A Hard Day's Night (1964)

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:

Concert | The Beatles | Rock Band | Swinging London | Photography

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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:

Dolby Digital (1982 re-release) | Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G (original rating) | Canada:F (Ontario) (re-rating) (1982) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) (1982) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (original 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:

The word "Beatles" is never mentioned in the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: The scene where John is in the bath, there is a metal soap tray across the front of the tub through the scene, but it disappears sometime between John being "torpedoed" and Norm bursting through the bathroom door.

Quotes:

Norm: I thought I told you lot to stay here. When I say stay put, I mean stay put.
John: [drops to his knees] Don't cane me, sir! I was led astray.
Norm: Shut up, John!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Eric Idle/Joe Cocker/Stuff (#2.3)" (1976)

Soundtrack:

A Nation Once Again

Irresistible

A "typical" day in the life of the Beatles. They have to deal with Paul's grandfather (Wilfrid Brambell), a neurotic TV director (Victor Spinetti), their long-suffering managers and tons of screaming fans.

No real plot, just a lot of very lively sequences overflowing with one-liners and non sequiturs. The tone of the scenes go all over the place--one is full of verbal puns, the next visual gags, then absurdity reigns, THEN surrealism! It's a credit to director Richard Lester that he manages to keep all these various shifts in tone flowing smoothly. It's great to see that the Beatles are obviously enjoying themselves every minute. Some of the jokes are obscure (the "clean" jokes were based on remarks made about the Beatles back in 1962) and the accents are sometimes difficult. But it's great to see the Beatles so young and full of life and when they sing the film becomes magical. Also they have a good cast backing them up--Brambell and Spinetti are just great (and very funny). If you don't like the Beatles or their music, you might want to skip this film. But if you do, it's a must-see.