A Hard Day’s Night captures the Beatles in that brief window where they all loved being Beatles. The mania they inspired was still a novelty, and they greeted it with an innocent glee. That sense of fun radiates through the entire movie and its soundtrack. For this shining moment, the Beatles lack any awareness of their own musical mortality, and they swagger like young kings. The darker moments of their mythology were many years to come: The squabbles over business. The scandals over girlfriends. All the burdens of mega-fame that would push their brotherhood past the point of breaking. Here, we see four boys drunk on the moment, finally living the dream they’d manifested for themselves.
The story whips us into the whirlwind of a day in the life of the Beatles. That means shrieking fans, nagging managers, and barking reporters. John, Paul, George, and Ringo play exaggerated versions of themselves, often fitting neatly into media-friendly archetypes. (John is the impish leader; George is the mousy little brother, etc.) The film only has the hint of a throughline: Paul’s chaos gremlin of a grandfather (Wilfrid Brambell) arrives for a visit and hops from one spot of trouble to the next. Throughout this day, the boys must keep him out of danger, whilst also avoiding disaster themselves.
Along for this wacky adventure are two business managers who act as de facto chaperones. Norm (Norman Rossington) feels like a riff on Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ high-strung, over-caffeinated manager. Shake (John Junkin), taller and more amiable, plays like a hybrid of Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans, the group’s redoubtable roadies. Their primary role in the film is to stand in bewildered frustration as the boys defy them for another round of shenanigans. (A running joke in A Hard Day’s Night is how the Beatles instantly disregard anything any adult says to them.)
If you’re thinking that’s a paper-thin plot, you’re absolutely right. Welsh playwright Alun Owen and director Richard Lester seem content to let the film drift in a sea of silliness for 80 minutes. Much of the film’s humor arrives in the form of amusing vignettes, such as when George stumbles into an ad agency so oblivious they don’t realize a Beatle is in their midst. Ringo also gets an opportunity to shine, during a tacked-on sequence in which he mopes along the banks of the Thames.
Of course, the draw of any Beatle film never involves the script or acting. No, you’re here for the music, and the Beatles oblige with a soundtrack for the ages. A Hard Day’s Night is their first album of all-original compositions, and it captures the group at an early peak. Lennon and McCartney would never work so seamlessly again, and songs like “And I Love Her” and “If I Fell” brim with adventure and innovation. Even better, Lester supplies every tune with its own vibe. The euphoric rush of “Can’t Buy Me Love” sparks like a live wire. “A Hard Day’s Night” moves with the precision of a chase scene.
In that sense, the film also endures as a pristine time capsule. Not only do we get a glimpse of the baby-faced Beatles, unspoiled by the rigors of fame, but we also get a better sense of the madness around them. The group arrived at an awkward juncture, when the grief over JFK’s death and the turmoil of the Civil Rights movement and the mire of Vietnam coalesced into a fog of uncertainty. Society needed an outlet to release that stress and discover a new source of joy. The Beatles gave the world an overflow of both.
With that said, it’s possible some viewers might see this film differently. Take away the aura of the Beatles and A Hard Day’s Night might not work well as a standalone experience. The gags that were edgy and infectiously goofy then might seem quaint now. None of the Beatles have the poise and pacing of professional actors, although they all acquit themselves well.
As for me, I can only see this film as a small slice of perfection. It’s an enduring reminder of being young and spiritually weightless. Tomorrow might as well be in a hundred years. Still, as the wise man would say: Sunrise doesn’t last all morning. Everything beautiful is temporary. Fortunately for us, this bright and wondrous moment in Beatle history will live forever on film.
80 min. G. Disney+.
