An Enjoyable Little Film From The Beatles

Rating: 7/10 (10 January 2007)

I've never really been a fan of the Beatles. This is not to say that I don't enjoy their music, but I'd simply never been exposed to much of it. However, in the past year, I'd started to listen to many of their songs, and I instantly understood why they were so popular. Back in 1964, the band's growing popularity had spawned numerous best-selling albums, and the next step was a natural one - a Beatles movie. And so 'A Hard Day's Night' was born.
This modest-budgeted 1964 black-and-white film allegedly documents a "typical" day in the life of the Beatles. Whilst I'm aware that much of it was greatly exaggerated and dramatised for its portrayal on screen, I'm fairly certain that one thing has remained fairly accurate - the vast hoards of incessantly screaming teenage female fans who flock around the four performers, either during performances or in public. At the height of Beatlemania, I wouldn't be surprised if such scenes actually occurred on a regular basis.
The four young actors of the band, who I, quite obviously, don't need to name, are not the most talented of actors, but they perform adequately. The screenplay simply calls for them to act as themselves, and this they do quite well. Norman Rossington is good as Norm - the Beatles' manager - and Wilfrid Brambell is hilarious as Paul McCartney's "other grandfather," who has joined the band's travels for a "change of scenery." 'A Hard Day's Life' is an interesting little film, full of moments of joy and laughter and drama - and let us not forget the excellent soundtrack of (you guessed it) Beatles songs! It is not, in any real way, a groundbreaking film, though I've heard that the performance scenes greatly influenced how music videos were filmed at the time.
However, if, like me, you were unfortunate enough to have missed out on the 1960s, and you've been wondering why the Beatles were as big as they were, this is your definitive answer!