Music

Watch A Hard Day's Night on AUX Box Office

by Allan Tong

A Hard Day’s Night remains the Citizen Kane of rock movies.

It captures a quasi-fictitious day in the life of The Fab Four at the height of Beatlemania in early 1964. The opening shot is iconic (see clip): John, Paul, George and Ringo running from a herd of delirious girls and leaping onto a train that barely escapes the station. The Fabs then arrive at a TV studio, rehearse some numbers, attend a press reception where they answer inane questions, answer fan mail, and keep dodging girls.

Watch it September 9, 9:00 pm,  September 9/10 midnight, September 10, 1:00 pm

Along for the ride is Paul’s fictional grandfather (a wonderful Wilfrid Brambell), a mischievous ole geezer who sneaks into casinos and foments quarrels among the band members. However, what makes A Hard Day’s Night shine, are the personalities of The Beatles: John the wit, Paul the charmer, George the one, and Ringo the clown. Surprisingly, Harrison is the best actor with his deadpan delivery.

Some context: A Hard Day’s Night began as a vehicle to cash-in on the latest teenybopper craze in 1964, something from England called The Beatles. United Artists committed such a meager budget that the film was shot in black-and-white and originally entitled Beatlemania. After all, rock ‘n’ roll was considered kiddy music and bands were dismissed as fads. Make the movie quick before the band disappears, was the attitude.

Instead, a great piece of filmmaking emerged, largely due to director Lester who was shooting MTV-style films long before music videos were born, and screenwriter Alun Owen who captured The Beatles’  Scouse wit. Credit both men for sticking close to the everyday reality that The Beatles endured as world superstars living in a fishbowl and thank them for not veering into silly fiction (as Help! did the following year). A Hard Day’s Night has the ring of truth, yet remains fun. The “Can’t Buy Me Love” sequence showcases Lester’s jump-cut style and perfectly evokes the energy behind this number one song. An earlier scene with The Beatles locking horns with a stuffy businessman typifies Owen’s sharp dialogue and The Beatles natural humour:  “I fought the war for your sort,” snaps the posh gent. “Bet you’re sorry you won,” answers working-class Ringo.

Though The Beatles are imprisoned as rock stars in hotel rooms, trains and in public, they express the greatest quality of rock through their humour, camaraderie and especially their music: freedom.