Another frenetic day in the life of the Beatles

Rating: 8/10 (27 September 2009)

This clever, fast-paced movie, made in 1964, came soon after the eruption of Beatlemania and brings to the screen the humour, the hijinks and sheer energy of the group. The music is singable and danceable and the ballads are great for listening. There is no let-up in the action which has no particular story but follows one frenetic day in the life of the early Beatles. There is great comedic talent in Wilfred Brimble, Paul McCartney's grandfather, an eccentric character who has great fun as he goes along for the ride. There are great close-up shots of Paul, John, George and Ringo. We somehow feel that the photographer has a soft side for Ringo, who can go from mournful frown to winning smile. We see the four trying to escape the mad crowds of fawning admirers as they go from train to car and from one stop to another. The action is spontaneous and seems to move seamlessly because of the great camera work.
One of my attractions to this movie is that these are the Beatles I first remember but it also reminded me that they would go on to accomplish much more. This was before many of their classic albums, like Rubber Soul, Sergeant Pepper, Abbey Road and the White Album. With each of these advances, there was more and more great music. John Lennon implied how the early period was just fluff and the real creativity came later on. My own view is that their music evolved over time. The early music is one great chapter with several others to follow in the relatively short span that the group was together.