A Hard Day’s Night, film review
A Hard Day’s Night (U). Dir. Richard Lester. Starring: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Wilfrid Brambell. 89 mins
As invigorating and funny now as it was on its original release half a century ago, A Hard Day’s Night offers both a perfect showcase for the Beatles and an intriguing snapshot of fast-changing, early-1960s British society. Richard Lester, the director, was a master of dynamic and zany film-making, full of running and jumping.
One of the first shots we see is of the Beatles fleeing their teenage fans; from there, Lester never lets the tempo slip. He is helped by Alun Owen’s irreverent and self-reflexive screenplay, which sees John, Paul, Ringo and George heading down from Liverpool to London to appear on a concert on a TV show.
Accompanying them, and blissfully trying to steal scenes from under their noses, is Wilfrid Brambell, of Steptoe and Son fame, as Paul’s “very clean” and mischievous grandfather. The film, re-released in a new 4K digital restoration, can’t help but have tremendous poignance given everything that has happened, for better or worse, to the band members in the intervening 50 years.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies