February 7 . . .
On this day, on a cold winter morning in 1964 after a long trans-Atlantic flight on BEA airlines, the Beatles arrived at JFK Airport for the first of 3 scheduled appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show – and Beatlemania erupted in the USA. A crowd of over 3,000 – mostly teenage girls – was on hand to welcome them. Before they sang a note, the group charmed the jaded Big Apple reporters at the airport with their repartee and witty, off-the-cuff answers to their demeaning questions:
“Will you sing for us?”
John: “No, we need money first.”
“We hear that Detroit’s organizing a ‘Stamp Out The Beatles’ campaign. What are you going to do?”
Paul: “We’re putting together a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
“Do you ever get haircuts?”
George: “I had one yesterday.”
“What do you think of Beethoven?”
Ringo: “He’s great. ‘Specially his poems.”
“How do you find America?”
John: “Turn left at Greenland.”
Celebrate the beguiling phenomenon that was Beatlemania – magically evoked in ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ (1964), the group’s unexpectedly inventive and funny film debut. Andrew Sarris famously called the film “the Citizen Kane of jukebox musicals”, but it’s a lot more than that lofty and facile description would imply. Initially planned as a black-and-white quickie exploitation flick to cash in on the group’s popularity, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ transcended its purpose and its genre to become a buoyant masterpiece. Filmed as a faux-verite ‘day in the life’ of the group (written by fellow Liverpudlian Alan Owen), ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ managed to capture pop culture lightning in a bottle, portraying the Beatles as a kind of mod, musical version of the Marx Brothers.
Director Richard Lester made the most of his limited resources; the film is brimming with energy and inventive sight gags. His use of hand-held cameras and framing of musical sequences served as a virtual Bible for future music videos.
‘A Hard Day’s Night’ is packed with memorable bits: The exhilarating ‘Can’t By Me Love’ montage with the group cavorting in an open field (“Sorry we hurt your field, mister.”); George’s deadpan confrontation with a stiff-shirted marketing guru; and, best of all, Ringo’s wistful solo sojourn beside the River Thames. (He later confessed to being hung over during the shooting of that sequence.)
At once a vivid snapshot of a long-ago era and still-fresh musical comedy, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ remains The Beatles’ most enchanting and enduring cinematic legacy.
Here's a special treat! Check out today's 'Movie A Day With Joel Block' Radio Show - all about The Beatles - by clicking here . .
Feb 7th
Watch the trailer by clicking here . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0eJEX5c1sM
On this day, on a cold winter morning in 1964 after a long trans-Atlantic flight on BEA airlines, the Beatles arrived at JFK Airport for the first of 3 scheduled appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show – and Beatlemania erupted in the USA. A crowd of over 3,000 – mostly teenage girls – was on hand to welcome them. Before they sang a note, the group charmed the jaded Big Apple reporters at the airport with their repartee and witty, off-the-cuff answers to their demeaning questions:
“Will you sing for us?”
John: “No, we need money first.”
“We hear that Detroit’s organizing a ‘Stamp Out The Beatles’ campaign. What are you going to do?”
Paul: “We’re putting together a ‘Stamp Out Detroit’ campaign.
“Do you ever get haircuts?”
George: “I had one yesterday.”
“What do you think of Beethoven?”
Ringo: “He’s great. ‘Specially his poems.”
“How do you find America?”
John: “Turn left at Greenland.”
Celebrate the beguiling phenomenon that was Beatlemania – magically evoked in ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ (1964), the group’s unexpectedly inventive and funny film debut. Andrew Sarris famously called the film “the Citizen Kane of jukebox musicals”, but it’s a lot more than that lofty and facile description would imply. Initially planned as a black-and-white quickie exploitation flick to cash in on the group’s popularity, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ transcended its purpose and its genre to become a buoyant masterpiece. Filmed as a faux-verite ‘day in the life’ of the group (written by fellow Liverpudlian Alan Owen), ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ managed to capture pop culture lightning in a bottle, portraying the Beatles as a kind of mod, musical version of the Marx Brothers.
Director Richard Lester made the most of his limited resources; the film is brimming with energy and inventive sight gags. His use of hand-held cameras and framing of musical sequences served as a virtual Bible for future music videos.
‘A Hard Day’s Night’ is packed with memorable bits: The exhilarating ‘Can’t By Me Love’ montage with the group cavorting in an open field (“Sorry we hurt your field, mister.”); George’s deadpan confrontation with a stiff-shirted marketing guru; and, best of all, Ringo’s wistful solo sojourn beside the River Thames. (He later confessed to being hung over during the shooting of that sequence.)
At once a vivid snapshot of a long-ago era and still-fresh musical comedy, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ remains The Beatles’ most enchanting and enduring cinematic legacy.
Here's a special treat! Check out today's 'Movie A Day With Joel Block' Radio Show - all about The Beatles - by clicking here . .
Feb 7th
Watch the trailer by clicking here . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0eJEX5c1sM
1 comment:
After reading this post, I feel inspired to spend more time with the Beatles-- my all time favorite band! Thanks for reminding me of this fun-filled film! -- Karen
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