples? LOL! The "plot" of the movie is as follows: The Spencer Davis Group (a bunch of merry madcaps) have a manager who has an olde ancestorial home. His daffy parents have no money to feed the electric meter, so the group hatches the idea to exploit the "Elizabethan" ghost (LOL! greasy pompadour and all) to bring in tourists. They also ask tourists to BYOB - that is, Bring Your Own Band. The entertainment that shows up is ridiculously fantastic - Dave Berry who sings about his mama as he climbs down a tree in his Beatle boots, or hides in a field peeking through weeds while singing something called "Now", Polly, the maid, making wierd facial contortions and dance moves that can only be described as spastic,and The Three Belles - be-wigged homely gals who strike poses as they sing "Danger Zone" and "I'm the Original Lemon Tree"?????? There are other groups, but none so entertaining as these. I did enjoy the Spencer Davis group - I wonder if this movie embarrasses them now? Anyhoo, for a good laugh and some enjoyable tunes ("Midnight Special" "Nobody Loves You When You're Down and Out") this is the movie for you.
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