Look Out, Here They Come !!!

Rating: 9/10 (22 February 2016)

Directed by Richard Lester and written by Alun Owen, 'A Hard Day's Night' is a comedy musical film starring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr playing themselves. The plot although is fictional, however the life of the 'fab four' depicted in this film couldn't have been too far away from the reality at the time which was the height of 'Beatlemania'.
The concept of popular musicians starring in films is certainly not uncommon. But on most occasions, those outings turn out to be a shoddy attempt to make money by exploiting the popularity of the stars. This could have been a similar case considering the low budget assigned for the production of the film. But Alun Owen's great screenplay and specially Richard Lester's tour-de-force direction elevates the film from just being a showcase for The Beatles' music to levels of greatness.
As far as I am concerned the basic theme of Owen's screenplay is the exuberance of youth and the yearning for freedom/liberty. Instead of making the 'fab four' play righteous heroes, the script makes them play themselves in order to make a social commentary in a subtle way. Like in real life, the Beatles in the film also exist in Britain at a very significant time when the old somewhat Victorian-esque ways of authority and customs were starting to be gradually obliterated by the youth of the 'swinging sixties'. This rift between the old and the new gets portrayed extensively in the film like the encounter between older posh gentleman and the beatles in the train compartment or the moment when an older man asks the gang to get off his private property after their wild craziness. The members of the band in the film are youngsters who want to do what they want to do without having to be answerable to anybody. Their manager almost gets driven mad by the lack of discipline of the group which is another metaphor for defying the restrictions and refusing to get dictated by the elders. The wild girls going crazy for the Beatles and trying to get close to them by escaping the police and the security is their way to become non-conformists by embracing the boys who represented their idea of self liberation. An interesting aspect of the film is the character of Paul's grandfather. Although based on his age, he belongs to the older generation, but he actually is a young naughty troublemaker in an old man's body. He represents the kind of character that the 'fab four' would be like in their old days if they don't change.
For me, what makes this film a classic is Richard Lester's direction. He really adds the energy to the film. Some of the scenes have become very famous due to the directing techniques that were used to capture them. Lester's direction in the film is certainly heavily influenced by the style of the French New Wave. We see a whole array of intricate directorial tools like repeated jump cuts, Cinéma vérité style of cinematography in the street scenes to give a documentary feel, we see extended overhead shots, sequences with speeded up motion, etc. There are also some shots in the film where the characters wink at the camera a bit which is also a slight homage to the French New Wave. All these intricacies get put together and used brilliantly by Richard Lester to tell the story in a manner which goes with the themes and the nature of the characters. I think Lester's direction makes the film transcend genres. It has elements of a documentary, a musical, and a slapstick comedy all together. This must have to some extent influenced 'This is Spinal Tap'.
Although John, Paul, George and Ringo are clearly not the best of actors but they certainly add the wild charm and likability that is needed. What can never be denied is that they are funny together. Paul making fun of Ringo's dancing or John having funny arguments with their manager or George's weird encounter with the fashion moguls are examples of scenes where the easy-going but effective comedy comes to the forefront. I have nothing to say about their music. It is absolutely fantastic, both the slower tracks as well as the faster ones, but one will expect that.
Apart from the social commentary in the script and the uninhibited direction, I really want to drive home the fact that this film is bloody funny. I can watch it over and over again due to its vibrant energy and its easily likable comedy. This really is a Rock n' Roll Musical of the highest order and it does cinematic justice to the legacy of the Beatles instead of just exploiting their fame.