BrianKoller's Full Review: Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
Before "A Hard Day's Night", movies starring rock and roll stars had rarely been treated seriously by the public. Usually it is for a good reason. Who could forget Fabian in "Hound Dog Man"? Or Elvis in "Love Me Tender"? Even the young audience is glad when the dialogue stops and the artist or group performs a song, putting them back in their element again. While establishment artists like Bing Crosby found a home in the movies, outsiders like Elvis Presley were given the most trivial scripts and songs. The goal was to make the film as quickly and cheaply as possible, since the core audience would attend no matter the quality.
"A Hard Day's Night", starring the Beatles, did not change this perception. But the film demonstrated that musicians could act, especially if they just played themselves. John Lennon is mischievous, Paul McCartney is sunny, Ringo Starr is sad-faced, and George Harrison is ironic. The clever script gives them ample opportunity to lampoon the establishment that fawns over or patronizes them.
Richard Lester directed, and stocked with film with excellent British character actors. We find little-known Wilfrid Brambell stealing the show as Paul's grandfather. He may look 'very clean' but he soon proves to be a 'keen mixer'. Brambell is fond of causing trouble, and his glasses give him enormous malignant eyes. He has a wonderfully cantankerous voice that is the masculine equivalent of a witch's cackle.
Another find is Victor Spinetti as the stressed-out producer of a TV show that stars the Beatles. They won't conform to his petty rules. A classic moment has Spinetti panicking when Brambell suddenly appears on stage during an opera telecast.
The plot has the Beatles tightly scheduled by their managers and agents. They're always to and from a show, on a train or in a hotel room. They are rarely seen without a suit and slacks. It's no wonder that when they have a moment of free time, they run amok in a field.
Ringo gets the most screen time of the Beatles. Brambell berates him for reading a book, and gives him the dubious advice that he should go 'parading'. Ringo takes his advice and disguises himself with a trenchcoat. Walking the streets alone, he causes mischief. He's tailed by a 'bobby', or a British policeman. (They apparently lined the streets of London in 1964.) Ringo has a very humorous bit involving a lady and his raincoat.
The film ends with the Beatles performing on Spinetti's television show. Their performance on the show is the one disappointing part of the film, since they mime to the studio versions. Turn on the mikes and turn off the tape! They also play the same songs that we heard earlier in the film, although it does help that they still sound great the second time around.
"A Hard Day's Night" is the Beatles best film. A little better than "Help", which relied more on physical comedy, and much better than "Magical Mystery Tour", which was just plain weird. (90/100)
In 1964, The Beatles had just recently exploded onto the American scene with their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. The group s first feature film, A Ha...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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