On July 6, 1964 the Beatles' first and best movie A HARD DAY'S NIGHT had its premiere in London. The movie, directed by Richard Lester from a script by Alun Owen, tells the story of "the boys" and what happens to them in the course of one day. They start off from their homes in Liverpool, get chased by fans, set up and prepare for a TV concert in London, and go on various adventures before the concert is recorded live.
The movie is a "mocumentary" that had a profound effect on music videos and on several Screen Gems/Columbia producers in particular: THE MONKEES TV show was patterned after this film.
The title is attributed to something Ringo Starr said after an especially long day, "It's been a bloody hard day's night all right." The Beatles shared this malopropism with the producers and the title was chosen. John Lennon then wrote the song using this phrase as the title.
Many people talk about how important the Beatles were to their generation. I missed out on their actual existance, but when I watched this movie I got something akin to the feeling of what "Beatlemania" must have been like. If you have never seen this film, see it. The Beatles are in their early 20s, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, loving their success and having a great time playing. It's an incredibly entertaining film.
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| The Japanese movie poster. In Japan the title was "Yeah Yeah Yeah" (the six characters on the right) |
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