Homework: A Hard Day's Night (1964)

[nickperkins 52]

Will this be the thing that makes me finally care about the Beatles? We'll see. Available for digital rental, On Demand thru Turner Classic Movies, or (as Devin stated ) on Hulu.

[HoldenMartinson 221]

Wow, Nick Perkins. How does that feel, to have Devin stepping in on your turf?

[NathanGordon 1096]

I'm voting no on principle. The Beatles are widely recognized as the greatest pop cultural phenomenon ever. I'm sure this will go in the canon, but I'm indifferent to it. It's kind of like the discussion here about the Harry Potter films; yes, it's a massive cultural enterprise, but the film is a byproduct of the source material and wasn't the reason for the widespread impact.

 

I suppose it's interesting as a bridge between terrible Elvis movies and modern pop band documentaries or music videos, but I'd rather watch The Monkee's Head again.

[AlexChristianLovendahl 34]

Shot by Gilbert "He Shot Repulsion, Strangelove, And Star Wars" Taylor, this is one you don't wanna miss. Pure cinema, this movie is more fun than half The Beatles' records. As the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips would say, "it's a pip!"

[RobertBoberts 62]

I saw this for the first time earlier this year and i was kind of surprised at how much I liked it. I was never really a fan of early Beatles but liked their later stuff. This was lot better and funnier than I expected.

[Muthsarah 124]

Jebus....

 

How do you judge a movie that is trying so hard to be something you just don't care about?

 

Now, I like The Beatles. As musicians. Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road, all fantastic albums (and the first three all released within 18 months, ye gods!!*)

 

But this film is pure fluff. It exists to celebrate and exacerbate The Beatles' celebrity, and maybe poke an odd finger in the eye of The Establishment. Which, sure, is a 60s thing. And I'm probably part of The Establishment by finding it so bereft of meaning. It doesn't help that this film only includes songs from their earlier Merseybeat period, which - per above - is not the era I personally like.

 

As a "youth movie"....maybe. But does it age? What would the youth of today make of it? Should only the very young be participating in this poll? As a moving snapshot of a time and a place (which I'm normally a total sucker for)...it still feels meaningless. Breathless. Rebel Without a Cause. Crazed Fruit. All movies that seem to address 50s/60s youth anxiety and rebellion. This movie doesn't advocate anything other than itself. Celebrate The Beatles. Run around With The Beatles. Be stupid, because The Beatles.

 

I'm old. But when I first/last saw this film (like, ten/twelve years ago), I was less old. I found it an enjoyable watch then, but I still thought it was pretty damn stupid. Just because it's a movie that's attached to a first-ballot Canon-worthy band, does that really mean the movie should itself be included in all of the band's glory? I wouldn't put Beatles For Sale or Magical Mystery Tour in The Canon. Of anything. Nor even a single Elvis movie.

 

Sure, this film probably went over gangbusters with the youth of 1964/5. But is it timeless, or just a slice of the times? I'd really like to think there's a difference. There are better ways to Canonize The Beatles. Maybe not in THIS here Canon, but in general.

 

I wonder if I'd even go with Yellow Submarine over this movie. Tough call, actually. Shoulda maybe been a versus....

 

* - Points if you get the reference.

[Threshold 93]

I wonder if I'd even go with Yellow Submarine over this movie. Tough call, actually. Shoulda maybe been a versus....

Yellow Submarine!!!

Across the Universe!!

Both of those are weird looks at the Beatles, and probably most importantly, their legacy.

 

I haven't seen Hard Day's Night, but I am very keen to catch up!

[Shrek & Donkey Kong 4336]

the only good Beatles movie. i'll take it in the canon for the music and cinematography, and even if 2 of the lads are in the top 20 worst actors i've ever seen, my spot for this movie is far too soft to vote against it.

[MadScientist 12]

Help is fluff. A Hard Day's Night gives more of a look at the Beatles phenomenon than their other movies. It's a snapshot that shows the beginnings of what would eventually become the world's most popular, influential band (they were, after all, bigger than Jesus).

 

That said, this is one of those picks that's way more about cultural significance and influence than any kind of quality.

[JimmyMecks 49]

This one's a pretty easy yes. The musical montage is still commonly utilized today, it's a cornerstone for music videos, and it's a perfect time capsule for one of the most influential popular groups of all time.

 

Also, beyond just being a snapshot of a band, it also captures the feeling of youth in the face of years and years of establishment. It's fun to see the band who wrote about wanting to hold your hand accidentally lay down early foundations of an attitude that would eventually be considered punk.

[Marsellus_H 118]

Shot by Gilbert "He Shot Repulsion, Strangelove, And Star Wars" Taylor, this is one you don't wanna miss. Pure cinema, this movie is more fun than half The Beatles' records. As the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips would say, "it's a pip!"

 

I'm not entierly convinced that the film is great. But after you sat through the first 40 minutes, and the director's paint-by-the numbers job is over of what you assume comes out, when you think of "Beatles", "early 60s" and "film", it turns to some pretty interesting places.It's that part, that would make it canon-worthy in my books.

 

Also, I still would say that the early-to-mid Beatles catalogue covered in here contains some of the greatest, purest pop compositions ever written. It's neither as out-there nor as well-arranged as their later stuff, but it terms of pure enjoyability it certainly earns it's spot. The shizzle they were able to produce with simply 2 guitars, a base, a mediocre drum-set and a harmonica is pretty amazing, if you ask me. And I really think to see these prodyigies just doing what their good at on screen is pretty amazing.

 

But that's just my opinion on that stuff. I'm looking forward to hear what the other people on this site think about it.

[JeffreyMcDonald 65]

Yeah, along with others here, I've never really been a Beatles fan. Especially of the early stuff.

 

I'm voting no on principle. The Beatles are widely recognized as the greatest pop cultural phenomenon ever. I'm sure this will go in the canon, but I'm indifferent to it.

 

I understand that, but I'm still open minded. Growing up near San Francisco a lot of my classmates had hippie boomer parents who insisted non-stop that The Beatles were the beginning and end of rock music. I have to admit that it turned me off to them for a long time. Reminds me of that old Johnny Rotten interview, "I was told in school that ,"You HAVE to like it. It's Shakespeare!" No I don't!" My reaction was, stop telling me I HAVE to like this and that all my music is shit, baby boomer.

 

But I do like their later stuff, Revolver and after.

And I wanted to be open minded for The Canon.

Right now, I'm leaning soft "no". I mean, I really found myself not interested for long stretches of the film.

 

But as a soft no, I'm curious to listen to the episode. I could very easily be swayed if maybe given historical context or reasons why this film is important other than simply because "Beatles are great".

 

I wish I could remember which stand-up comic said this, but his bit something like, "A lot of people say they would love to travel back in time to see Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin back in the day. The one band I would not want to travel back and see would be The Beatles. It would be terrible. [looks around annoyed] WOULD ALL YOU GIRLS PLEASE STOP SCREAMING!"

[HoldenMartinson 221]

A Hard Day's Night can be in the canon. That's fine. The Replacements, however, will always have the superior Let It Be.

[Susan* 135]

^^ I appreciate the Replacements love, even though it doesn't really fit here.

 

This one's a pretty easy yes. The musical montage is still commonly utilized today, it's a cornerstone for music videos, and it's a perfect time capsule for one of the most influential popular groups of all time.

 

Also, beyond just being a snapshot of a band, it also captures the feeling of youth in the face of years and years of establishment. It's fun to see the band who wrote about wanting to hold your hand accidentally lay down early foundations of an attitude that would eventually be considered punk.

I agree. This is a time capsule movie and it was big and bold and fresh at the time. (I prefer the songs and music videos within Help but that's just such a bad overall movie and that one wouldn't have happened without this one.)

[nickperkins 52]

Wow, Nick Perkins. How does that feel, to have Devin stepping in on your turf?

Ha, I always feel like I'm stepping on THEIR turf