A Hard Day's Night (1964)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Richard Lester

Writer:

Alun Owen (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 August 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Tagline:

The Beatles starring in their first full-length, hilarious action-packed film !

Plot:

A 'typical' day in the life of the Beatles, including many of their famous songs.

Plot Keywords:

Rock 'n' Roll | The Beatles | Screaming | Beatlemania | Nightclub

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

US Showtimes:

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Cast

John Lennon	...	John
Paul McCartney	...	Paul
George Harrison	...	George
Ringo Starr	...	Ringo
Wilfrid Brambell	...	John McCartney - Paul's Grandfather
Norman Rossington	...	Norm
John Junkin	...	Shake
Victor Spinetti	...	Richard - T.V. Director
Anna Quayle	...	Millie
Deryck Guyler	...	Police Inspector
Richard Vernon	...	Man on Train
Edward Malin	...	Hotel Waiter (as Eddie Malin)
Robin Ray	...	T.V. Floor Manager
Lionel Blair	...	T.V. Choreographer
Alison Seebohm	...	Dolly - Simon's Secretary

Also Known As:

Beatles No. 1 (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording) | Dolby Digital (2000 re-release)

Certification:

Australia:G (original rating) | Canada:F (Ontario) (re-rating) (1982) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) (1982) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1979) | USA:TV-14 (cable rating) | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | France:U (2001 re-release) | Peru:PT | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | West Germany:6 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, London, England, UK

Company:

Proscenium Films

Trivia:

Screenwriter Alun Owen claims that the only Beatle who ad-libbed was John Lennon. The truth is that all four members of The Beatles sparked each other's imagination and improvised.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): On the train, Shake is shown reading "Son of Mad." However, he would find it very difficult to read the way he is holding it, as the text in this and most of the early Mad books was printed sideways.

Quotes:

T.V. Director: You don't know what this means to me. If you hadn't come back it would have meant... the epilogue or the news... in Welsh... for life!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Angel: Shiny Happy People (#4.18)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

A Hard Day's Night

you can't beat the Beatles

Classic cinema verite has the Fab Four going hither and thither, accompanied by Paul's "very clean" grandfather John (Wilfrid Brambell). Naturally, it wouldn't be a Beatles movie without their music. And the music always fits the scene (unlike so many musicals). My favorite scene was on the train where John, Paul, George and Ringo meet a middle-aged man, and...well, let's just say that it did a really funny job showing the generation gap. In short, you can always count on the Beatles to do something great, as every one of their songs showed. They may have had a "hard" time making this movie, but they would have to agree that it was worth it; people could easily spend "days" and "nights" watching it.