RATINGS: IMDB ― 7.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes ― 98%, ME ― 87%
Grandfather: Would you look at him? Sittin' there with his hooter scrapin' away at that book!
Ringo: Well, what's the matter with that?
Grandfather: Have you no natural resources of your own? Have they even robbed you of that?
Ringo: You can learn from books!
Grandfather: You can, can you? Pahh! Sheeps' heads! You could learn more by gettin' out there and living!
Ringo: Out where?
Grandfather: Any old where! But not our little Richard. Oh, no. When you're not thumpin' them pagan skins you're tormenting your eyes with that rubbish.
Ringo: Books are good.
Grandfather: *Parading's* better.
Ringo: Parading?
Grandfather: [nods eagerly] Parading the streets! Trailing your coat! Bowling along! LIVING!
Ringo: Well, I am living.
Grandfather: You? Living? When was the last time you gave a girl a pink-edged daisy? When did you last embarrass a sheila with your cool, appraising stare?
Ringo: You're a bit old for that sort of chat, aren't you?
Grandfather: Well at least I've got a backlog of memories! All you've got is - THAT BOOK!
Wilfrid Bramwell as Grandfather and Ringo Starr as Ringo
Trivia (From IMDB):
George Harrison stumbles and falls during the opening sequence of the group running down a street towards the camera. This wasn't intended and he ripped the suit he was wearing, but as he quickly recovered, laughed and continued running, it was decided to retain the shot in the film.
John Lennon's written answer to the female reporter asking him if he has any hobbies, is the word "tits".
Ringo Starr was praised for his solo scene at the riverside as a forlorn soul. However, his expression in that scene was actually the result of being severely hung over after a previous night of heavy drinking.
The film's title track was written entirely in one sitting by John Lennon on the night of April 13th, 1964, which was also the same day he had filmed the iconic bathtub scene. After Ringo Starr had coined the phrase, John and Paul McCartney had basically raced to see who would come up with a song for the phrase and movie title first.
United Artists executives didn't really care about the film itself, they were mainly interested in exploiting a legal loophole which would allow them to distribute the lucrative soundtrack album. In fact, they fully expected to lose money on the film. With a final cost of about $500,000 and a box office take of about $8,000,000 in the first week, "A Hard Day's Night" is among the most profitable (percentage-wise) films of all time.
After filming for the day on April 1st 1964, John Lennon had met his father, Alfred Lennon, for the first time in 17 years. In the morning Alf had walked into NEMS Enterprises (where The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein worked) accompanied by a journalist. After explaining to the receptionist that he was John's father, and when Epstein was informed he immediately sent for a car to pick up John, the rest of The Beatles with the exception of Paul McCartney tagging along, bringing them over to NEMS. The meeting was unsuccessful, however; the first words John said to his father were, "What do you want?" The meeting lasted no longer than 20 minutes, and ended up with a furious John ordering Alf off the premises. The encounter was kept out of newspapers by trading with the journalist for exclusive stories about the other bands Epstein managed.
Screenwriter Alun Owen claimed that the word "grotty" was a word used in Liverpool to mean "grotesque", but The Beatles never heard it before and believed Owen made it up. It subsequently passed into general usage and linguists certainly cite The Beatles as the popularizers of the word in the early 1960s and trace its origins to Liverpool.
Ringo Starr's answering a reporter's question "Are you a mod, or a rocker?" with "I'm a mocker" was voted as the #58 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007. Ringo originally coined the quip during an appearance on Ready, Steady, Go! (1963).
Writer Alun Owen put together the plot of the movie while following The Beatles around on their tour of France before they went to America. From observing them, he created their "stereotypes": John Lennon is a smart-ass, Paul McCartney is "cute" and sensible, George Harrison is quiet and shy and Ringo Starr is dim-witted and sad. He also picked up their manners of speech, and their daily routines, with which he created the plot. Despite the comic elements, it really was a "day-in-the-life" look at The Beatles.
The tire that Ringo Starr trips over in the scene at the river bank had to be thrown again and again, as it kept rolling incorrectly. Finally, after numerous wasted takes, it was offered to young actor David Janson, on hand to play the young boy Ringo meets. Janson rolled the tire correctly on the first try.
According to Norman Rossington, in the scene where John Lennon takes the scissors and cuts the tailor's tape and says "I now declare this bridge open", John improvised other versions where instead of "bridge" he would say "synagogue", "fish-and-chips stand", etc. The tailor in the scene is actually The Beatles' real tailor.
The resulting album of the same name is the only one The Beatles released with every song written and composed exclusively by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It was also the first Beatles album not to contain any covers of other artists' songs (e.g. "Roll Over Beethoven", "Twist and Shout").
The whole of the original first day's shooting (the train sequence) was lost because the clapper-loader was mistaken by fans at the station for one of The Beatles. In running away from the screaming fans, he dropped the cans of negative.
Ringo Starr is invited to "Le Cercle" gambling club, the same club where James Bond makes his first appearance in Dr. No (1962). Coincidentally, both "A Hard Day's Night" and "Dr. No" were originally released by United Artists.
In the scene where The Beatles are running and playing in the field, John Lennon was not there. He was away promoting his new book "John Lennon: In His Own Write." A body double filled in for John, and close-up shots of him were edited into the scene later. A copy of the book can be seen on a mantelpiece in the background of a shot of Norm, Shake and Paul's (very clean) grandfather.
When Ringo Starr turns on the transistor radio on the train, there is a short bit of a rock and roll song, which had been recorded by a group of London session musicians. The drummer on the song, Clem Cattini, claims that Jimmy Page played guitar on it.
In the first ten seconds of the film, as the group of kids chase John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr down the street, George stumbles, which causes Ringo to stumble. John looks back and hesitates for a moment before continuing to run. The lead pursuer--a tall blonde in a three-piece suit and a mac who had been running close to the wall--moves to the center of the sidewalk, throws both arms straight out to block the kids behind him, and yells "stop!" The other kids stopped just long enough for George and Ringo to regain their footing and start running again.
The people chasing The Beatles into the train at the beginning of the film are real fans.
The Beatles record producer George Martin got an Academy Award nomination for his music score in the movie, but The Beatles themselves weren't nominated for their music.
The question "Are you a mod or a rocker?" is a reference to two mid-1960s British youth subcultures that caused a moral panic by having violent clashes at the time the movie was being produced. The rockers rode motorcycles, wore black leather and preferred rock-and-roll. The mods rode scooters, wore suits and preferred jazzier music like ska. Since The Beatles' early music was a fusion of rock-and-roll and ska, it was only natural that Ringo Starr's reply--"I'm a mocker"--represents a fusion of the two groups' names.
A young Phil Collins appeared in the audience during the "You Can't Do That" number though the sequence was cut from the film.
Paul McCartney's grandfather tells a policeman that he is "a soldier of the Republic". This is a reference to the IRA and shows the links to Irish immigration to Liverpool. He quotes from the song, "A Nation Once Again" written in the 1840s by Thomas Osborne Davis (1814-45), one of the founders of the Irish independence movement.
The constant mention of Paul McCartney's grandfather being "very clean" are references to actor Wilfrid Brambell playing a rag-and-bone man in Steptoe and Son (1962), featuring the catch-phrase, "You dirty old man." "Steptoe and Son" was remade in the US as Sanford and Son (1972).
In the scene where Paul McCartney's grandfather suggests Ringo Starr to be parading instead of reading a book, the book he's reading is "Anatomy of a Murder".
The movie's premiere in England took place on the seventh anniversary of John Lennon and Paul McCartney meeting for the first time after a performance by John's first band, The Quarrymen, at the annual Garden Fete.
Screenwriter Alun Owen claims that the only Beatle who ad-libbed was John Lennon. The truth is that all four members of The Beatles sparked each other's imagination and improvised.
Once Ringo Starr's line, "A Hard Day's Night", was confirmed as the movie's title, it was put to music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney with participation of George Harrison and Starr. The Beatles collectively composed the song that same night, playing it the next morning to producer Walter Shenson in their dressing room.
In this film Wilfrid Brambell speaks in his natural Irish accent.
United Artists was pressuring the producers to finally come up with a title for the film. When John Lennon told producer Walter Shenson about Ringo Starr's malapropisms, Shenson thought that Ringo's phrase "a hard day's night"--referring to his resting up after an exhausting day--might make a good title. John agreed. Shenson called United Artists with the proposed title, which was coolly received. Shenson suggested that they ask the secretaries and other young employees, who might be fans of The Beatles, what they thought of the proposed title. The suggestion worked and the title was accepted.
It was reported in contemporary press cuttings that 15 minutes was later cut from the film, including scenes involving a London double-decker bus. The Beatles autographed the ceiling of this bus, which was by that time privately owned by Tim Lewis of Twickenham. In 1987 David Thrower purchased the bus, in a dilapidated condition, from Wicksteed Park, Kettering, and it is now fully restored to the condition it was in when used in the film--though the signatures of The Beatles on the ceiling are long gone, unfortunately.
When shooting began, The Beatles had not yet joined Equity, the British actors' union. They were hastily inducted on the set with Wilfrid Brambell proposing their membership, and Norman Rossington seconding the motion.
Both John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's mothers were mentioned in the film, the implication being that they were still alive. Paul's mother, Mary Mohin McCartney, had died when he was 14 and John's mother, Julia Lennon, passed away when he was 17.
While all four of The Beatles attended the movie's premiere, reportedly none stayed for the whole show.
While Paul McCartney is singing "And I Love Her," the camera panning around him picks up an arc light that flashes straight into the lens. United Artists executives, reviewing the dailies and certain the shot had to be a mistake, asked producer Walter Shenson if he was aware of it; Shenson replied it had taken them all morning to get it like that.
The first of five theatrical movies that feature The Beatles.
Wilfrid Brambell was actually only 30 years older than Paul McCartney.
Norm and Shake are loosely based on The Beatles real-life road managers Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans, respectively.
The woolly sweater worn by the TV director (Victor Spinetti) was his own. The sweater was given to him as a gift and later given to a fan club that had asked him for it.
The camera's 360-degree pan around Paul McCartney during his performance of "And I Love Her" was achieved by dangling the camera from strings marionette-style and moving it in a circle around McCartney.
The movie's working title was "The Beatles", then "Beatlemania", until Ringo Starr, who was exhausted after a long day, coined the phrase "a hard day's night" that was accepted by the studio.
The word "Beatles" is never mentioned in dialogue. However, "The Beatles" is clearly visible on Ringo Starr's bass drumhead and on the helicopter in the final scene. Also, the background during the final concert "The Beatles" is in lights.
John Lennon's line, "She looks more like him than I do" was dubbed in after shooting.
In the "grotty shirt" scene, the shirts George Harrison says he wouldn't be caught dead in look strikingly like the shirts worn by The Dave Clark Five around the same time period.
The song accompanying the boys' romp in the field was originally "I'll Cry Instead". It was changed to the previously-released track "Can't Buy Me Love" when director Richard Lester felt the first song didn't fit the mood properly.
This was The Beatles' first feature film and happens to be their only feature filmed in black & white.
Kenneth Haigh, who has the brief but showy role of Simon Marshall--the amusingly neurotic television executive who tries to get George Harrison to promote his sponsor's "grotty" shirts--was already a distinguished stage actor. He had originated the role of the first "angry young man," Jimmy Porter, in the historic first stage performance (1956) of "Look Back in Anger" by John Osborne, and at the time of filming he was appearing onstage as Caligula. He performed in the film because of his friendship with the movie's screenwriter, Alun Owen, but declined screen credit, fearing that his reputation as an actor would suffer by his association with a "teen idol" movie.
In the train seen when Shake shows up, John Lennon can be seen with a bottle of Pepsi attempting to "snort" it.
Paul McCartney's comment to the mirror in the dressing room "That this too too solid flesh would melt" is from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", Act 1 Scene 2.
The song "You Can't Do That" was cut from the concert scene at the end of the film, but the scene in which it is performed is still intact.
Mal Evans, one of The Beatles' assistants along with Neil Aspinall, makes a cameo in the film. He is the person carrying the upright bass/cello in between John Lennon and Anna Quayle (Millie) as they are talking in the hallway backstage at the television theater.
United Artists wanted to produce the film because The Beatles' US contract with Capitol Records did not include a provision covering film scores. As a result, the original soundtrack for "A Hard Day's Night" was released on United Artists Records. The UA version was more of a soundtrack than the comparable album released in the UK, which was actually a new 13-track Beatles album; the UA album had only eight songs performed by The Beatles, plus four tracks from the score (easy-listening orchestral versions of Beatles tunes, arranged by George Martin). All of The Beatles songs on the UA album were also released on Capitol as well, on either the "Something New" album or as 45-rpm singles. Nevertheless, the UA strategy worked, as its album went straight to #1. A few years later UA decided to exit the record business, and sold its catalog to Capitol--which promptly reissued the "missing" album on its own label.
The song "I'll Cry Instead" was written for the film, but later removed. It still appeared on the soundtrack album, and the US single had "From the United Artists Picture, 'A Hard Day's Night'" on the label. In 1982 the movie was re-released with an opening prologue that used "I'll Cry Instead" accompanied by an animated collage of photos of The Beatles (similar to, but more complex than, the photos that play under the end credits). Richard Lester was reportedly furious over the prologue sequence, and publicly stated that it was added without his involvement. All home video releases of the film in the 1980s and 1990s include the prologue, including the first DVD release in 1997. In 2000 the film was remastered and re-released on DVD without the prologue, and all editions since then have omitted it.
Before the film was released in America, a United Artists executive asked director Richard Lester to dub the voices of the group with mid-Atlantic accents. Paul McCartney angrily replied, "Look, if we can understand a fucking cowboy talking Texan, they can understand us talking Liverpool."
Each of The Beatles, with the exception of Paul, are addressed by their whole names once in the movie. George's name is told when the group is on the train, when John says "George Harrison, a scouse of distinction" (a scouse being a native of Liverpool). Ringo's name is mentioned on his casino invitation, though it's his actual real full name, Richard Starkey, that is said. John's name is said at the end of the movie, when Norm says, "I have one thing to say to you, John Lennon".
When they run in the police station the second time and John nods at George to run out again, watch carefully. It happens very quick but you can just make out John going out the door first. He then reappears from the right to run out after the police. He must have run round the set and as the camera remained on that scene, someone must have known he was going to do it.
The Beatles were driven to rehearsals at the Scala Theatre, which used to stand at 21 Tottenham Street, London, just off Tottenham Court Road. After a fire, it was demolished in 1969.
When Paul McCartney's grandfather is trying to fake The Beatles' autographs he is sitting on a tail lift and is moved into an operetta rehearsal. The play that is rehearsed in the scene is "Die Fledermaus" by Johann Strauss.
Two scenes were filmed but never used. A sequence where The Beatles are stuck in a traffic jam along with their chauffeur (Frank Thornton) and a solo scene where Paul McCartney meets a Shakespearean actress (Isla Blair) rehearsing in her dressing room.
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Another James Bond connection is the song, "This Boy" (a.k.a. "Ringo's Theme"), an instrumental version of which was used in the film to accompany Ringo Starr's solo scene. The guitarist was Vic Flick, who previously played on "The James Bond Theme" from Dr. No (1962).
Premiered in England on the eve of Ringo Starr's 24th birthday.
Just prior to singing "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You", there's a dance troupe on stage. The background of the stage includes drawings of several types of beetles.
Besides grandfather's gambling at "Le Cercle Club," there are other James Bond connections: Richard Vernon (the grumpy old man on the train) plays Smithers--the man who lectures Bond on gold in Goldfinger (1964)--and Margaret Nolan (girl at "Le Cercle Club") also appeared in that film, as "Dink", the girl at the hotel swimming pool.
A 'Bridewell' is an English slang term for a prison.
The Beatles first shared the bill with Wilfrid Brambell at the Royal Command Variety Performance in November 1963.
When Paul McCartney and John Lennon enter the room full of all of the girls, a magazine is briefly seen depicting The Dave Clark Five on the front cover sitting in Pattie Boyd's lap.
The 12-string Rockenbacker electric guitar played by George Harrison throughout this film inspired The Byrds to obtain one; and, played by Roger McGuinn, it became their signature sound.
In the movie, there are four swine-related jokes (five if you count Norm's remark near the end of the movie to John Lennon, "You're a swine.": 1) When Norm scolds John because he is not listening to him, John remarks, "You're a swine. Ain't he, George?". 2) When The Beatles complain about having to answer all the fan mail, John tells Norm, "You couldn't get a pen in your foot, you swine!". 3) In the lads' dressing room, John tells Norm, "Got a touch of the swine fever, haven't you?". 4) When Paul McCartney and John are about to leave the theater after performing "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You", John snorts like a pig to Norm before leaving (implicitly saying, yet again, "You're a swine.").
Just before he goes out "parading", Ringo Starr turns towards an actor in the commissary dressed as a German soldier and gives a short Nazi salute with his left arm (about 58:45). Earlier in the same scene the action cuts away from Paul's grandfather and Ringo to a "sight gag" of a German-uniformed actor putting ketchup on his meal and then applying ketchup to his bandaged arm, for a "bloody wound" effect.
The German title of the movie is "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah", which refers to The Beatles' song "She Loves Uou", also featured in this movie. Also the German dialog differs partly from the original plot. For example, The Beatles refer in this synchronization the book "Die Blechtrommel" by Günter Grass, mention several German songs, think about going into the German movie business and in the dressing room scene they are quoting so-called "Wirtinnenverse", little German joke poems, which are sometimes a little obscene. In the Ringo Starr scene near the river the boy tells Ringo about his love for his teacher and about his business ideas. Also, unlike in the original, the name "Beatles" is mentioned several times.
Since The Beatles are credited in the opening set of credits, but are not in the more comprehensive end credits, they are listed first, followed by those in the end credits, as required by IMDb policy on cast ordering.
The first movie with The Beatles ever put out on DVD, it was issued as a single disc in 1997. It was later reissued as a two-disc DVD.
The unseen character of "Susan the Trendsetter" was a parody of Cathy MacGowan, host of the British TV series "Ready, Steady, Go!" and one of the most controversial figures in British pop music in the 1960's. Fan magazines of the period contained letters from people who loved MacGowan and others who hated her.
The film shares a cinematographer (Gil Taylor) with Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). The two movies almost shared an editor. John Jympson was the original editor for "Star Wars" but was fired after George Lucas was disappointed with his work.
Opening credits: All characters and events in this film are fictitious. Any similarity to actual events, or persons living or dead, is purely coincidental.
The film had its first British TV broadcast on BBC One on December 28, 1970.
The name "Beatles" also appears in the concert scene at the end of the film flashing on after the last song. This makes 3 references to Beatles in the movie.
The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.
Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.
Director Cameo ―
Richard Lester: is seen briefly at the back of the stage while The Beatles perform "Tell Me Why".
Spoilers ―
Pattie Boyd appears in several scenes in the first act, all on the train. 1) She is one of the two "schoolgirls on the train" they first encounter 2) Paul McCartney chats her up with her friend. 3) She sits next to Paul and smiles and sings on "I Should Have Known Better". She and George Harrison, who met during filming, married within 18 months.
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