Can you call “A Hard Day’s Night” a musical? I would myself call it a comedy film with music.
The film starts with the Beatles running through the streets and Railway station trying to escaped screaming fans before boarding a train for London accompanied by Paul's Grandfather (Wilfrid Brambell), his other Grandfather. Along the way, they lark about, meet a group of schoolgirls, and sing one of my all-time favourite Beatles songs, I Should Have Known Better. We also learn by time the train reaches London, Paul’s Grandfather was trouble.
They make their way to the hotel and being cooped up they leg it out and find a party. Their partying needs to end due to having a TV show the next day. Back at the hotel Paul’s Grandfather is nowhere to be seen but they find out he is used Ringo’s invite to the casino so they dragged him back to the hotel under protest.
The next day when they head to the TV studio to sound check the later performance but Grandfather has been chipping away at Ringo’s confidence of his position in the group he wanders off feeling unloved. When the rest of The Beatles can't find him, chaos ensues. There is a sweet scene where Ringo and some lad walk along a canal, a pub scene and he gets in trouble with the police.
If someone asked me to watch a movie featuring a day in the life of say One Direction or Take That remember the Spice Girls I would say no, not because I have anything against the bands, Yes I do, but just the thought of spending 90 minutes with singers trying to act is not my thing. Yet one of my favourite movies of all time is "A Hard Day's Night" despite the fact I was four on the film’s release by the early 70s I seen it. By then I had seen the TV show the Monkees a band made just for TV and were better created later. I should not like it but rather than feeling like following a group of pop stars around it feels like a comedy with four comedians playing the part of pop stars surrounded by other comedians.
Now because I didn't experience "A Hard Day's Night" until long after the movie was made I can't say what impact it must have had back in 1964 as The Beatles were still on the rise or how different it must have felt with its mix of comedy combined with music video moments. What I can say is that whether you are a fan of The Beatles or not the flow of humour throughout the movie is what makes it and whilst you get a sense they started with a story, some ideas of scenes, and some jokes director Richard Lester just told The Beatles to be themselves. It is the natural way they mess about and wind each other up which makes it still such a joy and why whilst other bands may try to imitate "A Hard Day's Night" they won't ever come close because The Beatles had chemistry, which you just, can't fake.
But "A Hard Day's Night" also features a wonderful supporting cast with the likes of Norman Rossington, John Junkin, and Victor Spinetti. But whilst "A Hard Day's Night" works because of The Beatles, their chemistry, and their songs, it also works because of Wilfrid Brambell as Grandfather. There was no one better than Brambell at playing a comically devious old man and the scene in the casino where he masquerades, as a waiter to steal a payment from another customer is as funny as any of the jokes from The Beatles. Of the Beatles, I thought Ringo was outstanding.
What this all boils down to is that you don't need to be a fan of The Beatles to enjoy "A Hard Day's Life" because it works simply as a comedy about a group of musicians and the escapades they have during a trip to London. Of course there is the music side as well and being huge Beatles fan the spacing of the songs is just right so that it doesn't annoy and become one long music video.
My Rating
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