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A Hard Day's Night

Richard Lester  •  UK  • ​  1964
84 mins  •  G

Rock n’ Roll comedy capturing the phenomenon of Beatlemania in 1964 with madcap humour and irresistible songs.

“It is one of the great life-affirming landmarks of the movies.” – Roger Ebert
DIRECTOR: Richard Lester
PRODUCER: Walter Shenson
SCREENPLAY: Alun Owen
PHOTOGRAPHY: Gilbert Taylor
EDITOR: John Jympson
COSTUME DESIGNER: Julie Harris
MUSIC: George Martin, Lennon-McCartney
WITH: John Lennon (John), Paul
McCartney (Paul), George Harrison
(George), Ringo Starr (Ringo), Wilfrid
Brambell (Grandfather), Norman
Rossington (Norm), Victor Spinetti (TV
Director)


REVIEW

“Structured as a two-days-in-the-life portrait of the ‘real’ Beatles, Richard Lester’s film follows John, Paul, George and Ringo from Liverpool to London by train, up to a fancy hotel, out to a nightclub and off to the BBC. Along the way, they’re pursued by hordes of screaming girls… Inspired in equal measure by Godard and the Goons, the film is best remembered for its herky-jerky camerawork and mile-a-minute banter. So it’s easy to forget that this cheeky romp also contains a rabid speech about police brutality and a scene where the lads sneeringly harass a member of the aristocracy. Add to that a stream of homoerotic asides from Lennon and an almighty swing at commercial teensploitation and the film’s just-a-bit-of-fun reputation looks increasingly shaky. So, as well as positioning ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ at the top of the music-movie pyramid, we should also view it as the pinnacle of the 1960s British New Wave – and one to outlast all those gloomy, patronising grim-oop-North ‘serious’ dramas. And we haven’t even mentioned George’s amazing knees…”

​— Time Out


FILM SOCIETY SCREENINGS

Canterbury 
Monday, 17 August, 7:30pm

Film Societies of Aotearoa New Zealand

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New Zealand Federation of Film Societies  |  PO Box 9544, Te Aro, Wellington, NZ  
Phone: +64 4 385 0162  |  Fax: +64 4 801 7304  |  Email: [email protected]
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • SOCIETIES
    • AUCKLAND
    • HAMILTON
    • TAURANGA
    • NEW PLYMOUTH
    • WHANGANUI
    • PALMERSTON NORTH
    • CARTERTON
    • WELLINGTON
    • NELSON
    • CANTERBURY
    • TIMARU
    • OAMARU
    • QUEENSTOWN
    • DUNEDIN
    • WESTPORT
  • 2025 SEASON
    • SWEDISH CINEMA
    • KUROSAWA
    • PECKINPAH'S WEST
    • COMEDY CORNER
    • GHOST STORIES
    • NZ FILM
    • RETRO CLASSICS
    • FRENCH CONNECTIONS
    • GERMAN CINEMA
    • WORLD CINEMA