The Opening of “A Hard Day’s Night”
July 6, 1964 – Thousands of screaming fans greet the Beatles at the London opening of their first feature film, A Hard Day’s Night.
Capturing the group in a day in the life at the peak of Beatlemania, the black and white film was shot and edited in just 16 weeks because the studio didn’t expect the band’s popularity to last past the summer of 1964. With a title taken from a Ringo-ism, A Hard Day’s Night has inspired countless rockers, from the Byrds to the Ramones, and left a mark on nearly every collision between rock and cinema since, cited by Roger Ebert as one of the best films of alltime, with the plot an obvious model for TVs “The Monkees”, and the quick edits and exciting camera work under the direction of Richard Lester a template for nearly every pop video of the next 40 years.
While the Beatles made more films and many more albums, never again would they be at such an absolute peak in popularity as they were upon the release of A Hard Day’s Night, a film that despite it’s rush to screen, ended up a classic that continues to amaze with it’s wit, music, and passion for life.