The best of the movies starring the world's best band is a lighthearted and zany lark, a decades-earlier "Seinfeld"-esque "show about nothing" beautifully shot in black and white.
Top-notch photography and innovative filmmaking give A Hard Day's Night (1964) a classy look. From the clang of the opening note of the film's title song, John, Paul, George, and Ringo are in motion--specifically attempting to escape the mobs of shrieking fans.
It's a musical unlike any other because it's a slapstick comedy combined with a sort of documentary, true in the sense of accurately recording the inarticulate excitement of youth culture for the Beatles. Also unique in that most musicals require the bizarre conceit of groups of people suddenly breaking into songs and dances in stagey ways.
Not so here.
For the Beatles, playing themselves necessitates musical performances, and ultimately a televised concert in front of a genuinely ecstatic studio audience.
As a subplot to this, Paul's grandfather (Brambell) is a little old man, very clean, who requires constant supervision because he is, in Paul's words, "a villain."
Paul's grandfather, like all of the older folk in the film, acts childishly and can not be trusted to behave properly. When an old man discovered in a cupboard wants to accompany the Fab Four down to the hotel casino to find Paul's grandfather, John has to tell him no, "You're too old!"
When asked at a press luncheon, "Are you a mod, or a rocker?" without missing a beat, Ringo replies, "I'm a mocker."
Reporter: "What would you call that hairstyle you're wearing?"
George: "Arthur."
As a sub-subplot, Paul's grandfather, being a "king mixer", tweaks Ringo's inferiority complex, assuring him that fans will "pick on" Ringo's nose.
Upbeat flick that it is, A Hard Day's Night features full song performances and incomplete portions woven frequently in, including "I Should Have Known Better", "And I Love Her", "Can't Buy Me Love", and many more.
Help! (1965) is the other classic (although not quite as good) catching the Lads From Liverpool in the act of being fun and silly. Let It Be (1970), not a wacky slapstick, is the documentary that accidentally records the beginning of the end for the band.
Director Richard Lester a decade later directed the excellent Three Musketeers films featuring Michael York, Raquel Welch, Charlton Heston, and an all-star cast.
The timeless trendsetter freely available online.
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
Starring John Lennon,
Paul McCartney,
George Harrison,
Ringo Starr,
Wilfrid Brambell,
Norman Rossington,
John Junkin,
Victor Spinetti,
Anna Quayle
Directed by Richard Lester
Written by Alun Owen
Runtime 87 minutes
Rated G
Stewart Kirby writes for
THE INDEPENDENT
and
TWO RIVERS TRIBUNE
Click link to books:
https://www.amazon.com/Stewart-Kirby/e/B00572M8JC
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