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A Hard Day's Night

A Hard Day's Night

List Price: $29.99
Your Price: $22.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not Widescreen...Not Fullscreen...The Wost of All Worlds
Review: If you buy a DVD with the belief that it will come closer to the theater experience, & the intent of the artists, this is DVD is a definite disappointment. If you enjoy the wide-screen view of a theater, this DVD doesn't deliver. It crops widely from every direction: from the left, right, top, & bottom of the screen. And, if you prefer a full-screen format, because you don't like back bands, this DVD doesn't deliver either. You will still fully see two bands, both top & bottom of the screen. In terms of sound, it is neither fully state-of-the-art, nor is it a fully faithful replication of the original. This DVD is hardly worth it, at any price. Wait for the next reincarnation, one that is worthy of the artists' accomplishment.

It is sad that Lennon's vision should be compromised by shortsighted production. Miramax has taken a bite out of Apple; it isn't original, but it is a sin nonetheless.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Wrong aspect ratio, 5.1 mono = bad release
Review: The movie itself is worth 5 stars - at least as far as Rock 'n' Roll movies are concerned. This is a classic rock film. However, this particular (Mirimax/Alliance Atlantis) version presents the picture in an incorrectly framed aspect ratio which chops off words on signs (such as the "We" in the sign that says "We Buy Anything" that Ringo sees during his "This Boy" sequence) and people's heads (check out the end of the "This Boy" sequence when ringo leaves the boy and a close up crops the frame to below his eyes!)

There is no way on earth that this aspect ratio is what director Richard Lester intended. Why would he shoot the film with well framed shots (as seen in earlier editions) but want it to be released in the poorly cropped, claustrophobic style of this dvd? He wouldn't. I love widescreen but only when a movie is meant to be widescreen! The original intended aspect ratio is always the desired format.

Using frame captures I took from both this DVD and the 1995 MPI Special Edition VHS release (I have several versions in laser disc and VHS but this is the version that crops the least from the original film negative), I discovered about 1/6th of the top and bottom of the frame has been cropped and a barely noticeable 1/14th restored to the sides. If you don't believe me and have the 1995 MPI video tape, compare them side by side. I wish a campaign to offer free replacements for these misframed discs had been started (such as the successful campaign for the misframed widescreen Back To The Future set). There is no shot in the full frame VHS that shows microphone booms or 'junk footage' so it is definitely far closer to the proper aspect ratio than this DVD.

Also, the audio is just the original monophonic soundtrack processed to simulate (sort of) 5.1 stereo. The great MPI release had crisp, true stereo versions of all the songs (except for "She Loves You" of course, as the original stereo master was destroyed).

Wish I hadn't wasted my money on this version - what a disappointment. I will never watch this dvd again. Whenever I want to enjoy A Hard Day's Night, I pop in the 1995 MPI VHS.

P.S. The cardboard case the discs are in is cheaply made too...and my disc one has a crack starting to run through it from the middle, as well as a pocket of air inside the middle of the disc which most likely will eventually render the disc unplayable. This probably started because the discs are held too tightly by the plastic holders inside the case, thus you really have to yank on them to get them out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: left stupified
Review: i was lookin over the reviews for a hard days night and stumbled upon crankey reviewers opinon. there is 1 fundamental and base problem with his argument on how a hard days night knocks off the spicegirls and oasis. IT THE BEATLES MORON!!!!! this film came out 40 years BEFORE oasis os spiceworld, so the whole point is BS. if anything the medicore oasis and the terrible spice girls knocked off this album. get your facts straight.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What is wrong with you!?!?!
Review: How the F*** can Cranky Reviewer (who by the way has wrotten some of the worst reviews ever. Check his area to see) say the beatles are a freaking rip-off of Oasis?!?! I mean F***, the bandmembers might havent even been borned yet!! Technacily Oasis is a good band but to say this blasfemy is just stupid! Im thinking hes doing this to anger us, but really.

-By the way the movie is great. Great songs and the visual for those songs is awesome, though one can say it INSPIRED, NOT RIPED-OFF, Oasis and maybe that lame Spice world movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Miramax didn't give us everything
Review: I know this sounds like a broken cyber-record but I'm going to have to agree with most people's complaints on this poorly packaged DVD of a great movie. Yes, it's worth getting just to have A Hard Days' Night on DVD. John has great wisecracks ("She looks more like him than I do!"), George smarts off to a shirt manufacturer ("I wouldn't be seen dead in them!"), Paul's wit is dry as he spends most of the movie charming the ladies when he's not looking after his eccentric grandfather ("He's not your grandfather," remarks John of him. Paul's reply: "Everyone's entitled to 2!"). But Ringo steals the show, acting-wise. Feeling neglected from the other 3, he goes off by himself and befriends a young boy who throws a spare tire at him. I have to dock this 1 star because the documentary "You Can't Do That" is not included (which is now out of print. I'd trade most of the extra's anyday for it! Most of the interviews with the other actors and people behind the scenes are dull and unmemorable. However, there is a nice interview with George Martin and a clever interview with the boy (now grown up) who pals around with Ringo, in addition to a nice tribute to the "clean old grandfather," which explains how he got to be so "clean" for A Hard Day's Night. I think it's great they were able to interview the woman who had a scene with Paul which got deleted but how is it that they were able to track her down and not get the rights to that scene? Does it even exist anymore? She seems to have a good memory of the scene. Worst of all is a corny interview with the woman who puts her glasses on and says to John "You don't look like 'im a'tall!" (If you're curious to watch some of the extras, be sure to skip "Give Us a Wink"). Oh well, it's still a great movie. Enjoy it and try not to let the disappointing packaging spoil the magic of the Fab Four. Hopefully, sometime in the not-too-distant future, we'll get this without the surround sound performances and psuedo-widescreen and with more memorable extras.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Hard Day's Night
Review: The first time I saw this movie; I didn't like it. So watched it again, then I started to like it, I watched it again. I love this movie. You might have to watch it a few times to understand it, and to get some of the jokes.

I like the DVD version, only because it is more clear than the VHS. For example, it took me the longest time to figure out what George was eating on the train; it was a bagle. I couldn't tell on the VHS. I also have the soundtrack to this movie (which is great). I can't figure out why the songs of the movie are different from the album. For example; "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You: , and "And I Love Her" sound slower than the album. I don't know why. Anyway, this is good, unfortunatlly, this movie has no plot at all. It's mainly about the Beatles being themself. But Paul has he's "clean old man" (grandfather) to look after. He seems to make everybody but himself, be responsible for looking after his grandfather; while he's off doing other things. I love John in the movie, he's such a smart-a**. One thing I caught on the DVD that I couldn't see too well on VHS, was what John wrote as a hobby. He wrote, "t*ts"; I thought that was funny; I'm sure he wasn't lying about that. Paul, really doesn't have any funny lines in this movie nor the movie "Help". I do, however, like when the reporters asked; "Do you offend see your father?"; and Paul said; "No, actually we're just good friends." I also loved when Ringo place his coat down for the woman to walk over; and she fell down a pit. George was funny also, did anyone catch him staring at one of the girls' chest? It was on the part when he said; "Your grandfather stirred him up..."

I didn't care too much for the bonus items. Some of them were interesting, but I wish they had more of The Beatles, doing interviews or outtakes or soemthing. Overall, this movie is good, if watch it for the first time, prepare to rewind it and play it again. It's gets better when you watch it a few times; sometimes you can catch things you ddin't see before the first few times.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: You will enjoy it.
Review: This was the first time I've watched "A Hard Day's Night", and I gotta say that the movie exceeded my expectations. I got more than my share of the Beatles' Liverpool humor, and the quality of the picture was exceptional. I especially liked the cinematography, it caught almost every interesting moment of the Beatles in the "natural habitat"; and it really impressed me how the camera caught almost every witty sparkle in John's eyes =)
However, even though there are two discs to this DVD, I found the bonus material quite insipid and superfluous. They are merely interviews of the other actors in the movie. I would have prefered an interview with Paul McCartney instead of a bunch of comments made by the other actors on their experiences.
So if you are a true Beatle's fan and you're looking for a good, fun, insightful, and intimate movie of the Beatles, then don't hesitate to get this. But if you're one of those DVD freaks who like to get cool DVD's with all the cool extra material, I think you might be a bit disappointed in this little baby.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: The original DVD was better!
Review: I am glad I kept the original MPI DVD with the Stereo remixed versions of the songs. The music sounds flat and muddy. The only advatage to this version is that is widescreen. The bonus features are not all that great. I figured when this movie got released for a second time on DVD it would be far superior. My mistake! If you are lucky enough to find the original DVD, I recommend that over this. It's a shame seeing how well "Yellow Submarine was done and the Anthology DVD set. I wasn't even happy with the packaging. When I saw the DVD I though "This is it?". Very bland like the audio and the bonus features. Why didn't Apple give this their superior treatment? Boo for Miramax!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Best movie ever, below average dvd
Review: I hate it when a great movie like this is undermined by a bad dvd production. This really pales in comparison to the Criterion laserdisc ! This dvd picture is darker than it should be, obscuring many details. The sound is tolerable. If the laserdisc version was remastered in stereo, why wasn't the dvd ?
Many of the extra features are boring , boring & MORE BORING !
Too many interviews with people marginally connected with the film. Watching these extras, I thought the next interview was going to feature the guy who delivered sandwiches to the film crew ! No movie trailers !!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Why are asking for my opinion if there's nothing to ask !?
Review: C'mon...
Are you from THIS world ? Are you trying to find reason to buy this ?!?!

1) If you're beatlemaniac, you shouldn't even be reading this... You were supposed just to point your mouse pointer onto the "buy" icon... :/

2) Do you like Beatles, but you don't know them pretty well ? Well, here's a good opportunity to know a little about their personality, sense of humor and other stuff... Obviously this is a movie production, this isn't their lifes , in fact ("isn't it a pitty?") but it's a good start...

3) Do you like rock music ? You're facing THE BIGGEST, GREATEST, MOST INCREDIBLE ROCK BAND (actually, the most brilliant music group, in my humble opinion :D) ...

You really won't found music here (you have the soundtrack...), but YOU HAVE to know a bit about the personality of these guys, who changed and formed the personality of all who came further... SO BUY IT NOW , FOR GOD SAKE !!! :)

remember... TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS.


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