Ferry Cross the Mersey (1965)

60s Bands on Film is a series examining the handful of films made in the 1960s starring popular musical acts of the time.

It did not take long for other groups to try to replicate the smashing success of A Hard Day's Night. Just months after its release, in January 1965, United Artists released Ferry Cross the Mersey starring Gerry & the Pacemakers. While significantly less remembered today, Gerry & the Pacemakers had remarkable parallels with The Beatles. Both groups were from Liverpool, managed by Brian Epstein, and recorded by George Martin. They were the first band to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with their first three single releases, a record they held for twenty years.

Comprised of Gerry & Freddie Marsden, Arthur Mack, Les Chadwick, and Les Maguire, Gerry & the Pacemakers first began recording in 1963, producing their first single and the first of their three consecutive #1 hits, "How Do You Do It?" Interestingly enough, The Beatles later recorded this song at shared producer George Martin's encouragement, eventually convincing him to let them release their own song, "Love Me Do," as a single instead.

All of this makes Gerry & the Pacemakers, and their attempt at the rock film genre as defined by A Hard Day's Night, all the more fascinating to study.

The Movie

Ferry Cross the Mersey starts in an incredibly similar manner to its predecessor. The band is coming off of a plane, where hordes of screaming fans greet them. They have their own chase scene akin to A Hard Day's Night as they drive down the street, followed by the screaming crowd. The scene shifts to them in the studio, and then at the Cavern Club (again, now associated closely with The Beatles), playing their music. We then hear a voiceover of Gerry Marsden, taking the viewer back in time to before the band made it big.

The movie follows the band as art school students and struggling musicians. Gerry's girlfriend Dodie, played by Julie Samuel, finds T.P. McKenna's Jack Hanson and convinces him to consider managing the band, getting him to come to a rehearsal of the band in the warehouse. Won over by their infectious performance, Jack agrees to manage the group, then entering them into a big competition. The rest of the movie follows them preparing for the gig and the hijinks leading up to and during the show.

There is more of a concrete plot in Ferry Cross the Mersey than A Hard Day's Night, so there is less of an absurdist element. The film focuses more so on Gerry Marsden as the protagonist as opposed to following the band as a whole (in fact, by the end, I still was unsure of the names of the other members of the band). However, this works to the movie's advantage as Marsden does have the boyish good looks and charisma of a Beatle, and he carries it perfectly well. The scenes where the band interacts together do have their own level of charm. One standout is the first scene where all four members come together, featuring some sharp dialogue about their various art projects.

The movie is entertaining enough. It tries to incorporate some level of the absurdist, surrealist humor seen in A Hard Day's Night, framing a frantic chase for their missing instruments during the show as a silent comedy sequence and a fast-motion sequence when Gerry wakes up in the morning. Additionally, some anti-establishment undertones come when Gerry and the other band members interact with adults. One especially memorable sequence comes when they visit Dodie's house, an imposing, upper-class place, and cause havoc when they take swords off the wall and attack each other and suits of armor. It really captures the revolutionary youthfulness of the British Invasion, leading to a film that has some delightful and fun sequences held together by Marsden's charm and great music.

The Music

Ferry Cross the Mersey is an unheralded gem of an album, making a film featuring its songs a particularly rocking occasion.

The rocking "It's Gonna Be Alright" starts the film, overlaying the footage of them stepping off the plane. A particularly great musical sequence is the instrumental "All Quiet On the Mersey Front," which overlays Marsden's opening monologue and his travels through the town.

Ferry Cross the Mersey has some musical sequences that rival A Hard Day's Night for their energy. There is an incredibly fun number in the art school to "Fall In Love," and their warehouse performance of "Think About Love" is enough to make a viewer want to get up and dance.

Perhaps the film's best musical sequence is the titular number, coming within the first fifteen minutes. The four members of the band meet on a ferry to go to their art school, and it is there where they perform "Ferry Cross the Mersey." It remains Gerry & the Pacemaker's most iconic song, and for good reason. There is a magical quality about it that the film absolutely captures. It is Marsden wandering around a ferry, strumming his guitar and singing to everyday people, all the while the Mersey flows in the background. It is a beautiful number for an even more beautiful song, and it really sets the tone for the rest of the movie.

The film ends with the group returning from their frantic chase just in time to take the stage for their big performance, giving an incredible rendition of "It's Gonna Be Alright," bookending the film. The energy in the audience is real, and it is immensely entertaining to watch. The sequence proves that the Beatles did not have a monopoly on screaming fans.

Verdict

As I wrote in my Letterboxd review of the film, it is nearly impossible to watch this in a vacuum. It has the misfortune of being the first movie to try and capitalize on the success of A Hard Day's Night, and it really tries to be that movie. Gerry & the Pacemakers, in particular, is a fascinating case study because they have almost the exact same starting conditions as The Beatles between being from Liverpool and having Martin and Epstein behind them. However, they do not reach the same heights as The Beatles.

From a music perspective, they just do not have that same dynamic that the Beatles broke onto the scene with, which in all fairness was like catching lightning in a bottle. Very few bands have had that same dynamic before and since. From a film perspective, they do not have the benefit of Richard Lester at the helm, a force that really shaped A Hard Day's Night into a masterpiece of film beyond just a time capsule rock movie.

This movie inevitably draws comparisons to A Hard Day's Night. However, try your best to watch it without making the comparison. It is enjoyable in its own right, and Gerry Marsden has his own unique charm that makes this a fun watch and another great film capturing the music and culture of the British Invasion. Plus, their music is great and is guaranteed to end up stuck in your head.

RIP to the great Gerry Marsden, who died earlier this month.