Thursday, January 2, 2014

422. A Hard Day's Night

A Hard Day's Night
1964
Directed by Richard Lester










This is such a strange movie and I can't see anything like this being made today.  The film stars The Beatles as themselves, though it is scripted, and follows a "typical" day in the lives of the singers, which apparently for Ringo includes getting arrested with Paul's grandfather.

Okay, seriously, who doesn't like the Beatles?  I feel like if someone told me they didn't like their music, it would take a lot of convincing on their side to make me believe they weren't simply trying to be contrarian.  And, although this is more of a topic for my music blog, A Hard Day's Night was one of their best albums and with this film we get to experience all of our favorite songs.  On a side note: Rubber Soul will always be my favorite Beatles album.

Surprisingly, this isn't just random clips of our favorite superstars with a Beatles album playing in the background.  It actually works great as a comedy and I was laughing out loud at several points in the film.   The experience was a bit bittersweet since the happy camaraderie between the four of them clearly didn't last.

I have never seen one of the concert movies on current singers which are quite popular now but I can pretty much guarantee that they are nothing like this, which is a damn shame.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The people chasing The Beatles at the beginning are actual fans.

Ringo was heavily hungover during the canal scene.

Trailer:

4 comments:

  1. I loved this movie and now your review is making me want to see it again! It was silly and strange and funny! Good review. :)

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  2. Ringo did look hung over in those scenes. It actually explains quite a bit.
    Loved this movie. It does indeed make you happy.

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  3. More Steptoe and Son on the movie blog!! What on earth did American audiences make of the running joke about Paul's grandfather being very clean?

    I like Rubber Soul. Not sure that the corresponding album to this was much better than 'fairly good'. Going further off topic for a moment, isn't Sergeant Pepper very overrated? I remember seeing an exhaustive list of the greatest albums ever made on television which had it at No. 5 and I was thinking "It's not even the 5th best Beatles album!"

    Anyway, I quite liked the film. They've all got enough wit and personality to get by even if none of them are really owning their scenes. BTW, wasn't it a bit odd that "the talent" they're trying to chat up on the train are all schoolgirls in uniform?

    Does Spiceworld count as a film like this being made today?

    Just throwing this out there, but is this film basically 8 1/2 remade with four scousers?

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  4. Some good points raised there Dessie...

    I guess Sergeant pepper has dated, badly..
    Stunningly new and innovative in it's day .. but now? When did I less play it? No idea... probably not in 20 years...

    Oh 'Spice world' is decidedly the modern day equivalent .. Which is decidedly a comment on the modern world.. but, I guess, at least without the 'sexy school girl' trope...

    As for a remake of 81/2. .. mmmmm.. see your point, but I'd say pushing it a bit...

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