TOMS Movies: A Hard Day's Night

I noticed going back through my blog archives that I missed a couple of movies I wrote about that I would like to revisit. So even though it is a few days off from exactly eight years ago, here is one of them:

For an introduction to this series, click here.

Nov. 2, 2006

Photo Credit

Here's another black and white movie, one that I hadn't seen before now. This movie is hilarious. If you are not aware, this movie is a "day in the life" style movie about the Beatles, one of my favorite bands. The Beatles never took themselves too seriously, especially early on. The movie is kind of a deconstruction of celebrity life, but with much snappier dialogue than a genuine documentary.

It's funny in the ironic British sort of way.There are all sorts of quips and one-liners. On the train in England there is a cranky old man who is constantly complaining about the boys' antics. "I fought in the war for the likes of you!" says the exasperated man. "I bet you're sorry you won," comes the quick reply. The press conference scene in America is nuts. "What do you call that hairstyle?" "Arthur." "How did you come to America?" "We turned left at Greenland." Also, at the end, when they are performing on an Ed Sullivan-style show with a theater full of screaming girls, they walk on stage through a big door that says "Quiet- Television Sound Stage." 

Then there is this character who is portraying Paul's grandfather. He loses tons of money gambling, gets engaged to two filthy rich widows, he gets arrested for starting a riot with fake autographed pictures of the band, and he has this weird knack for getting lost in the theater and finding himself raised onto the stage in the middle of the show. He even interrupts the Beatles' finale.

The Beatles never let themselves be boxed in, which is the reason they were successful in the long term, and why their music is still relevant today. At the time this movie came out, their biggest hit was "I Wanna Hold your Hand." This song is not performed in the movie. However, one song in the movie says, "I don't want to hold your hand," and another says "Love is more than holding hands."

I'm a bigger fan of the Beatles' later music, when they weren't as saccharine, but the music in this movie holds its own. And it's a rollicking good time.