"The Beatles Act Naturally"
by Scott Mantz

"A Hard Day's Night"
The Beatles, Wilfred Brambell
Directed by Richard Lester

Still fab! The Beatles act naturally in "A Hard Day's Night"

As was usually the case around Christmastime in the 1960's, The Beatles dominated the headlines and had an album at the top of the charts. Well, how ironic that more than 30 years after the fact, not much has changed. Their official tell-all autobiography, "The Beatles Anthology," debuted at the top of the New York Times best-seller list, and their greatest hits collection, "The Beatles 1," debuted at (where else?) number 1 in an astounding 19 countries (selling more than 595,000 copies in the United States in its first week alone). Not bad for a band that broke up 3 decades ago!

Now, the group that spawned a pop-cultural revolution caps off an otherwise dismal year for movies with the re-release of their most fab film, "A Hard Day's Night." Brandishing a newly-restored print, a sparkling soundtrack, and the still-fresh faces of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, this delightful cinematic masterpiece answers the question "Do we still love them?" with a resounding "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"

What makes "A Hard Day's Night" so engaging is its documentary-like feel of what it must have been like to have been in the eye of the hurricane known as Beatlemania circa 1964. As Paul's mean (but clean!) ol' grandfather (Wilfred Brambell) put it, The Beatles spent their time "in a train and a room, and a car and a room, and a room and a room." They were ultimately prisoners of their own fame, but darn, did they make it look like fun!

As with most rock stars, The Beatles were not actors (although Ringo's impressive performance clearly suggests otherwise). Producer Walter Shenson, director Richard Lester, and screenwriter Alun Owen knew this, and they wisely kept their dialogue short and sweet. The Beatles were allowed to act naturally and be their charismatic selves, and the resulting film preserved their individual personalities for decades to come. From here on in, John would forever be known as the witty one, Paul the pretty one, George the quiet one, and Ringo, well, he was just Ringo!

Though it was hardly the intention, "A Hard Day's Night" turned out to be more influential than anyone could have possibly imagined. The exciting "Can't Buy Me Love" sequence is widely credited for giving birth to the MTV generation, while the film's shaky camera technique (especially during the opening train sequence) can still be seen in many of today's movies (such as "Tigerland" and "Dancer in the Dark"). Also, the more chaotic scenes that involve overlapping dialogue instantly bring to mind Robert Altman's "Nashville" and "Short Cuts," which took this approach to even greater heights.

Whether you like the music or not (and if you don't, shame on you!), the movie is still pretty darn funny! The screenplay is tight and well-written, providing for many hysterical moments, and the interplay between The Beatles, their fictional managers (Norman Rossington and John Junkin, who resemble Abbott and Costello in reverse), and the neurotic TV producer (Victor Spinetti, who clearly drank too much coffee) distinguishes the film from being merely a vehicle for a bunch of songs.

"A Hard Day's Night" is not only a fun and irresistible movie, but it's an incredible stop on the long and winding road of The Beatles' extraordinary career. What could be more exciting than seeing The Beatles run for their lives from a bunch of screaming girls? What could be more exciting than being part of The Beatles' inner circle? What could be more exciting than seeing 36 hours in the life of the world's greatest rock'n'roll band (eat your heart out Mick Jagger!), climaxing with an actual Beatles concert?

Judging by their mop-top appearance, matching suits, and bouncy love songs, there was little to suggest that The Beatles were just a few years away from turning the music world on its proverbial ear. "A Hard Day's Night" captures the thrilling innocence of the times, and songs like "I Should Have Known Better," "Tell Me Why," and "She Loves You" are as intoxicating as they ever were. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how old the music or the film is. As The Beatles continue to dominate the headlines with blurbs like "They're back," let's just get one thing straight--they never left.

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