60s Bands on Film is a series examining the handful of films made in the 1960s starring popular musical acts of the time.
A Hard Day's Night begins with that same, instantly recognizable opening chord as its namesake song. The Beatles are running down the street, chased by a mob of adoring fans. Just like the title track, this film starts with an iconic, high-energy opening note.
There are few film sequences as infectious as the beginning of A Hard Day's Night. No exposition is necessary. At this point, everyone in the audience knows who these four boys from Liverpool are, and the film immediately drops us into their world. Even fifty-six years later, the excitement from this opening remains palpable and just as effective as it was in 1964.
It is hard to overstate the significance of A Hard Day's Night. It set the standard for everything that came after it and was revolutionary in its own right. The Beatles changed music in innumerable ways; it only fits that they would do the same on film.
The Movie
By the time A Hard Day's Night premiered, The Beatles already played The Ed Sullivan Show and were a worldwide sensation. As such, the movie's success was not surprising, but the level of acclaim certainly was. The film has a level of wit that came as a total surprise, and it is that wit alongside their effortlessness that keeps this a hit even among the most high-brow of film circles.
The movie follows the band (and Wilfrid Brambell as Paul's grandfather) through a day as they prepare for a television performance and get themselves into and out of trouble... several times. The Beatles play themselves, or at least somewhat fictionalized representations of themselves.
In his essay on the film included in its Criterion release, Howard Hampton writes that director Richard "Lester said that A Hard Day's Night essentially wrote itself, taken directly from the short time he and Owen spent hanging out with the boys, he meant it was a matter of simply reproducing their private idiom...He didn't impose either an aesthetic or his ego on them, instead teasing out a situational approach based on their own proclivities and circumstances."
The result is a film that feels effortless and natural. Lester's laissez-faire approach allows the space for each Beatle to develop and show a real personality. It is this authenticity that makes A Hard Day's Night in particular so lasting and iconic. They feel like real people, which is a rare intimacy given how monolithic they would become and remain today. The wit is razor-sharp, leading to anti-establishment undertones that make this relentlessly fun and crucial for its moment in time. It is endearing and smart from the beginning, making it an equally entertaining and iconic watch.
The Music
A Hard Day's Night features some of the most iconic Beatles songs, as well as some deeper cuts that are nonetheless great. The titular song bookends the film, but the numbers that fall within the movie are just as entertaining.
"I Should Have Known Better" appears during a rousing card game on a train at the beginning of the film. It is the first time we actually see The Beatles sing in the movie, and it is a magical moment, staged perfectly for the screen. "If I Fell" is a simple performance on a soundstage, lit in such a way that it feels almost ethereal.
The "Can't Buy Me Love" sequence is perhaps as iconic as the film itself. The Beatles frolic outside for the song's duration, breaking free of the restrictions of their manager and the rehearsals. It does not serve the narrative all that much, yet it makes perfect sense- it feels like a perfect culmination of the personalities and energy we have seen through the whole film up to this point. It is a release that is incredibly fun to watch.
The film ends with a concert, the one they have been supposedly rehearsing for throughout the film, where they play several songs, the most infectious and iconic of which is "She Loves You." The scene, again perfectly shot for the screen, is not only an immensely entertaining performance of a classic song but an incredible time capsule. Beatlemania is on full display in this sequence, and it is still incredibly remarkable to see.
Overall, this film boasts some of the most artfully constructed musical performances ever put on screen. The music would stand on its own anyway, but under Lester's direction, these sequences go to a whole other level that is spectacularly entrancing. It is a feat of both film and music.
Verdict
It is hard to think of much intelligent to say about A Hard Day's Night that would be new. It changed the game, all while being equal parts entertaining and historic. It can be easy to believe that a band as popular and monolithic as The Beatles surely must be overblown. But they aren't, and the fact that this film remains just as fun and infectious as it was in 1964 proves that.
It showed they were something special, and it was a wake-up call to bands around the world- some would never fully recover from the sudden blow of Beatlemania. They craft images of real people within the Beatles mythos and, under Richard Lester's masterful hand, create a film that is both well-made and incredibly fun.
It makes sense to review this first in the project because everything that comes after this will try (and mostly fail) to recreate the formula and success of this film. Without A Hard Day's Night, you likely would not have the rest of the movies in this series and even some of these other bands. If you had to describe The Beatles and their staying power to someone who knew nothing about them, this would be the place to start. This is a true classic and one of the best movie musicals ever made. Its significance in both music and movie history cannot be overstated.