From the very first strum of the very first frame, the screen explodes. Not in the literal sense; there aren’t balls of fire or cinders filling up the frame, but there might as well be. No, instead, it’s a horde of fans, Beatlemaniacs, in hot pursuit of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, the most famous boys in the world. Not unlike their explosion onto the scene in England and then in the US, something just bursts forth as “A Hard Day’s Night” blares. The Criterion Collection has certainly released their fair share of seminal films, from the quiet devastation of Weekend to the anarchic Week-end, but there are few films ever to be made as utterly energetic and full of vigor as Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night.
It’s no wonder that the cover design by Devin Washburn features the Fab Four in midair, perfect epitomizing how the film captured the spirit and the zeitgeist of the Beatles. Its plot is slight, and probably intentionally so, yet it doesn’t diminish any of its charm. With the Beatles getting into various adventures on the eve of their London show, every situation and scene is so perfectly representative of the spryness of the band. Whether it be George Harrison answering “What do you call your haircut?” with “Arthur” or the Ringo moping around as the clock ticks down to the show’s start, the warmth that Beatles give off just melts the screen.
And, of course, the music. Oh, the music. From “Can’t Buy Me Love” (the scene from which the cover is taken) to the title track, there’s little to say about the music. It’s infectious, spritely, brisk, and Lester’s near revolutionary approach to shooting complements that. His is a camera that revels in the force of the music, in and out of focus, caught up with the crowd, moving with the Beatles themselves.
There’s a curiousness to A Hard Day’s Night which seems to lack a logical explanation: how could a film like this have such the power that it does when it is, in narrative terms, incredibly thin? So little goes on in the way of dramatic heft, and yet all seems to matter inasmuch as bring a kind of joy to the film and a shape to who the Beatles are as pieces of iconography. Where Paul’s uncle doesn’t matter as far as stakes, and yet does in a strange way; there’s such an odd investment in this film from the viewers, which might have to do with nostalgia, but more than likely has to do with the sheer vivacity of it all.
In essence, A Hard Day’s Night is a whirlwind, whimsical, and drenched in a kind of tirelessness that only the Beatles at the peak of their career could deliver. Fandor is proud to feature the Criterion Collection’s release of A Hard Day’s Night, and use your Movie Mezzanine coupon for an exclusive discount and access to this film and a breathtaking library of cinema!
