It's... Movie Time!!!
A couple of days after celebrating America extricating itself from British rule, today's movie post looks back to a time when we welcomed an invasion from the British.
The 1960's saw a British Invasion of our rock 'n' roll scene with the Rolling Stones, the Who, Herman's Hermits and many other bands.
And we look back at the cinematic debut of the band that led the way.
On this date (June 6th) 61 years ago, the Beatles first appeared in their in their first motion picture: A Hard Day's Night. It premiered at the London Pavilion Theatre)
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| London Pavillion |
A couple of months later, A Hard Day's Night would be released in the United States.
A Hard Day's Night chronicles 36 hours in the life of the Beatles – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – who have arrived in London to appear on a television show.
In addition to the Fab Four's propensity to wander off to burn off pent of up youthful energy to alleviate boredom and satisfy relentless curiosity, there is also the not so small matter of Paul's grandfather.
Paul's grandfather is a stern old man (the best thing anyone can say about the curmudgeonly gramp is "he's very clean") who despite his outward austerity has a tendency to get into trouble.
Our lads from Liverpool contend with screaming female fans wherever they go which involves a lot of running and hiding.
The press want to get the inside scoop on what's up with the Beatles which leads to the boys giving comic and evasive answers.
Reporter: "How did you find America?"
John Lennon: "Turned left at Greenland."
We get to see the Beatles in action as they rehearse various songs for the upcoming TV broadcast.
While chaperoning Paul's grandther, Ringo is manipulated by the old man to leave him and go out and actually experience life.
So Ringo goes out to experience life.
Which ends up with him being arrested an hour before the live TV show.
John, Paul and George go to retreive Ringo from jail which leads to a wacky Keystone Cops type chase.
Arriving back at the studio with only minutes to spare before airtime, the Beatles deliver a smashing performance to an audience of screaming, delirious fans.
Immediately afterwards, a helicopter whisks the group away to their next engagement.
Man, it has been a hard day's night, innit?
A Hard Day's Night was shot in black and white using a cinéma vérité style influenced by the French New Wave.
The film was made with a very small budget and on a tight schedule. The film was shot in March 1964 with an eye on a July 1964 release.
Well, you gotta act fast. No telling how long this Beatles thing is gonna last, don't ya know.
Before A Hard Day's Night was released in America, a studio executive asked director Richard Lester to dub the Beatles' voices with Mid-Atlantic accents.
Paul McCartney angrily took exception to this. "Look, if we can understand a fucking cowboy talking Texan, they can understand us talking Liverpool.
A Hard Day's Night was a commercial and critical success and was nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay.
Forty years later, Time magazine rated it as one of the 100 all-time greatest films. In 1999, the British Film Institute ranked it the 88th-greatest British film of the 20th century.
I shared this movie with Andrea a few months ago and she enjoyed it a lot. I've admired this film for a long time as a comic caper and a snap shot of a different era, a time of staid propriety upended by the chaotic energy of youthful rebellion and rock 'n' roll.
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