I was never an official child of the sixties, but in my early years I would claim to be at least a spiritual one. I like to think I grew up with a superficial knowledge of sixties counter culture, which included listening to hippy laden pop music and psychedelic flower power movies. Little did I know as a young child that the decade also represented a tumultuous time that included an unjust war, political assassinations, and fear of nuclear annihilation. I learned that the sixties would represent more than just peace, love, and understanding, it was much more complex and grim; yet as I am reminded of harsh realities of the world, I thank God that once upon a time there was a band called The Beatles, and a film called "A Hard Day's Night".
"A Hard Day's Night" is an innocent film, it's light and breezy a hymn to a youthful time, and an era that has long gone by, and what a wonderful time it must've been. The Beatles were giants, they set the bar for every other band that came after them; they were brilliant, witty, and original,and they left us with a very nearly perfect catalog of music that helped define the decade. "
"A Hard Day's Night" was made during that early period of the band's career known as Beatlemania. Millions of young girls flocked to see them, crying, screaming, and fainting over them. The boys were thought to be a fad, people predicted they would disappear soon, so it was best to capitalize on them as much as possible. I wasn't born at the time, so I can't say for sure if The Beatles were overexposed, yet one just has to look at all the fuss that's being made to our current pop idols to see what it must've been for them. Yet, The Beatles were different, they probably surprised a large group of cynics who wrote them off too quickly, they were actually very intelligent and could produce pretty brilliant pop tune.
One just has to listen to the opening title song of the film as soon as George Harrison plays that famous first chord, don't be too surprised if you don't join in and start singing.
The film is an imaginary tale a day in the life of the world's most famous pop stars, they hide out in a train station to outrun a mob of girls, go out dancing, talk with press people, run around in a giant field, and get to a television studio in time to put on a concert, it's all in a day's work for the boys. Yet complications do arise, mostly due to Paul's mixer of a Grandfather (Wilifred Brambell) who has a habit of getting himself into trouble. Among the Grandfather's exploits is gallivanting around gambling at a casino, popping up from a prop floor during a television rehearsal of an Opera, and convincing Ringo to desert the band right before their big live broadcast.
Brambell nearly steals the show with every scene he's in, but the film's major asset is John, Paul, George, and Ringo; if anything this shows just how natural these boys were. The film fills the boys with lines of wit and dry british humour, but they add their own bit of whimsy themselves. Look how they handle themselves in the scene where they talk to the press, they add their own bit of satire to the situation. If you've seen footage of The Beatles at those early press conferences, you know they are every bit as funny and charming as they are in this film, so much so it's hard to believe that what they are saying is actually scripted yet it is.
The Academy award nominated script by Alun Owen takes great pains to trying to keep the dialogue as natural as possible, yet he also plays around with witty word play, and The Beatles (who were great wordsmith themselves if you've heard any of their songs) were up to the challenge.
Here's some examples of some of the great wit.
George: That's not your Grandfather
Paul: It is, you know.
George: But I've seen your Grandfather, he lives in your house.
Paul: Oh well that's my other Grandfather, but he's my Grandfather as well.
John: How do you reckon that one out.
Paul: Well everyone's entitled to two aren't they.
Reporter: What do you call that hairstyle?
Ringo: Arthur.
Reporter: Do you often see your father?
Paul: No actually, we're just good friends.
My favorite scene in the film probably comes when John encounters a woman in a hallway, she notices who he is it starts off like this.
Woman: Oh wait a minute, don't tell me who you are
John: No, I'm not
Woman: Oh you are.
John: I'm not
Woman: Oh you are, I know you are.
John: I'm not, no
The scene ends with her now convinced that he isn't who she thought he was, with John adding the punch line "She looks more like him than I do." Some how when I think of John Lennon, I think of him in this scene, it's funny, nonsensical, and ambiguous; if the scene were a pop song, Lennon could've written it.
Yes there are Beatles songs here and they are wall to wall great, Of course I wouldn't be the first one to place Lennon/McCartney songs alongside Cole Porter's or George Gershwins, they are enshrined forever in popular music. Along with the title tune, you also get "Can't by me love", "If I fell", "I should've known better", "I'm happy just to Dance with you", "Tell Me Why", and "She Loves you". Strangely enough none of the songs were nominated for an Oscar even though they were technically written for the film, instead the Oscar went to "Mary Poppins" for "Chim, chim chereee", a delightful clever song, but much more belonging to that classical era of musicals.
The film is a celebration of The Beatles as individuals, they have a sort of pleasant anarchy in a world that wishes to restrain them as pop idols who aren't meant to have fun. They have rules, schedules, and managers to answer to, but that doesn't stop them from doing what they wanna do. The Beatles to me never seemed to be conventional pop stars unlike ones you see today where their every move seems calculated and a way to keep them in the news and sell records. Lately there has been a souless trend of giving these recent pop sensations their own theatrical concert films all of which are in 3-D. Perhaps these films are harmless, meant to attract their fan demographic, but chances are we won't be talking about them in fifty years, the way we do with "A Hard Day's Night".
The film itself was directed by Richard Lester, mostly known at that time with directing British comedy group known as The Goons which featured Peter Sellers among others. Lester borrows from the French New Wave of jump cuts, and quick editing techniques, it adds to the youthful flare the film has. Lester was only working with a $500 000 budget and limited shooting time no doubt due to the band's hectic touring/recording schedule; to his credit, he makes a film that looks like it was shot on a weekend, that's meant as a compliment. It's not crisp or posh, it's fast, frenzied, and furious, it captures the time and the mania surrounding The Beatles in this era perfectly.
Lester would make another film with "The Beatles": "Help" a sometimes clever film that falters a little bit by giving the group an actual movie plot; "A Hard Day's Night" works better because they are able to show off their own natural charms better, and the black and white adds to the time capsule feel to it; remember this was a time when "The Beatles" would be on every black and white tv set in the world, if feels more authentic seeing them like that.
"A Hard Day's Night" was made in 1964, it was after the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Kennedy's assassination, coming up another Kennedy would be killed, as well as Martin Luthor King. The Beatles themselves would mature into more sophisticated songs and albums leaving a fantastic legacy of work. Hearts around the world were broken when the band ended rather bitterly, but we still have all that great music. For me, it's hard to belief that in a decade full of such strife and tragedy, The Beatles were able to explode the way they did. Their music meant freedom to so many, they captured our imaginations unlike anyone else, I listen to their music and it instills a purpose in me, like wanting to change the world, or at least make it a bit brighter. The Beatles couldn't have lasted forever, but let's just thank God they came at all.
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