Critiquing this film as a piece of cinema, and not as a collection of Beatles tunes is a difficult task. Richard Lester creates some truly beautiful black and white images. Though sometimes the camera can't seem to find its focus. And the images obviously taken on a helicopter as they boys play in the grass outside the television studio shake wildly and distract from the fun being had. The boys, though essentially playing themselves still play it a little stiff as if they are not sure how, exactly, to be themselves. The jokes, for the most part, are still funny, and what little plot there is, still works to give a glimpse into what it was like to be a band on the verge of universal stardom.
To take the movie without the songs is well beyond the point, though. The movie is essentially a market ploy to get the songs heard via a different media. One might not be so forgiving if the songs were not any good, but the music shines throughout. The title song that starts the movie off starts with a struuuum that is instantly recognizable and jumps out and smack you in the face. That is followed by what is arguably the Beatles best tunes. When you add in such songs as: "I Should Have Known Better", "Tell Me Why", "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You," the simple, sweet "If I Fell" and the sing along favorite "Can't Buy Me Love" to the soundtrack then you have a musical that is just shy of remarkable.
The movie was released just before the Beatles came to America and appeared on Ed Sullivan which brought on the madness known as Beatlemania. By this time they were extremely popular as can be seen in the crowds reaction while the boys sings on the television show. It is still shocking to see images of teenage girls screaming, crying and shaking in a manner previously only known to the Pentecostal religion. The soundtrack periodically allow the girls screaming to take over the music allowing us to glimpse what it must have been like to be there. No wonder the boys gave up playing live shortly thereafter.
A Hard Days Night is an excellent glimpse of the Beatles on the cusp of World Stardom. This was before the summer of love, drugs, and the sitar where the Beatles were just trying to be the best band in the world and writing songs that made them so. It is a joy to see them cutting up and being their goofy, hilarious selves. I dare you not to sing and dance along as you watch it.
Article comments
1 - The Proprietor
"A Hard Day's Night" was actually filmed after the Beatles' first trip to America. George Harrison received the twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar that defines the soundtrack while recovering from the flu at the Plaza Hotel in New York.
For all of its surrealness, "A Hard Day's Night" has an almost documentary feel, as some of the one-liners are actually taken from real quips of the Beatles (Granddad's bit about "So far I've been in a train and a room, a car and a room, and a room and a room!" was taken from a crack the Beatles made about their concert tour in Sweden). Great care was taken in certain aspects of the film, look at the concert scene - if you'll notice, the lads are getting progressively sweatier as the scene builds to its almost orgasmic conclusion with "She Loves You". There are a couple of endearing goofs (Lennon's swim trunks in the bathtub bit, different clothes worn in the bit in the car after they get off the train).
The wit in this film is devastatingly funny. George's turn with the TV producer ("She's a drag, a well-known drag. We turn the sound down on her and say rude things.") is legendary.
2 - Eric Olsen
agree on all counts Mat, absolutely love the movie and the music is untouchable - very nice review, thanks!
3 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
i also enjoy the tunes of this little-known beat combo, and i find this flick to be remarkable. The documentary-appraoch, as noted by The Proprieter, lends it an immediacy and an intimacy that draws a fella in even when the lines, as mat noted, are occasionally delivered in a very dry manner. And the music is fantastic. Wasn't the soundtrack the first beatles record with nothing but originals on there?
To comment on your point about the screaming and the fainting and the what must it have been like, i think one only need attend a concert by the latest boy-band sensations to see it in action.
4 - Mat
The joy about the comedy in this film is that it seems to come from real life. They boys engage in silliness and throw out one liners like a regular joe. There is none of the jokiness that comes from so many comedies these days. However, though I laughed throughout I wouldn't go as far as to say it is devastatingly funny. A truly great comedy will have me curled up in a ball with tears rolling down my eyes. AHDN is funny and kept me smiling but was no where near as funny, to me, as say Raising Arizona or Young Frankenstein.
>i think one only need attend a >concert by the latest boy-band >sensations to see it in action.
Ugh. Kill me now. Do you think any of the boy-bands or half naked girl singers develop such frenzied fandom as the Beatles did in their day?
5 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
i think a lot of them do, man. Quite aside from them usical worth, the fact is that, here in the UK anyhow, Take That for example were inspiring scenes easily as demented as anything a fella might see on some footage of Shea Stadium.
Oh, and Beatles In The USA is a fine documentary flick that acts as a neat compliment to HDN.