A Hard Day's Night
d. Richard Lester, 1964
Richard Lester's A Hard Day's Night is loved by those who have seen it, but it is terribly underrated as a film. Lester would go on to make better films, particularly 1965's comedy The Knack... and How to Get It, but this is certainly his defining movie. At the time it was made, the Beatles were already superstars but not the icons that they are today, Lester had a very small budget for the film, so he had to incorporate the techniques directors like Cassavetes, Godard, and Truffaut invented. Lester's use of grainy photography, handheld cameras, and snappy editing is far more accesible here than it was in the films by the other directors, and it foreshadowed the change in the American studio system that would come about in the late 60s and through the 70s. The film, as everyone knows, follows the Beatles through a day in their life. The script, by Alun Owen, is quite funny and Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr are amazing here. Oh yeah, and the songs are pretty good too.
