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Beatles - A Hard Day's Night Review
Overall 5.00 of 5
(by 1 user)
Watching the End of the Innocence (Sorry Mr. Henley)
character-lover, comedy fan, major Beatles lover
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APR
5
2008
Made in 1964 on a budget of around $500,000, "A Hard Day's Night" was directed by American Richard Lester and is a mockumentary of sorts. It supposedly follows the Fab 4 around for a day, leading up a live TV broadcast their concert. This was a ground-breaking film, very different from the "musicals" of the time starring the likes of Elvis. No, like the Beatles themselves, this film transcended its generation to the point it doesn't seem dated, even today. Virtually every thing about the modern style of film-making, from quick camera cuts with hand-held cameras to the documentary style owe their existance to this movie.
What makes "A Hard Day's Night" a great film, though, is its sheer exuberance. It is a joy to watch and experience, painting John, Paul, Richard, and George as a fun-loving bunch of guys, not yet caught up in their fame or feeling the pressure of thier status as icons. There is an innocence about these Beatles that would no longer exist in a few years. They were naturals for the camera and we are treated to a style that makes us believe the scenes were of a documentary and mostly improvised, though few were.
The boys, as they banter with each other, avoid the screaming crowds of girls, and mercilessly taunt their manager, reveal their individual personalities (John was the trouble maker, though a good natured one). Thier dialogue seems to be at direct odds with their status as rock stars and thats part of the fun. Here are the 4 biggest stars on the planet with all the pressure on their shoulders that status must bring to bear and we get the feeling they aren't about to take any of it seriously.
Nope, they are enjoying themselves, even in the midst of dealing with a manager who is more uptight than a Baptist at Marylin Manson concert and with Paul's grandfather (played by Richard Brambell), who can't stay out of trouble himself. Even the irritating man directing the TV special can't dampen their spirit.
When our boys are free from rehearsing they run free, refusing to follow orders and going places they're told not to go, doing things they are told not to do. They very well represent the spirit of liberation and non-conformity that marked the 60s. This joyous energy enfuses the entire film.
Oh, did I forget the music? Just wall-to-wall great songs like "All My Loving", "Can't Buy Me Love', and "She Loves You", capped by the best scene, extended concert footage intercut with faces of the hysterical, screaming, adoring girls who made up most of the audience. Here, again, the boys are just enjoying themselves, grinning and preening to the crowd, obviously basking in the moment.
"A Hard Day's Night" is a landmark in film-making. Its also the exceptional snapshot of a bygone era of wide-eyed joyous innocence we will never experience again, except when we take time revist this old friend. Grade:A+
Last edited on Apr 11, 2008
Beatles - A Hard Day's Night is recommended by MikeMaroon
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