MIDAS MAN
A Film by Joe Stephenson
Starring
Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Emily Watson,
Eddie Marsan and Ed Speleers,
Featuring
Blake Richardson, Jonah Lees, Leo Harvey-Elledge,
Campbell Wallace and Adam Lawrence,
With
Darci Shaw, Milo Parker, Eddie Suzy Izzard,
Jay Leno, James Corrigan, Charley Palmer Rothwell,
Chukwuma Omambala and Alex Macqueen
It’s 1961, and a well-dressed, elegant Brian is left dumbstruck by a group of four scruffy and boisterous young musicians, who are playing a lunchtime session in the dank yet packed Cavern Club. He is in awe, it’s not so much the music they play but the effect they have on the audience, he is having an epiphany. We then go back to 1959 and see Brian’s artistic talent at window dressing at Epstein’s, his family’s furniture store. He knows he isn’t just selling furniture but a dream. Harry, his conservative minded father, is frustrated by the many different careers Brian has had and is now happy he has finally settled down to work in the family business and doing something he is good at. Queenie, his mother, is ever supportive of Brian and is forever standing up for him. Together they talk Harry into letting him experiment with a more modern music offering for the store. We see the first glimpse of Brian the music empresario as well as someone who has drive and determination.
The expanded music department, now called NEMS (NORTH END MUSIC STORES), is a great success and brings a variety of music lovers into the shop. Brian understands the business and it’s potential and has catered for all tastes. The store’s unique promise is that they can supply any disc from anywhere in just 5 days. Brian notices a note in the order book for ‘My Bonnie’ a record from Hamburg- but he’s told by Alastair, his right-hand man, the order is not worth pursuing. But it’s almost as if he can sense something and is keen to stick to the store’s promise, and when Alastair divulges that the band are from Liverpool and playing at the Cavern, he insists on heading straight there. After a friendly exchange with cloakroom attendant, Cilla White (soon to become Cilla Black…) Brian is overwhelmed by what he sees, hears and experiences: His first ever Beatles gig. During a slightly awkward exchange in the band’s dressing room, he invites them to his office for a meeting. To Alastair’s shock and surprise Brian announces he’d like to manage them.
After convincing local music promoter, Allan Williams to release the band from his management, Brian meets John, Paul, George and Pete in his office. The Beatles’ energy, cheek, camaraderie, and effortless humour are evident, along with their gentle ribbing of Brian who takes it all in his stride. Brian signs the Beatles. It’s not long before they are invited down to London to audition for Decca. The boys have had a long night, they turn up late after driving down from Liverpool in an old van. It’s New Year’s Day in the coldest winter on record. The audition doesn’t go well. They are all flat, especially John. Brian is then rudely and brutally turned down by Decca executives at what he thought would be a straightforward and celebratory meeting. Brian again turns to Queenie for comfort and support, his ever-present source of stability. We are introduced to how Brian is forced to live in the shadows with illicit encounters with other men at Liverpool docks late at night. We then see how a downcast Brian begins to rely on prescription drugs.
Brian is determined to get the band signed and visits all the major record companies in London, all of whom turn the band down. We sense Brian’s desperation and despair, he can’t bear the thought of letting ‘his’ boys down, as he struggles to get them signed. Brian tells the band he has a meeting with the comedy label Parlophone. The boys aren’t impressed, this feels like a last resort. However, we see the mutual respect and fondness the band and Brian have for each other; they have put all their trust in him and have genuine faith that he will do his best for them. He feels this pressure more and more.
George Martin at Parlophone tells Brian the band may indeed have something after listening to the tape, but only offers them an audition. Brian can’t bear to offer them another audition, so tells a white lie to the band and informs them they are signed to a full recording contract. They head down to Abbey Road Studios.
Unaware it is an audition, the boys feel no pressure and play incredibly well at the Abbey Road session, impressing George Martin. To Brian’s huge relief, his gamble has paid off. However, George Martin suggests that drummer Pete must go if they are to succeed with a studio recording. We see the genuine anguish in Brian as he has to let Pete know he is no longer part of the band. Pete is devastated. Brian cares about his boys deeply. Ringo Starr joins the group.
Meanwhile back home in Liverpool, Harry is not impressed The Beatles debut single. ‘Love Me Do’ has only reached number 47 in the charts and advises Brian to go back to selling furniture. Queenie demonstrates her unwavering support. Brian goes out late at night and is aggressively mugged during a sexual encounter; his grandfather’s watch is stolen. He is crestfallen and scared. As a contrast to the misery of his private life – we hear that in his business life ‘From Me to You’ is number 1. Brian is thrilled. Finally, the success he has been yearning for and deserves. Brian signs more groups and experiences further musical triumphs. He and NEMS are on a rapid and exciting
upward trajectory. His beloved Cilla too, has begun her successful singing career thanks to Brian. At long last, everything is going his way. That is until he gets back home one night, and his parents tell him that they are being bribed by a young man. Harry is clearly disappointed and worries vehemently about the family reputation and Queenie implores him to be more careful, not only for his sake but for the sake of Cilla and the boys. Brian, distraught and ashamed, apologises and tells them he is taking NEMS to London.
The business grows exponentially as does the incredible popularity of The Beatles. The boys attend the famous Royal Variety Performance. They have now arrived! Aware that he must break the US market, Brian heads to New York and negotiates a deal with the famous and powerful broadcaster Ed Sullivan for 3 consecutive shows. During a celebratory drink with Nat Weiss, his US business partner, he meets Tex Ellington, an aspiring actor, and the ill-fated relationship between them begins. We witness Brian’s vulnerability and his desire to be loved. Whilst in Paris, Brian gets the ground-breaking news that the boys now have their first US number 1. A joyful pillow fight ensues. Brian then talks us through the successful whirlwind US tour; Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, and the explosion of Beatlemania – culminating in an overwhelming homecoming back to the UK.
On his return to Liverpool, Brian attends his younger brother Clive’s wedding. Brian and Cilla have a tender conversation revealing their fondness for each other and Brian’s loneliness. He feels he has let his father down by not marrying before his younger brother, but Cilla sympathetically encourages him and tells him he deserves to meet someone special. Cilla understands Brian and has genuine feelings for him. We sense Brian’s inherent sadness.
We see Brian at home in the bath, subdued and exhausted, there is an empty whisky bottle on the floor. We get a sense that all is not well. Lonnie, Brian’s faithful housekeeper, announces that he has a visitor. It is Tex. Lonnie is devoted to Brian and is immediately suspicious of him. Queenie joins them for dinner, and she sees through Tex immediately. They have a spiky exchange, and she challenges him on his acting experience. She leaves as Tex and Brian start to argue and Queenie poignantly implores Lonnie ‘to look after my son’. At a glamourous and hip party, Brian seems relaxed and is enjoying himself with The Beatles, until he takes a drink to Tex and finds him deep in an intimate conversation with a young girl. Later in the office, Alistair confronts Brian and asks why Tex is on the payroll. Brian snaps.
The strain and pressure are beginning to show, Brian is drinking more and taking an increasing amount of pills. The boy’s success is getting harder to deal with and we can see it is taking its toll on Brian. He’s finding it harder to cope. More travel and a sense of developing chaos ensues. Trips to Japan, where they receive death threats, and to the Philippines, where they upset the dictator’s wife Imelda Marcos, ending up in the US where John is in trouble for comparing The Beatles to Jesus. Never leaving their side, Brian accompanies the boys to a press conference where they are forced to apologise. John tells Brian the touring has to stop. Is this the beginning of
the end? Later at dinner, Nat Weiss expresses concern for Brian’s general wellbeing as well as Tex’s motives. Brian askes Nat up to the room to meet Tex, but he has gone, along with Brian’s briefcase full of $10,000 and his illegal pills – a blackmailer’s dream. Nat knows his worries have been realised. Brian finally breaks down. Nat comforts his good friend. Brian checks into at The Priory clinic, his blood tests reveal a huge cocktail of barbiturates and amphetamines. His parents visit and show their love for him though Harry struggles with his condition. He stays and recovers.
Upon his return to the office, he has a joyful reunion with The Beatles who are genuinely pleased to see him in much better shape. Brian proposes they participate in the first ever live satellite broadcast on the BBC – and suggests they write a new song for this auspicious occasion. Brian is back together with the boys and it’s not long before they are joking around together. Everything seems right in the world.
But not for long. Late at night, Brian receives a phone call. Harry has passed away. After the funeral he is devastated and tells Queenie he feels he was a disappointment to his father. Queenie comforts him, explaining how proud Harry was of him. Brian is sad that his father never told him this whilst he was alive. Ever his ally, Queenie gives him the reassurance he needs. Back in London he speaks with Lonnie, they have an emotional and touching exchange about family.
We are in the studio and the boys are getting ready for the first-ever Live global satellite broadcast on the BBC, ‘OUR WORLD’. He suggests they write a new song for it. They pull Brian in for a warm embrace before he heads up to the control room, a hive of activity. Brian takes well-wishing calls from Nat and Queenie. The countdown begins, the performance starts, Brian is bursting with pride as the boys start to sing. Despite his amazing successes, we can’t help but feel a melancholy and sadness as he leaves the studio and walks alone across the famous Abbey Road crossing. Brian turns, as if in a moment of contemplation. Tragically we learn from a closing scene caption that Brian passed away just two months later, from an accidental overdose.
