A Hard Day's Night (film)

A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British black and white comedy film written by Alun Owen starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was directed by Richard Lester and originally released by United Artists. The film was made in the style of a Mockumentary, describing a couple of days in the lives of the group.
It was successful both financially and critically; it was rated by Time magazine as one of the all-time great 100 films. British critic Leslie Halliwell described it as a "comic fantasia with music; an enormous commercial success with the director trying every cinematic gag in the book" and awarded it a full four stars. The film is credited with having influenced 1960s spy films, The Monkees' television show and pop music videos.
== Plot ==
Halliwell encapsulates the plot as "Harassed by their manager and Paul's grandpa, The Beatles embark from Liverpool by train for a London TV show." Having escaped a horde of fans, once aboard the train and trying to relax, various interruptions begin to test their patience, prompting George to go to the goods van for some peace and quiet.
On arrival in London, The Beatles are driven to a hotel where they feel trapped. After a night out during which Paul's grandfather causes minor trouble at a casino, the group are taken to the theatre where their performance is to be filmed. The preparations are lengthy so Ringo decides to spend some time alone reading a book. Paul's grandfather, a "villain, a real mixer," convinces him that he should be outside experiencing life instead of reading books, so Ringo goes off by himself. He tries to have a quiet drink in a pub, walks alongside a canal and at one point rides a bicycle along a railway station platform. Meanwhile, the rest of the band frantically (and unsuccessfully) attempts to find Ringo. Finally, however, he returns, after being arrested by the police along with Paul's grandfather, and the concert goes ahead as planned.
The Beatles comment cheekily on their own fame: for instance, at one point a fan recognises John Lennon (even though neither the fan nor he actually mention Lennon's name); he demurs, saying his face isn't quite right, with the fan eventually agreeing. When Ringo is asked if he's a Mod or a Rocker, he replies "Uh, no, I'm a mocker".[6] The frequent reference to McCartney's grandfather as a "clean old man" contrasts with the Steptoe and Son stock description of Wilfrid Brambell's character, Albert Steptoe, as a "dirty old man".
== Songs ==
*A Hard Day's Night
*I Should Have Known Better
*I Wanna Be Your Man
*Don't Bother Me
*All My Loving
*If I Fell
*Can't Buy Me Love
*And I Love Her
*This Boy (tune only)
*I'm Happy Just To Dance With You
*Tell Me Why
*She Loves You
Category:Movies
Category:The Beatles
Category:The Beatles' Films