A Hard Day's Night (film)
A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 musical comedy film starring the English rock band the Beatles – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – during the height of Beatlemania.[4] In 1997, British critic Leslie Halliwell described it as a "comic fantasia with music; an enormous commercial success with the director trying every cinematic gag in the book" and awarded it a full four stars.After a mundane cocktail reception where the group tease reporters with comic and evasive answers to interview questions, they leave through a fire escape and cavort in a field until forced off by its caretaker.Ringo tries to have a quiet drink in a pub, takes pictures, walks alongside the River Thames, and rides a bicycle along a railway station platform.[b] After being ejected from the pub for nearly injuring a parrot with a dart and accidentally causing a woman to fall into a newly dug hole at a construction site, Ringo is apprehended by a policeman.Arriving back at the studio with only minutes to spare before airtime, the Beatles deliver a smashing performance to an audience of screaming, delirious fans.The film's credits incorrectly state that all songs are composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney – a portion of "Don't Bother Me", written by George Harrison, is heard during one scene.In addition to the soundtrack album, an EP (in mono) of songs from the film titled Extracts From The Film A Hard Day's Night was released by Parlophone on 6 November 1964, having the following tracks:[8] The screenplay was written by Alun Owen, who was chosen because the Beatles were familiar with his play No Trams to Lime Street, and he had shown an aptitude for writing in the group's native Scouse dialect.[21] The film was shot for United Artists using a cinéma vérité style influenced by the French New Wave and British kitchen sink realism[22] in black-and-white.[33] Before A Hard Day's Night was released in America, a United Artists executive asked Lester to dub the Beatles' voices with Mid-Atlantic accents.[citation needed] Mal Evans, one of the Beatles' road managers, also appears briefly in the film—moving an upright bass through a tight hallway as Lennon talks with the woman who mistakes him for someone else.[citation needed] George Harrison met his wife-to-be, Patricia Boyd, on the set when she made a brief (uncredited) appearance as one of the schoolgirls on the train.[38] Playing the buxom woman with Paul's grandfather in the casino scene was popular British 1960s pinup model Margaret Nolan, who also appeared as "Dink", the golden girl during the opening credits of the James Bond film Goldfinger, later that same year.[43] A Hard Day's Night set records at the London Pavilion by grossing over $20,000 in the first week, ultimately becoming so popular that more than 1,600 prints were in circulation simultaneously.[45] Contemporary reviews of the film were mostly positive; one oft-quoted assessment was provided by Andrew Sarris of The Village Voice, who deemed it "the Citizen Kane of jukebox musicals.The website's critics consensus reads: "A Hard Day's Night, despite its age, is still a delight to watch and has proven itself to be a rock-and-roll movie classic.[53][54] The New Yorker critic Brendan Gill wrote: "Though I don't pretend to understand what makes these four rather odd-looking boys so fascinating to so many scores of millions of people, I admit that I feel a certain mindless joy stealing over me as they caper about uttering sounds.[2] British critic Leslie Halliwell states the film's influence as "it led directly to all the kaleidoscopic swinging London spy thrillers and comedies of the later sixties".Over time, his brash editorial style became a norm, now celebrated every night around the world in hundreds of music videos on MTV and in countless commercials.[64][65] In an interview for the DVD re-release of A Hard Day's Night, Lester said he had been labelled the father of MTV and had jokingly responded by asking for a paternity test.[24] John Lennon wrote the song (credited to Lennon–McCartney) in one night, writing the lyrics on the back of a birthday card sent to his young son Julian,[71] and it went on to win a Grammy for Best Performance by a Vocal Group.[74][75] On 6 July 2004, the 40th anniversary of the film's world premiere, a private cast-and-crew-reunion screening was hosted in London by DVD producer Martin Lewis.
Richard LesterAlun OwenWalter ShensonThe BeatlesWilfrid BrambellGilbert TaylorJohn JympsonGeorge MartinLennon–McCartneyGeorge HarrisonUnited ArtistsPavilion Theatremusicalcomedy filmJohn LennonPaul McCartneyRingo StarrBeatlemaniaAcademy AwardsBest Original ScreenplayLeslie Halliwellthe Monkeestelevision showGerry and the PacemakersFerry Cross the MerseyBritish Film Institute88th-greatest British film of the 20th centuryvariety showfan maila bookRiver ThamesKeystone CopsWolverhamptonNorman RossingtonJohn JunkinVictor SpinettiAnna QuayleDeryck GuylerRichard VernonEdward MalinRobin RayLionel BlairDavid JansonKenneth HaighJulian HollowayJohn BluthalMichael TrubshaweMargaret NolanPattie BoydJeremy LloydCharlotte RamplingPhil CollinsMarianne StoneDerek NimmoDouglas MillingsDavid LangtonJohn Lennon and Paul McCartneyDon't Bother MeGeorge Martin OrchestraA Hard Day's NightI Should Have Known BetterI Wanna Be Your ManAll My LovingIf I FellCan't Buy Me LoveAnd I Love HerI'm Happy Just to Dance with YouThis BoyTell Me WhyShe Loves Youthe soundtrack albumParlophoneI'll Cry InsteadSwinging SixtiesYou Can't Do ThatI Call Your NameNo Trams to Lime StreetScouse dialectrockerReady Steady Go!Steptoe and Soncinéma véritéFrench New Wavekitchen sink realismCapitol Recordsexploitation filmMarylebone stationEquityMineheadSomersetTwickenhamTwickenham StudiosScala TheatreFitzroviaLes Ambassadeurs ClubMayfairundercrankingIsleworthWest EalingJulie Harrisroad managerRooney Massara1972 Munich OlympicsMal EvansPatricia BoydGenesisJames BondGoldfingerU certificateBritish Board of Film CensorsLondon Pavilionits soundtrackAndrew SarrisThe Village VoiceCitizen Kanejukebox musicalsDr. StrangeloveRotten TomatoesMetacriticRoger EbertThe Great MoviesTotal FilmThe New York TimesBosley CrowtherThe New YorkerBrendan Gill