A Hard Day’s Night
1964 | G | Comedy, Musical | d. Richard Lester
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr
35th Anniversary Screening
In 1964, The Beatles were on top of the world: sold-out world tours, record-breaking album sales, global TV audiences, unparalleled press coverage, and the devotion of thousands of screaming girls everywhere they went. Nobody—least of all the band itself—imagined they could do more. But then someone asked, “What about a movie?” Teaming up with wunderkind American director Richard Lester and talented British screenwriter Alun Owen while channeling Buster Keaton and Peter Sellers, The Beatles gamely joined in on a madcap adaptation of the craziness their lives had become, giving the world a truly multisensory look at John (the clever one), Paul (the cute one), George (the quiet one) and Ringo (the funny one). Throw in Paul’s bawdy grandfather, an neurotic TV producer, and Ringo embarking on a journey of self-discovery by breaking away from the group to wander the streets of London, and you get not just a film to fall in love with, but a work so clever and groundbreaking it changed popular cinema forever. This was the birth of narrative music video and the opening of a door for artists as multilevel entertainers, crossing boundaries and busting out of boxes. The magic that made The Beatles the most influential rock band in history also worked for them on the big screen; the combination of joy, heartache, soul, passion and mindblowing creativity that marked their music is what makes A Hard Day’s Night so perfect. Countless pop stars have followed in The Beatles’ footsteps since their heyday, capitalizing on film to reach more fans and raise their profile. And while many have had success in this regard, The Beatles did it first and did it best, for A Hard Day’s Night isn’t just about screaming girls and “yeah yeah yeah”s—it’s a model of artistic achievement disguised as darn good fun.
- Lisa Y. Garibay