A Hard Day's Night

 A Hard Day's Night (1964) is easily the most grounded of the Beatles movies that we've looked at: there are no cults chasing a sacred ring, no four or five magicians living in a science classroom in the sky, no magical instruments or evil record executives, and definitely no Blue Meanies.  This is a fictionalized day in the life of a fictionalized version of the band, but it is also a perfectly crafted gem of a movie that does exactly what it sets out to do.

John, Paul, George and Ringo play versions of themselves.  As the movie opens, they're on a train traveling to their next gig, accompanied by manager Norm (Norman Rossington) and road manager Shake (John Junkin), as well as John McCartney (Wilfrid Brambell), Paul's "other" grandfather.  McCartney Senior is a troublemaker, with a talent for spotting the weak link in any social group and exploiting their insecurities until the group collapses into bickering and acrimony, but as everyone who meets him points out, he's very clean.

The movie takes place during the height of Beatlemania, so the boys are pursued by crowds of screaming girls pretty much wherever they go.  That means that their movements are sharply curtailed and Norm is keeping a close eye on them all the time, and that frustrates the band and particularly John, who is a bit of a troublemaker himself.

 The band arrive at their hotel, and Norm hands each member a stack of fan mail which they are supposed to answer, but as soon as Norm leaves the band sneaks out to a party, while Paul's grandfather sneaks out to a casino.  Wackiness ensues, but eventually everyone is forced to return to the hotel room and the letters are presumably answered.

The next day the band is scheduled to perform in a televised concert, and most of the day is taken up with interviews, rehearsals, and sneaking away to literally frolic in a field.   But there is trouble; Paul's grandad is working his magic, first on the TV Director (Victor Spinelli) and then the band's psychological weak link, Ringo.  He exploits Ringo's insecurities about his height and his nose and general Ringoness, and convinces him to put down his book and go out "parading" to experience life in the real world.  

When the rest of the band notice that Ringo is missing, they set out to find him, meaning that everyone is missing rather than just Ringo.  Will they make it back in time for the concert?   Yes.  Obviously.  But not until after a lengthy Benny Hill-style chase through the city streets.

While A Hard Day's Night is more grounded than the other Beatles movies, it does have the same sense of absurdist humor.  This is a very funny movie, and the script sparkles in places, particularly the interview scene.  And the lads display an easy chemistry with one another; everybody is young and carefree and nothing is ever going to change them.

But for me the key scene is when George accidentally wanders into an advertising agency, and Dolly (Alison Seebohm), the secretary, mistakes him for an aspiring actor.  George is asked to be enthusiastic about some grotty shirts, with the promise of meeting current "it girl" Susan Campy.  It's a fascinating look into the manufactured nature of celebrity and the corporate forces trying to shape youth culture.  It's a bit of satire that is if anything even more relevant today. 

And at the same time that the movie is commenting on the artificial nature of celebrity, it's also providing a perfect example.  The Fab Four in the film might be inspired by the personalities of the real men, but they still present perfectly crafted public personae.  It's easy to think that you know the Beatles personally after watching the movie, but that's how para-social relationships work.  Still, the Movie Beatles are delightful, and it's nice to spend some time with them.