THEY BOUGHT US LOVE

By RAYMOND BENSON 

Released in the summer of 1964, A Hard Day’s Night, starring The Beatles and directed by Richard Lester, is arguably the second most influential British film of that decade (the first being Goldfinger, coincidentally released the same year.). Why? For one thing, it brought The Beatles to a worldwide audience that was just getting to know them through their music. Secondly, it spawned imitations and knock-offs (The Monkees, anyone?) and is arguably the genesis of music videos—where would MTV have been without it? Thirdly, the film itself was innovative, fresh, and surprisingly funny (those long-haired boys from Liverpool could actually act!).

One of the best things about the Criterion Collection’s new deluxe box set of the film (dual Blu-ray and DVD, three discs) is the short extra, On the Road to “A Hard Day’s Night,” an interview with author Mark Lewisohn, that documents how The Beatles did not magically appear on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, already brilliant, already at the top of their game. In fact, as every serious Beatles fan knows, their story began in 1958 when John Lennon met Paul McCartney in Liverpool at the ages of seventeen and fifteen, respectively, and they started playing music together and writing songs (George joined not long after at age fourteen!). The first four years embodied a lot of work gaining experience, honing their skills, and creating an act that would change not only music itself, but pop culture. The Hamburg days, the early shows with Pete Best, the gigs for peanuts, the obtaining of managers (first Allan Williams, then Brian Epstein), auditioning for producer George Martin, being rejected by a major record label, and then finally landing a contract with one—these were all things none of us in America were aware of when we watched the four lads perform on Ed Sullivan. What we saw was a tight, talented band, and it seemed as if they’d come from nowhere. (Apologies to UK readers, who of course knew how great the band was all through 1963.)

Anyway—on to A Hard Day’s Night. Kudos to United Artists executive David Picker, who greenlit a three-picture deal with producer Walter Shenson (Picker was also responsible for green-lighting Dr. No, a little picture featuring a character named James Bond). Picker had the foresight to make the deal with The Beatles in 1963, well before the band’s appearance on U.S. television. Apparently his instincts were good. If he hadn’t done it then, someone else would have much later, and I dare say the results would not have been as good.

It was no accident that American director Richard Lester was hired to helm the movie, either. He was living in the UK and had directed British television, especially those crazy guys known as the Goons (Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe), who were forerunners of that type of English humor we Americans found odd but grew to love, especially by the time Monty Python came around. The Beatles were fans of the Goons, so they figured Lester was their guy. It was a perfect match. Lester not only brought out that odd British humor, but he also combined the elements of the British New Wave in cinema (the “kitchen-sink dramas” of the “angry young men”) and the French New Wave (radical editing, improvisation, hand-held camerawork, low budget), and created something very new.

And then there’s the music. Did you know that the song, “A Hard Day’s Night,” was written overnight, on demand by producer Shenson, because they needed something that matched the title? Not only was it a good song, it was a massive hit song! Imagine that... “Hey boys, could you write a number with the title in it?” “Sure, Walter, we’ll have it for you in the morning.” Bang. Oh. My. God. And that’s not to mention all the other great tunes in the film. (For my money, the UK version of A Hard Day’s Night, the album, is one of The Beatles’ five best records.)

As this is a Criterion release, you can expect nothing but an outstanding transfer of the film itself—4K digital restoration, approved by Lester, with three audio options—monaural soundtrack, a stereo 5.1 surround mix, and a DTS-HD master audio on the Blu-ray. Wow. There’s also an audio commentary by some of the cast and crew.

The extras are wonderful—some we’ve seen before, but others are new. A nice piece on Lester, Picturewise, is narrated by Rita Tushingham and features Lester’s early work (and there’s the obligatory inclusion of Lester’s The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film). In Their Own Voices is a new piece mixing 1964 interviews with The Beatles with behind-the-scenes footage and photos. A longer 1994 documentary, “You Can’t Do That: The Making of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’” by producer Shenson, also includes an outtake performance by the band. Things They Said Today is a 2002 documentary about the film featuring interviews with Lester, Martin, screenwriter Alun Owen, and cinematographer Gilbert Taylor. And there’s more, much more.

Can’t buy me love? Forget it! The Beatles, Walter Shenson, Richard Lester, David Picker, and everyone else involved with the film certainly bought enough love for us... and we’re still basking in it.

The Criterion Collection’s A Hard Day’s Night is a must-buy.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON