An easy day's night of a movie

You may not think there's much substance to "A Hard Day's Night," one of the most influential and enduring pop musical movies of all time, but there's more than meets the eye--or the Moptop--in this Fab Four foray. Here's what our group learned and shared about this 50-year-old flick:

HOW WAS THIS FILM INFLUENTIAL AND HOW DID IT BREAK FROM THE CONVENTIONS OF EARLIER POP MUSIC FILMS STARRING ELVIS AND OTHER MUSICIANS?

·       Unlike many previous films by stars like Elvis and Cliff Richard, this film did not employ a formalistic, fictional narrative. A Hard Day’s Night plays more like a documentary or newsreel in which we’re witnessing “you are there” footage that feels unscripted and spontaneous.

·       This documentary style is evidenced by the ample handheld and moving camera work, use of real locations, naturalistic lighting, and footage of the band performing.

·       The lads play themselves, not some characters who have to win a race or defeat the bad guys; there is no contrived plot or artificial rags-to-riches success story here; this film is a zeitgeist moment movie in that it captures the height of Beatlemania and showcases the real four Beatles, with their distinct personalities.

·       Yes, there is a screenplay and scripted lines, but the film is more of a loosely connected series of episodes and unimportant subplots that form a cohesive film documenting the Fab Four’s popularity at this time and place.

·       In its rapid fire editing, unconventional camera angles, handheld camera esthetics, cinema verite style realism, fast and slow motion action sequences, and other elements, it reveals a kinship with the bold experimentalism and playfulness of French New Wave cinema.

·       The movie is credited with giving rise to the wave of British and American spy thrillers that came afterward, as well as the Monkee’s TV program and, of course, MTV style music videos.

·       Previously, many pop musicals followed the tradition of the classical Hollywood musical and its reliance on lip-synched, carefully choreographed performance, wherein many characters “break out into song” as part of the plot or dialogue. Here, however, as essayist Bob Neaverson puts it: “Lester's partial employment of a humorous surrealism (and its resulting disposal of the conventionally ‘realist’ aesthetic) meant that it was no longer necessary, or, for that matter, uniformly desirable, to interpret the central musical numbers via conventionally representational sequences of performers miming to a backing track and pretending to play instruments. A Hard Day’s Night is arguably the first film of its kind to stage central musical numbers which are not tied to performance.”

·       Also, unlike other pop musicals where Elvis or others are depicted as having a female love interest, the Beatles are depicted as “attainable” and “available” to female viewers, which was important to their image and popularity.

·       Several numbers are repeated toward the end, including “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Should Have Known Better” and the title track; it begs the question, why? The Beatles had many other hits from their catalog they could have chosen instead of these repeats, but maybe they were looking to push these particular songs more from a commercial standpoint.

WHAT ARE SOME THEMES AND MOTIFS PLAYED OUT IN THIS PICTURE?

·       Nonconformists against the establishment: the foursome are scoffed at, ridiculed, dismissed and condescended to by older generations, and the Beatles parlay this disconnect in a cheeky, irreverent rebelliousness that isn’t too threatening to the social order.

·       Mistaken identity and disguises: From Paul’s grandfather posing as a waiter to John donning a fake beard and mustache to George wandering into an ad agency where he’s mistaken for a focus group subject, playacting and identity misunderstandings abound in this playful romp.

·       The search for someone who’s lost: Ringo goes missing, as does Paul’s grandfather, and even the manager loses his band in a repeated pattern of lost-and-found subplots.

DOES THE FILM’S LACK OF A FORMAL, DRIVING PLOT ULTIMATELY HURT A HARD DAY’S NIGHT, OR DO YOU ADMIRE THE LACK OF PLOT?

·       Arguably, the main narrative thread is that John, Paul and George have to find their lost drummer before their live show begins, a plot which is conveyed without much suspense or intrigue.

·       As previously mentioned, the film is filled more with episodic vignettes that combine to form a humorous and entertaining whole of a picture.

·       While A Hard Day’s Night may disappoint as a cohesive, interesting story, it’s likely more satisfying as an impressionistic pastiche documenting this group’s immense charisma, talent and popularity at this period in history; showcasing them as more of their real selves and true personalities is more important to the filmmakers than peddling a ridiculous fictitious yarn.

OTHER FILMS BY RICHARD LESTER

·       A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

·       The Three Musketeers

·       The Four Musketeers

·       Robin and Marian

·       Superman II