When I was about fourteen years old I remember waiting on line to get in to see A Hard Days Night. The line began early in the day and stretched far around the theatre. I didn't make the first show so we stayed on line for the second show. Unknown to me at the time was a gal who also loved the Beatles. She lived in the neighboring town. This gal was also on this line. I didn't meet her until a few years later.

I do remember going into the theatre and the film starting. As in the CD it opens with one chord. It is the opening chord that is held for several seconds before the lyrics of the song A Hard Days Night come in. With that chord the screaming started. That is both from in the film as fans are chasing the Beatles through the streets and also from the live fans in the movie theatre. I barely heard another word of dialog throughout the movie. But I didn't care. I was caught up in "the moment" myself. We sang along with every song and cheered at what we felt were appropriate times. All I can say was that the premier days of A Hard Days Night were "happeninings" I was happy to be a part of. I was down in the orchestra area. I remember so well the girls up in the balcony screaming and shouting in hysterics as they pulled their hair, had streams of tears down their faces and from time to time hugged and held each other. One of those girls was a Beatle fan I met years later and married. My wife and I continue to listen to the Beatles.

Just recently for my birthday my son and daughter-n-law gave me the DVD Collectors series by Miramax of A Hard Days Night. Just last night did I watch it and probably for the first time heard all the dialog of the movie. The quality of the DVD is excellent. It is filmed in black and white. Much was done with hand held cameras. That was new for the times. Now it's used quite often with good affect as in the surprise hit of a couple of years ago Blaire Witch Project. There were no small video cameras at the time so this was ground breaking.

Except for the very cramped areas of the opening railroad scenes much of the filming was done with two cameras shooting from different angles. This again was new to film. It seemed that it was a necessity because John, Paul, George, and Ringo were not able to re-shoot scenes exactly as they originally were. The two cameras added flexibility to the editing.

The directing was done by Richard Lestor. He was chosen because of his background working with a new troupe and style of filming comedy. He worked with a group called the Goons. Peter Sellers was part of the group and it was a for-runner of the very successful English comedy team of Monte Python. The Beatles knew of the "Goons" and were quick to say yes to Lestor as director.

After the first chase scene, which is one of many exciting romps, most of the beginning of the film is done in very close quarters. The four are also very closely monitored by management. This sets up for sharp and quick witted dialog from our fab four. As stated later, in the extras of the second DVD in the set with interviews, the four had their basic personalities enhanced for the big screen.

Paul was the "cute" one. His character and disarming smile kept the girls screaming constantly in the theatre almost forty years ago and I'm sure continues to do the same today. According to the interviews in the supplemental section he had the most difficulty acting because he knew more of theatre than the other Beatles. He was therefore trying too hard to live up to standards he felt were necessary for him to convey.

John was the cynical one. His quick wit is always coming out in the movie. It's mentioned in the extras how he constantly "Pricked the bubble of pompousity" in those of supposed "importance" on the movie set. He said his piece and would quickly get over it and continue on. John was excellent on film . To me he seemed most natural.

George Harrison, according to director Richard Lestor was the "most accurate" performer. He would get his script and just knew what was needed from him to portray his part, and it was done well.

Ringo was the guy "in the back" the drummer, who was the loner and lonely. I was struck by the directors comments about how underrated a drummer Ringo was. He was merely "just holding the band together". His scene to the instrumental of "This Boy" was well done.

Ringo was also the person who penned the name of the movie. After a tough session of shoots he came up with the Yogi Berra type words of "It's a hard days night". Someone liked it, they tossed it around, and decided that should be the title.

The interesting thing that I found out was that there was no song It's a Hard Days Night at the time. The director went over to John and Paul and said we need something. That night according to a couple of different interviews John put together a song and Paul added to it. The next morning they presented it and it was ready. Except for one thing.
In discussing the opening of the movie they didn't like the idea of the lyrics starting the movie. After much talk it was decided that one opening chord held for several seconds would be the intro, and so it now is.

I watched the opening a few times and was amazed at how well that one chord worked in setting the tone of the movie.

As I mentioned earlier the much of the beginning of the movie is done in close quarters along with much monitoring of the guys by management. This sets up for the scene later on where the four make their escape and into the fields where they do their crazy antics. This was filmed both from the ground and as an afterthought from a helecoptor. That scene, though an afterthought, is one of the most remembered and perhaps most beloved of all Beatles scenes. Many also say that this scene was the first of what was to become the music videos of tomorrow.

The sound and re-mastering of the music I felt was excellent. Being a great Beatles fan at the time I still know all the words. I was watching the movie with my youngest daughter who is thirteen. She had to listen to both the sound of the movie and my singing along.

The movie features many Beatles early songs.

A Hard Days Night
Tell Me Why
And I Love her
If I Fell
Can't Buy Me Love
She Loves You
This Boy
All My Loving
I Wanna be Your Man
Don't Bother Me
I Should Have Known Better
I'm Happy Just To Dance with You

It's mentioned in the interviews that much of the closing scenes that are done in concert were inaudible to those there. It was said that they "Couldn't hear the music for the noise". That's how it closes. John , Paul, George, and Ringo on stage with the fans doing the same thing I witnessed at the movie theatre at the same time forty years earlier. Tears, screams, pulling of hair, and indescribable hysteria. The finish with the Beatles playing a short set of their music was great!!

The movie was done in a very short time. The men in power wanted it out very quickly because they felt that the Beatles may just be a "One MONTH Wonder". I believe those guys making the decisions were wrong. The movie along with the Beatles, needless to say, were a huge hit.

I loved the DVD. The movie I was able to hear for the first time was rich in humour and wit. The story line, though not of much importance, moved along. The music throughout the movie was wonderful.

Some of the added interviews on the supplemental disc were forced and seemed to be the first time some of the people thought of the film in almost forty years. The interview with Director George Lestor and Musical Director Sir George Martin were enlightening.

All in all, my daughter enjoyed it, I enjoyed it very much. Any person who is a fan of rock music should see it as the place and time where so much in the industry changed.

The two DVD pair is set into 14 scene selections that are easy to follow. The packaging is in a rich looking, silver coloured jacket with four portrait pictures of the guys in sepia tones on the front. Inside it opens up to a scene from the movie. The Beatles are on stage in their suits and a lift is bringing Wilford Brambell, a humourous old character in the movie, onto the middle of the scene.

The picture is in black and white. I must mention here that Brambell character is quite funny throughout the movie and he gets nearly the same time on film as John, Paul, George, and Ringo. As I mentioned the plot is not that important. The movie was a vehicle in which we got to know each of the Beatles more intimately and the band together as a group who loved each other, looked out for each other and took the world by storm as a band.

The cover again opens inside presenting the two discs. The one on the left has printed on it "A Hard Da and on the right disc is Y's Night".

Together you have "A HARD DA Y'S NIGHT". Both the Movie disc and the supplemental disc are in black with white lettering. The four inside sections of the cover all have pictures from the movie. One of the Beatles in each of them.

The whole DVD jacket slides into a sleeve that has dividing boxes that separate the faces of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.









Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8