The Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre (54 Journal Square): Sat, Apr 24, 2010 6:00 pm
Starring The Beatles, Wilfrid Brambell, Norman Rossington.
Directed by Richard Lester.
(1964, 85min., B&W.)
The wild, all-encompassing popularity of The Beatles that exploded across America in late 1963 and '64 changed virtually everything about music and pop culture. A Hard Day's Night was a first attempt to channel some of The Beatles' popularity toward movie theatre box offices. Remarkably, though the production was decidedly rushed, Director Lester and screenwriter Alun Owen created a musical-comedy-fantasy that managed to perfectly capture the good-naturedly sardonic personas of each of The Beatles while fairly accurately depicting the manic zaniness of the early Beatlemania. The Beatles themselves were very pleased with the results. Of course, the soundtrack rings with some of the Fab Four's most popular early songs, including "Can't Buy Me Love," "And I Love Her," "I Should Have Known Better," and the title tune, which was reportedly written overnight by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in response to a plea from the director for a song to match the movie's title.
A Hard Day's Night remains a great treat for everyone who loves The Beatles and a great way for new fans to get to know the group and its music.
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