Movie Description
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT presents a fictionalized day in the life of the Beatles as they give a performance on a live television show. Filmed just a month after their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, this film--the Beatles' first--introduces us to the unique personalities of each member of the band. The film opens with the Fab Four boarding a train mobbed with adoring young fans (mostly women) as they attempt to travel to the television studio in London. The antics of the band during rehearsals and makeup application provide a large part of the comic material in this feature, though there are other moments of pure hilarity. The unscripted vignette featuring a hangover-suffering Ringo is especially funny, particularly when he is arrested and risks having to miss the broadcast. None of this goes unnoticed by the director of the show, played by Victor Spinetti, who went on to become a recurring cast member in Beatles movies. As the clock ticks away dramatically, our heroes manage to free Ringo from jail and sneak onto the stage in the nick of time, delighted in the knowledge that they have nearly driven the director mad in the process. Arguably the first music video ever made, this faux documentary and its shooting style have been a tremendous influence on nearly every rock and roll feature since.
| Credits | | Producer: | Walter Shenson | | Cast: | Eddie Malin, George Harrison, Kenneth Haigh, Paul McCartney, Richard Vernon, Wilfred Brambell |
Notes
Theatrical release: July 6, 1964.
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT was filmed and produced in only 7 weeks, at a budget of 180,000 pounds, or $500,000.
The opening scene, where the Beatles are mobbed by fans while getting onto a train, is actual documentary footage. A leak from the production department made the filming locations known to fans, so that when the Beatles showed up to film this first scene, there were hundreds of crazed, rowdy fans already there.
Brian Epstein, the Beatles' manager, gave the rights to the accompanying album to United Artists before the film was released. The album's advance sales more than covered the film's budget.
The Beatles were big fans of the comedy of Peter Sellers and Spike Mulligan. Director Richard Lester was chosen in large part because he helmed comedy series starring both men.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote six new songs for the film.
Richard Lester makes a cameo appearance during the live performance scene, and a very young Phil Collins briefly appears as an audience member during the television performance scene.
Editorial Reviews
"...Helter-skelter glee..." - Recommended
Premiere - pp.123-4 - Josh Rottenberg (12/01/1995)
"...Groundbreaking..."
Rolling Stone - p.121 - Peter Travers (07/08/1993)
"...[A] rapid-fire screenplay and the...Beatles' charismatic acting....Irresistible..." -- Rating: A+
Entertainment Weekly - p.75 - Ira Robbins (10/20/1995)
"...As a vehicle for the mop-tops' schoolboy humour and all-smiles-and-screams gig, it's infectious stuff..."
Total Film - p.100 - Kevin Harley (05/01/2001)
"...The film is mad, mad and crazy....Imaginative..."
Hollywood Reporter - p.13-52 - Al Finestone (12/01/2000)
"...A HARD DAY'S NIGHT creates pure, infectious joy. Larking about is what these Beatles do best, pleasure is what they convey..."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (12/01/2000)
"...It was smart, it was irreverent, it didn't take itself seriously, and it was shot and edited by Richard Lester in an electrifying back-and-white, semi-documentary style..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (10/27/1996)
"...Fabness itself....They look prettier than Audrey Hepburn, talk funnier than the Marx Brothers and strut sassier than Brando..."
Rolling Stone - Rolling Stone Staff (11/27/2003)
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