Retrospective Film Review

A Hard Day’s Night (1964) • 60 Years Later — ideology, counter culture, and the star system in a revolutionary musical

Over two “typical” days in the life of The Beatles, the boys struggle to keep themselves and Sir Paul McCartney’s mischievous grandfather in check while preparing for a live TV performance.

The street teems with people, all stampeding along at full pelt. Four young men lead the pack, a horde of screeching, ecstatic girls following behind. It’s our opening shot, and the new hit track “A Hard Day’s Night” triumphantly introduces the world to what will soon become the biggest stars on Earth: The Beatles have arrived.

The four musicians are on their way to London. Accompanying them on the train is Paul McCartney’s grandfather John (Wilfrid Brambell), who’s both curmudgeonly and, as everyone is quick to notice, very clean. Our film follows the Beatles and John as they embark on a normal 36 hours in their lives, while their manager Norm (Norman Rossington) and road…