‘A Hard Day’s Night’ Criterion Collection 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – Iconic Beatles Film Takes A Hilarious Look At The Lovable Lads

The movie critique portion of this review was written by my colleague Jessica Gonzales. 

By 1964, Beatlmania had taken over Earth. No one could get enough of the four lads from Liverpool, so what better way to capitalize on this frenzy than to put The Beatles in movies? It would allow as much exposure to them as possible, and they would stay in the collective consciousness even longer. The band would also have to, of course, write more music for the film, so an impending album release around the premiere was almost a guaranteed hit. It seemed everything was brewing into the perfect storm for The Beatles and their brief dip into the film world as a band.

A Hard Day’s Night was written by Alun Owen and directed by Richard Lester. Lester would also go on to work with the band again for their second film, Help!. It stars all four Beatles as fictionalized versions of themselves. The title track of both the album and film came from something that Ringo Starr had said after a long, hard day and night of working. Something that John Lennon later described as a “Ringo-ism” and “malapropism.” There are conflicting stories as to how everyone decided on the title–one involving the suggestion from Lester after he heard Ringo say it and another from Paul McCartney stating it happened after the film was almost finished and not after Lester had suggested it. After the title was settled, both Lennon and McCartney raced off to write a song that would win the A-side spot of the album and would be heard in the film as well (Lennon won).

The film is almost semi-autobiographical for the band due to screenwriter, Alun Owen, writing the script after following them around while touring. A Hard Day’s Night follows the four lovable lads racing around attempting to avoid getting trampled and overtaken by screaming hordes of fans while ultimately trying to make it to a studio on time to play a televised concert. Along the way also we meet Paul’s grandfather (Wilfrid Brambell) who’s very clean, y’know. Paul enlists almost everyone he encounters to keep an eye on him when he’s not around. Despite the attempts to babysit him, Grandfather does run off a few times to get into a little bit of trouble. 

In one particularly funny scene, The Beatles are surrounded by a mass of the press at a conference hounding them with questions about their hobbies, haircuts, etc., and the lads answer with their familiar, cheeky Beatle humor. The scene mirrored the band’s real life experiences with the press, especially the American press, who asked them repeatedly when they were going to get haircuts, and why they were so intent on corrupting the youths of the world. 

The film was almost a bit of a music video compilation as well because it was intercut with several of the songs on the album that were “performed” by the band much like modern day music videos. One particularly stunning shot happened while Paul sang “And I Love Her.” The camera slowly pans around him and catches an arc light, leaving Paul in the glare but then completely silhouetted as the light shines directly into the camera lens. It’s beautiful. Later when United Artists executives asked if that was a mistake, the producer, Walter Shensen, replied that they had spent all morning trying to get it like that.

Aside from plenty of technical breakthroughs for the film and music world, this movie also effectively established the Beatle stereotypes that almost everyone still thinks of when they think of the band now. Paul is the cute one. George is the quiet one. John is the rebel smart-ass, and Ringo is the lovable goofball. The script didn’t allow for much of their true personalities to shine through, but Owen did hone in on certain facets of the boys and exaggerated them. This makes for a fun eighty-seven minute romp. There is plenty of bizarre and absurd British humor, so if it isn’t something you’re familiar with it might be off putting at first. There is something for everyone, though. Despite it being an economical decision rather than an artistic one, the film does end up looking rather artistic and clean with the black and white film. The difference of appearance and feel of this film is a stark contrast to Help! which was shot in color and came out the following year

Much like the newly released Get Back, A Hard Day’s Night feels almost like you’re hanging out with The Beatles on tour. The boys seem carefree and fresh out of the gate before the world snatched pieces of them away, so it is easy to laugh and horse around with them in the best way possible with Lester’s masterful directing. This is a must watch for, of course, any Beatles fan but also any comedy fan. Their timing is impeccable, and they nailed the slight facial nuances needed to pull off the more absurd moments. We are lucky that the stars aligned and The Beatles agreed to make a few films. A Hard Day’s Night is an invaluable piece of history on screen and a snapshot of the life of a Beatle.

Video Quality

A Hard Day’s Night appears on 4K UHD Blu-Ray courtesy of an impressive new 4K digital restoration in 2160p/Dolby Vision from a combination of the 35mm original camera negative and two 35mm fine grain master positives that are quite excellent. If you are of the belief that only a new film can benefit from a proper 4K presentation, you are sadly mistaken. This presentation is simply astounding. The black and white cinematography is gorgeous with smooth gradients and subtle textures. The Dolby Vision presentation helps find even more nuances within the contrast and highlights. This transfer maintains the filmic quality of the picture with fine film grain giving way to rich details. 

Black levels are appropriately deep without any pesky nuisances such as digital noise or compression artifacts. The transfer also eradicates any dust specks or print damage that previously plagued the best surviving elements. This picture showcases some excellent depth to the image which gives way to a pleasing sense of scale within the locale. This transfer is a fine showcase of textural details in the costumes and production design. The previous Blu-Ray (also included) is a very fetching release, but this new 4K UHD Blu-Ray fine tunes things just so to make the picture a bit more well-rounded. The Criterion Collection should be praised for this transfer. 

The only mark against the initial batch of 4K UHD Blu-Ray copies that were sent out is a slight editing error during the remaster process that causes some continuity issues during the performance of “She Loves You.” The Criterion Collection is aware of the issue and has already pulled the release until the corrected disc can be supplied, currently projected for March. If you are one of the people to get the first batch on release date, the Criterion Collection has instituted the following process to receive a replacement: 

  • Email orders@criterion.com with your name and a mailing address that will be valid for at least the next 3 months
  • Include a photo of the defective A HARD DAY’S NIGHT 4K UHD disc with your name and date written on the front/art side (using a sharpie or paint marker – you can write this info on the lighter portion of the disc, and take a photo against a light source so your name and date are visible). You do not need to break the disc.
  • The Blu-ray and DVD of A HARD DAY’S NIGHT are not affected and do not need to be replaced

 

Outside of this issue, this is a quality release that you will want to pick up as soon as the corrected discs are available. 

Audio Quality

The Criterion Collection brings us this new 4K UHD Blu-Ray with remastered audio in three different configurations, LPCM 2.0 (Mono and Stereo) and DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, all of which offer a very strong audio experience. The dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the music or other effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely including the chatter of audience members and the train pulling out of the station. One of the most important aspects of the feature is the iconic music which sounds vibrant and lovely here. This track does not present with any glaring instances of age related wear and tear. This is a track that represents the film in a way that is practically perfect. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

The Criterion Blu-Ray of A Hard Day’s Night includes a substantial booklet featuring the essay “The Whole World Is Watching” by author Howard Hampton in which he discusses the legacy of the picture and more. This piece provides a great amount of context and insight into the film that is very worthwhile. There is also the interview “Richard Lester On A Hard Day’s Night” which is taken from an interview from 1970 where he details the making of the film. There is so much information packed into this 50+ page interview that fans will want to comb through. The on-disc special features are as follows: 

  • Audio Commentary: A commentary track created from material produced by Martin Lewis in 2002 and features actors John Junkin, David Janson, and Jeremy Lloyd; cinematographer Gilbert Taylor; associate producer Denis O’Dell; second assistant director Barrie Melrose; assistant editors Pamela Tomling and Roy Benson; and others. On this track, the participants discuss utilizing the environment around them, the complications of shooting on a moving train, the performers playing a loose version of real-life people, the work ethic instilled in the group by Brian Epstein, the reasons why this film was shot for such little money and more. 
  • In Their Own Voices: An 18-minute collection of audio interviews compiled from their 1964 American interview appearances set over clips from the film and behind-the-scenes stills and footage. In this piece, the group discuss their reluctance to make films up until this point, developing the titular song, working with Richard Lester, incorporating real-life occurrences and personalities into the narrative, their thoughts on touring and the public attention, and much more. 
  • Anatomy Of A Style: A 17-minute dissection of five music sequences from the film by story editor and screenwriter Bobbie O’Steen and music editor Suzana Peric. The pair discuss how the music was shaped to flow with the story, the happy accidents that added to the film’s energy, the abstract filmmaking styles, the fluidity of the editing, the decision to not match the action to the beats of the music, the complementary nature of certain sequences and more. 
    • A Hard Day’s Night
    • I Should Have Known Better
    • Can’t Buy Me Love
    • And I Love Her
    • She Loves You
  • “You Can’t Do That” – The Making of A Hard Day’s Night: A 62-minute special from 1994 celebrating the 30th anniversary of the film produced by Walter Shenson (producer of A Hard Day’s Night) and narrated by Phil Collins, featuring clips from archival interviews with Roger Ebert, Peter Noone (lead singer of Herman’s Hermits), Roger McGuinn (founding member of The Byrds), cast member Victor Spinetti, wardrobe designer Julie Harris, screenwriter Alun Owen, and Debbie Gendler (New Jersey Fan Club President), and many others. There are many great insights into the film both from a cultural standpoint and looking into the production. Being able to hear directly from people involved with the film is really valuable. 
  • Things They Said Today: A 36-minute documentary created in 2002 by Martin Lewis which features some great interviews which details the development and production of A Hard Day’s Night including recollections of filming in public places. This piece features interviews with David Picker (VP Production & Marketing, United Artists Corporation/1962 to 1964, Sir George Martin (The Beatles’ record producer), Tony Barrow (Beatles publicist/1962-1966), producer Walter Shenson, and director Richard Lester, among others. 
  • Richard Lester
    • The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film: An 11-minute short from 1959 nominated for an Academy Award devised by Peter Sellers and starring Richard Lester, Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Graham Stark, and Bruce Lacey. This actually has some really funny moments which shows something great can be made for seventy pounds. 
    • Picturewise: A 27-minute piece created in 2014 which chronicles the production of A Hard Day’s Night and the directing sensibilities of Richard Lester. This piece is narrated by Rita Tushingham, features raw footage from the shooting of A Hard Day’s Night and a new audio interview with Richard Lester. When so much attention is typically paid to The Beatles, it is refreshing to get a deeper dive into Lester himself and the special touch he brought to this project. 
  • The Beatles – The Road To A Hard Day’s Night: A 28-minute interview conducted in 2014 with Mark Lewisohn, author of The Beatles: All These Years, Volume 1 — Tune In, in which he takes you through the early career of The Beatles up until the creation of A Hard Day’s Night. This might not offer much new information for hardcore Beatles fans, but it’s a nice distillation of information for the average person. 
  • Trailers: This release includes the 2000 rerelease trailer (2:00) and 2014 rerelease trailer (1:39). 

 

Final Thoughts

A Hard Day’s Night is not just a great Beatles film, but a truly incredible piece of entertainment in general. While being a fan of the members and music will enhance your enjoyment substantially, the absurd and clever antics are universal enough to please any fan of British comedy. There is so much packed into this spry feature which rewards repeat viewings, especially with the humor being so subtle and sly that you might miss a wonderful turn of phrase. For fans of these lovable lads, the music is top notch in every respect and each member gets to show off a projected personality that we still define them by to this day. The Criterion Collection has released a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and so many supplemental features it will make your head spin. If you are a fan of the film, you owe it to yourself to own it in the best presentation possible. Essential 

The Criterion Collection edition of A Hard Day’s Night is available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

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