Rating: 
Summary: A highly creative classic: the original music video
Review: "A Hard Day's Night" is one of those movies that never seems as dated as one would expect, primarily because the artistic vision and the social documentary behind it are so unique. The plot can only loosely be called a story: the Beatles are trying to get ready for a televised appearance, but distractions and obstacles abound. The running gag of Paul's grandfather is both humorous and absurd, tucked around the adventures of the Fab Four like a commercial break. Although the music may not be as crisp as one might like, you can always listen to the recordings on CD. The real reason for viewing this film is for the revolutionary cinematography and concept. (I had forgotten how avant-garde the field sequence was; it alone is worth watching this movie.) Part documentary, part musical, part comedy - "A Hard Day's Night" succeeds on levels no one at the time thought possible.Don't buy this for the special features; they are only mildly interesting. Buy it for the film itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Fab -- A very clean old movie
Review: "A Hard Day's Night" makes most critics' best-ever lists. It's widely considered an electrifying mix of great music and hip comedy, both a time capsule of the swinging '60s and a timeless entertainment. Roger Ebert calls it "one of the great life-affirming landmarks of the movies." Respect hasn't led to respectful treatment. Legal wrangling followed "A Hard Day's Night" throughout its home video life, resulting in oddities like the "tribute to John Lennon" musical prologue tacked on for VHS. The first DVD version, from MPI in 1997, disappeared after a few months of distribution. Here, finally, is an up-to-date rendition worthy of the film. "A Hard Day's Night" looks and sounds about as good as could be expected. The carefully lit black-and-white images should please most viewers -- even though they're on the flat side, with persistent minor speckling. The stereophonic songs swing as they must, smoking the tracks on Capitol's (shamefully outdated) soundtrack CD. (The MPI video had significantly worse sound but deeper contrasts.) Try this: Put on the Capitol version of "Tell Me Why" and then play the movie version. Perhaps Capitol can tell us why they continue to sell 15 year old Beatles CDs. The film, shot in 35mm, is presented in widescreen, letterboxed with a ratio of about 1.66:1, enhanced for 16x9 televisions. The spiffed-up audio comes via Dolby Digital, with the musical numbers in stereo. The first disc contains the movie as well as "Things They Said Today," a new promo film that gives the big picture. The second disc is all interviews, arranged by category (cast, crew, etc.). Martin Lewis, a Beatles historian and pal to most of the filmmakers, conducted 30 video interviews for the package. They include key players -- Martin, director Richard Lester, United Artists exec David Picker, cinematographer Gilbert Taylor ("Star Wars") and Beatles publicist Tony Barrow -- as well as those who were just lucky to find themselves working on a film project "at the center of the universe." The reminiscences get infusions of energy from upbeat clips, some amplifying the talkers' points and others making Beatle-esque visual jokes. The production was extensively filmed and photographed, with hours of that material first seen in this collection. The interviews are tightly edited, surprisingly focused and often a great deal of fun. It becomes clear that contributing to the film profoundly changed the lives of most of these people.
Rating:
Summary: A highly creative classic: the original music video
Review: "A Hard Day's Night" is one of those movies that never seems as dated as one would expect, primarily because the artistic vision and the social documentary behind it are so unique. The plot can only loosely be called a story: the Beatles are trying to get ready for a televised appearance, but distractions and obstacles abound. The running gag of Paul's grandfather is both humorous and absurd, tucked around the adventures of the Fab Four like a commercial break. Although the music may not be as crisp as one might like, you can always listen to the recordings on CD. The real reason for viewing this film is for the revolutionary cinematography and concept. (I had forgotten how avant-garde the field sequence was; it alone is worth watching this movie.) Part documentary, part musical, part comedy - "A Hard Day's Night" succeeds on levels no one at the time thought possible. Don't buy this for the special features; they are only mildly interesting. Buy it for the film itself.
Rating:
Summary: Captures all the energy of those early days of Rock N Roll
Review: "A Hard Day's Night" represents the very height of BEATLEMANIA, a wonderful heady time of possibilities yet to be explored and the jubilation of Rock n Roll in general. I saw this at my local movie theater in 1964, after braving a line that ran the length of a very long Brooklyn block (unheard of for this third run theater). And remember this was in the day of the double features. The decible level inside the theater during the show was unbelievable, and the sound from the screen was pretty loud too. Non stop screaming, shouting, and singing that made most of the dialogue incomprehnsible. It wasn't until the film played on television years later that I discovered what a funny film this was. In contrast, when HELP debuted a year later, the second run theater I saw it in was packed, but quiet and attentive. The hysteria of BEATLEMANIA was over, and while it was a relief to be able to hear the movie, the excitement of the pandemonium was sorely missed. But on this day in 1964 my local theater became a real Beatle concert-going experience. The fact that my older sister got hit in the head with some girl's tossed shoe, and that it provoked laughter instead of the expected anger really brought home the fact that this was indeed something special. But its what happened after the film was over that has stayed with me all these years over any other movie going experience. After all this pumped up energy The Beatles had produced on came the second feature. I don't remember the name of it, but I do remember it was in color and the first shot was a close-up of a lily pad that silently floated on a lake for what seemed like five full minutes. Well that was it. This Brooklyn crowd went nuts "We Want Te Beatles! We Want The BEATLES! WE WANT THE BEATLES! WE WANT THE BEATLES! Over and over. Being the most seasoned 9 year old movie goer in film history, this was one thing I knew was never going to happen. I remember thinking how smart the theater owner was to book this film, whatever it was. It was obvious to me that this film wasn't being shown to enhance the pleaure of the previous film, or compliment it. It was designed to empty the whole theater, so that nobody would hang around and see The Beatles again (there was another line stretching down the block waiting to get in). But the audience wouldn't stop. WE WANT THE BEATLES! WE WANT THE BEATLES!I just shook my head. WE WANT THE BEATLES! WE WANT THE BEATLES! Then something happened. The 2nd feature stopped leaving a blank screen up there, and down came the theater manager and held up his hands. He was fat and sweating profusely. He waved his hands for everybody to be quiet. There was a palpable feeling of anticipation in the place. As the noise subsided he informed us, reluctantly it seemed to me, that they WERE going to show "A Hard Day's Night" again (an eruption of CHEERS!) and that after it was over he wanted every single one of "you kids" out of this theater. And, in what seemed like an instant, BLANG, that opening chord was struck and back on the screen there it was! And the whole place went WILD all over again. You still couldn't hear halfthe dialogue, but it didn't matter. I remember the poor heavyset matron, who looked like she just ran a marathon, resting on the arm of an aisle seat, looking at us crazy kids singing and screaming, and breaking out in the most good natured I-give-up-smile I have ever witnessed. What a time! True to his word, after the show, the manager was in the boy's bathroom,even the girl's bathroom, throwing out anyone who thought they were going to stick around one more time. And as we piled out into the street, we were the envy of everbody standing on line. "We saw it TWICE" and held up two fingers, which in retrospect was really a sign of victory. That was the day that I realised that in this world, anything IS possible.
Rating:
Summary: A genuine time-capsule.
Review: 'A Hard Day's Night' is marvellous for four reasons:
1. It was made by Richard Lester, who, along with fellow American Joseph Losey, was the best director of British movies in the 1960s, and who gives the film a thrilling jump-cut, black and white immediacy.
2. It is truly Surreal, not just in gags like the fab four running alongside a moving train, or in John Lennon's backstage chat with a woman that sees his identity obliterated; but in the way the Beatles as an entity transform banal reality - hotels, canteens etc. - into something magical and new by their presence.
3. Because it celebrates being in a gang - with all their games, jokes, one-liners, private language, four mumbling individuals achieve a sublime group eloquence: when they are seperated, their identities are endangered and undermined. The scene in which a deserting Ringo meets a young boy, another exile from a gang, is the key to the film's heart. The Beatles are like four boys, on the run from their 'parents' who keep wanting them to behave and do their homework (e.g. staying in to reply to fanmail).
4. For capturing a moment in history, when fusty old Imperial England (in the shape of the Bowler Hat man) gave way to the Swinging Sixties. Sacred cows, such as the Queen and the war, are routinely mocked, usually in John's bath. An ex-IRA man becomes a peer, a car-thief chauffeurs the police. But the superficialities and selfishness of the new Britain are also seen clearly.
There's some music too.
Rating:
Summary: Before MTV there was THE video clip by excellence
Review: -The "Beatlemania" as we thought it could look like from the inside. -The first movie centered on the music and the band of more than 1 generation -It is more important than early Elvis' movie. -It brought so much to the world of music movie (to convince yourself check "Spice world" a spoof of the Beatles' A Hard days night... without the soul.) It was and still is a reference I still look at it from time to time and still love it 35 years later. Teenagers see it today and do love it too. Even though it doesn't have all the glitter of the modern videoclip, it still brought to the main audience a lot of concept that where unheard before and are still used today Did I mention? I'm a fan!
Rating:
Summary: Don't Listen to the Other reviews
Review: ... You have to love the Beatles . ... The movie is filmed in black and white, because that's what they had in those days. Those of you who remember the true early days of the Beatles will have already bought this movie. Those of you who are new to the genre, should take the chance. Remember, this movie is a comedy!! Most of the movie is about Ringo being manipulated by Paul's grandfather (a `mixer' i.e. troublemaker), and the way the lads were manipulated by the press. The ultimate plot is their escaping from the presshounds. And the script was purposely written very loosely, allowing for the Beatles to completely adlib the movie. There are off cheek remarks, cockney slang, and the fab Four themselves just running amok prior, during, and after the `tv spot' exposure they found themselves trapped within. this is not `Help', which was a complete romp, but a sarcastic comment on the exploitation of rock stars. Again, this film is A COMEDY! Go with it!! True Beatle fans will own this DVD the day it comes out. They will sing along with it, and dance in front of their televisons while the DVD hums happily. The rest of you will be lucky if it ever shows up on cable, EVER, and curse yourselves when you find out it is hard to find.
Rating:
Summary: forty-year fan
Review: ...
One of the things that's interesting about this movie is that it seems so unscripted, almost improvisational, yet except for a few lines of John Lennon's all the dialoge was written out and rehearsed. I think that shows how amazingly talented as actors the Fab Four were.
This movie is a treasure and number one on my list of favorite films.
Rating:
Summary: Pop Fan from Hollywood...
Review: ...gets 10 stars for sarcasm. That is the funniest thing I have seen here yet. As for AHDN, it is still as charming, clever, and amusing as it was when I first saw it. The music still holds up as well of course. Only problem is, you really have to listen carefully at times to understand what the Fabs are saying underneath the layers of "scouse." Almost as hard as understanding the kids in "Quadrophenia" at times.
Rating:
Summary: The Beatles' first film
Review: A Hard Day's Night (1964.) The first Beatles movie. INTRODUCTION:
Following their early 1964 trip to America, the Beatles had really made a name for themselves. For their next project, rather than just releasing another studio album, they decided to do a film. How does the band's first major film, A Hard Day's Night, measure up? Read on for my review. BASIC PLOT:
Essentially, this film shows the band's views on how they felt about becoming legends overnight. Through the course of the movie, the band is forced to run from screaming fans, perform gigs, and basically keep each other out of trouble. FILM OPINIONS:
This film is an instant classic - no questions asked. Although the storyline of this film is questionable, it's still a very enjoyable film to watch. The band had a contract to make three films, and this movie was the first of them. An interesting note about this film - George Harrison's future wife Patty Boyd has a small appearance, and even future pop star Phil Collins makes a cameo as a screaming fan! DVD:
The DVD is great because it has a ton of interviews with cast and crew, but it's not great in the aspect of the audio. As another reviewer stated, the audio could have been WAY better. It's not a huge problem, but it's just enough of a problem to be annoying. I hate to say it, but I think the old VHS version had better audio than this DVD! Oh, well. OVERALL:
Overall, this was a very good first film for the Beatles. It's not necessarily their finest hour on the silver screen, but it's still a good film overall (although I remain confident that the band was best at recording music, not starring in movies.) If you like the band's early stuff, check this movie out - I doubt you'll be disappointed.
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