Hard Day's Night
It’s 1964. The Beatles are at the height of their fame. Girls screaming as the lads run around trying to avoid swarms of hyper adolescents. The storyline is thin. It involves a lost old man and a misplaced Ringo. And in fact, is nothing more than a segway into Beatle songs. Having said that, there are a couple of entertaining cameos. Wilfred Bramble, as a nice clean old man, is clearly enjoying himself. Meanwhile, the film is fresh, brash and never takes itself serious. As an example, John Lennon encounters an actress in a corridor. The delightful unscripted 'mistaken identity' scene is coy.
Hard Day’s Night was hardly supported by the United Artists, who had their eye on the soundtrack and record sales in the US. Thus, the director Richard Lester was left alone to craft a piece that mocks the whole Beatle-mania phenomenon. In the process, he defined and laid the foundations for the four distinct personality types associated with the Beatles. John as the smart-arse rebel intellectual. Paul more earnest and thoughtful. George, the quiet one. To top it off, the goofy comedian Ringo.
These characterisations are almost cartoon-like, but they stuck. 'Help', their next movie reinforced these manufactured personalities. In later life, the Beatles sought to shake off aspects of these personas, without much success.
I watched the film recently. It’s still a joyful experience.
Hard Day’s Night was hardly supported by the United Artists, who had their eye on the soundtrack and record sales in the US. Thus, the director Richard Lester was left alone to craft a piece that mocks the whole Beatle-mania phenomenon. In the process, he defined and laid the foundations for the four distinct personality types associated with the Beatles. John as the smart-arse rebel intellectual. Paul more earnest and thoughtful. George, the quiet one. To top it off, the goofy comedian Ringo.
These characterisations are almost cartoon-like, but they stuck. 'Help', their next movie reinforced these manufactured personalities. In later life, the Beatles sought to shake off aspects of these personas, without much success.
I watched the film recently. It’s still a joyful experience.