A Hard Day's Night

When you are dealing with a myth you have to look for what was new at the time when that myth appeared. And the Beatles are such a myth. This film reveals the fabric the myth is made of. Pure cinematographic and even photographic silk. The four boys have to be running because at the time everything young and new was on the run since it was chased by the establishment in order to be pilloried and exposed. But it also had to show how these four young men had to be able to capture the attention of other people and bring them into the running, first of all young people, particularly girls, and second the best representatives of the establishment, coppers. The film also had to be in black and white to be out of time, eternal because looking old, even odd or oddly even. Then and but their music did not have to convince their audience. It was new, fresh, lively, light, slightly rocky and rather smoothly rolly, with some drums but not too much, and a lot of harmony and melody, but the main attraction was the use of simple catch phrases to express love, freedom, desire, alienation and yet liberation in a mellow and sweet wrapping, like the cute title of the film taken from one of the songs. Finally the film had to satisfy the audience on the lifestyle of the Beatles and on their surrealistic reality. That is done with a plot based on their real life as musicians, etc, and at the same time with constant reference to impossible, at times absurd, breaches in this realism into some impossible meaningless or humoristic pranks. In one word the film is so real that it reaches beyond reality and even the virtuality of a life imagined as being out of logic.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

Just a lot of fun to watch and listen to the fab four in those early years.

Classic Beatles film,a great restored widescreen transfer of the classic A Hard Day's Night,this is a 2 dvd set with the movie on the first dvd and the extras on the second disc!!! A must for Beatles fans!!! And the price is right to boot!!! Get this before it goes out of print(and the price skyrockets!),Beatles titles seem be under this fate!!! Very recommended!!!

The reviewer who claims that this film was originally made in 4:3 format is quite wrong. Perhaps he means the original video, which was certainly cut to fit a standard TV. But this good DVD is correctly formatted, and nothing has been cut off from the top or bottom.

That having been said, this is a very comprehensive set. The 36' documentary with reminiscences of the film's crew is fun and enlightening. One comes away with the feeling, as if we couldn't guess from the film itself, that spirits were high (pardon the expression) and everyone felt this would be something special.

The remastering here is quite good, tho perhaps not quite Criterion quality. The sound seems just a bit flat, and is much fuller in the restored WS Help!

But, these tiny quibbles aside, the boys are beautiful, energetic, fun, imaginative, and Richard Lester's revolutionary vision is just as fresh and youthful over four decades later.

I bought this for my 16 year old daughter who has discovered the Beatles. She just loves their music and I am getting to enjoy them again also. It is great to be able to share my youth with todays youth.

The Beatles are wonderful in this movie. It is fast paced and very funny. One has to pay attention to the dialogue to get the jokes and they are gems. The extras are good too. A lot of fun!

I bought this DVD as I am phasing out my VHS tapes. I had the same issue in VHS, though this has interviews with many people that make the extras neat. My favorite was George Martin discussing the boys individually as writers and the individual songs. The film stands up well to 40+ years of time.

The other night I decided to pull out HDN and watch it for the first time in several years. I have both the MPI and Miramax DVDs so I reached for my good old MPI edition and popped it in. The 1.33:1 aspect ratio always bugged me a bit but I thought "so what" and decided to watch it because I love the opening "I'll Cry Instead" prologue on that version. When the movie got to the "And I Love Her" sequence I started, for the first time, to notice that the mix was different than the video tape I'd seen years ago. Paul's vocal, which should be single-voiced on the main verses, was double tracked throughout. During the song, the director's assistant positions George's amp on an amp stand. When George tries to lean against it, it falls and in the original soundtrack you can HEAR the amp fall backward and George stumble. When I saw that the sound to that moment was missing I realized MPI had used the released mix of the song and simply stuck it in the soundtrack. Always one to HATE it when studios tamper with a work of art, especially one as important and influential as this one, I removed the MPI version and but in the Miramax. When the same sequence appeared again I could hear that the mix was correct and the stumble was there in the background, but it seemed that heads were chopped off and scenes looked different than they should due to the 16:9 "enhancement." It was at this point I decided to try and figure out just how much of the picture each release had sacrificed since there seems to be no end to the conjecture on this subject on the internet. I place both DVD's in my computer, captured an identical scene on each and then compared them in Photoshop. Now I have heard over and over that the original film was shown in a ratio of 1.66:1. When I compared 1.66:1 to a ratio of 1.77:1 (roughly what 16:9, the Miramax version, translates to when changed to units of 1) I saw that if the original film was in 1.66:1 only a tiny bit of the picture should be cropped (about 3 to 5 percent) at the top and bottom of the Miramax DVD. What I found was that Miramax had chopped off about 20 percent at the top and bottom. 20 PERCENT!. That's a lot of the image folks! MPI had hacked off about 10 to 15 percent from the sides so they didn't do much better. When I tried to see what aspect ratio the two pictures together formed, I kept coming up with a ratio of around 3:2 or around 1.5:1 not 1.66:1. The original aspect HAS to be around this size. So ultimately what you end up with is this: One of the most musically influential and historically important films ever made with around 20 percent of the image missing. And since MPI chops off almost as much of the sides and mutilates the soundtrack, owning it isn't much better. I would love to see, just once, someone release a work of art such as this without doing the viewers a "favor" such as hacking at the image so it will fit a 16:9 television or recording over a soundtrack because they feel no one will notice. While I will give Miramax a couple of points for making the color balance and contrast look great, that was the only thing they seem to get right (see the other complaints about how they somehow turned a mono soundtrack into 5.1 surround by messing with the music tracks and how weird it now sounds). Perhaps one day this magnificent film will be released in the correct ratio, with the correct soundtrack, and in the correct color balance. But I'm not gonna hold my breath. After all, the people producing these new releases seem to know so much more than us fans who actually spend money on them. If you love the movie as much as me, all I could suggest is rent the old VHS video tape from MPI and watch it. You'll get more of the picture and the soundtrack will be right. It won't be crystal clear like a DVD, but at least your memories will remain intact without someone else getting involved.

I've had this Miramax DVD in my collection since it was released in 2002 but have only just got around to watching it on a decent TV with a 5.1 surround system.

Like many others here I love the movie but am hugely disappointed by this DVD....particularly compared to the job that was done with the recent Help! DVD.

The letterboxing is obviously annoying to some people and it is noticable that things have been cropped however it is not the main problem I have with this release.

The biggest crime is what they have done with the MUSIC. How they were allowed to mangle these songs is this way I will never know. The mix presented here is just awful: flat/muddy/bassy/echo-ey and lacks any kind of punch or excitement. Also the way the songs are presented mean that there is a noticable volume increase when the music starts and then a decrease when the song finishes. This mean that the flow of the film is lost as it is painfully obvious that the soundtrack isn't "real", it just sounds so separate from the visuals. It also means that it's hard to hear any subsequent dialogue for a few minutes while your ears adjust to the volume drop.

And worst of all is the fact that the songs run slower than the original versions. Did they think we wouldn't notice this!? These are songs than many of us have listened to for years and they have treated us with contempt thinking they could get away with doing this. Very poor.

The extras are a bit boring as well, I can take them or leave them.

I hope that one day this great film gets a proper treatment: decent sound mix (with a stereo track option) with better extras (some Beatles interviews would be good).

I think this is the boys best movie ever! The storyline is basically what a day in the life of a Beatle is (during Beatlemania). Great songs, they look great (still young and without the long hair) and hilarious! You really get to see each of their personalities. Anyone who loves The Beatles would enjoy this film, young and old.

I can't agree more with the past two reviewers. As a 'Beatle Nut', I've always looked (& listened) with intent to find something new with each new release on The Beatles, whether it's audio or video. This GARBAGE that MIRAMAX put out should be taken off the shelves. They've totally ripped their customers off (including me)! With today's technology, it seems they could have sped the audio tracks up to match the 'standard pitch' of the audio cds. Why the audio tracks 'dragged' from the onset of this movie's release in '64 is beyond me. Don't give me the excuse that it was to match the video - people are smarter than that! It's just as easy (and more appealing) to speed video images up to the audio track than vice-versa. And to rip us all off by not offering at least a nice digital, stereo track - let alone 5.1 surround / 5.1 DTS??? The mono (digitally enhanced??) track they do offer is worse than Capitol Record's version of 'Duophonic Stereo' on some of The Beatles' early cuts. Shame on MIRAMAX. Let's all start calling them MIRALAX...at least MIRALAX (an effective laxative) 'gets you moving' LOL! Seriously, people - rent it if you must see for yourself, but don't buy this piece of s*%#! You'd be better off holding the money out the window @ 70 mph on the freeway - at least somebody worthwhile might profit from you. These morons should be forced out of business!

Before there was Truth or Dare-Madonna, there was a Hard Day's Night. Based on the observations of the Beatles real lives with a bit of plot thrown in, this fun little movie has some great lines and wonderful songs.

The first time I saw the film, I was a kid. I went to the movies with my grandmother. I was already of fan of the Beatles and my fave was Paul. My grandmother and I really enjoyed the movie. I bought the VHS and I still have it. Now I have the dvd too. Such a good film. I like all things Beatles. I recommend this movie to the person who needs to see the Fab Four in their native land, singing and larking about.

Two words best describe The Beatles' first film A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, funny and quirky. Director Richard Lester shows the mayhem of 1964 that was Beatlemania - adolescent teens screaming at the top of their lungs for the four Liverpudlians, who in turn, are running for cover. The film is a quick jaunt through the day in a life of the British rock band's daily schedule, which involved a set of rehearsals for a television variety show, somewhat annoying press interviews, but a stunning finale filled with "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."

But the boys go on brief excursions of their own in between takes to break the monotony. From singing "I Should Have known Better" in the train's storage coach, a little dancing at the hotel casino to several Beatle tunes, "I Wanna Be Your Man," "Don't Bother Me," and "All My Loving," romping around in an open field to the tune of "Can't Buy Me Love," to Ringo venturing out on his own with "Ringo's Theme" ("This Boy" instrumental) playing in the background, the film is filled with madcap humor reminiscent of the Marx Brothers but with a tinge of British comedy; one of the highlights of the film besides the music is the highly humorous screenplay by Allun Owen that the lads and the supporting cast, Paul's Grandfather played by Wilfred Brambell, the television director (Victor Spinetti), Norm, the manager (Norman Rossington), Shake, the assistant (John Junkin II), bring to life.

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT remains to be a timeless classic. The film was innovative during the time it was made and still influences those who watch it over and over again. But most of all it captures the innocence of that period. Indeed, it is a film that many Beatles fan cannot help to watch more than once because of its of top notch production and performances by one of the greatest bands in rock and roll history.

If you love the Beatles, there's no chance you'll dislike this movie!! I really recommend seeing this before the 2nd movie, Help!, because it might come as a bit of a disappointment after Help! since it's in color and everything.

But if any movie deserves 5/5 stars, it's this one!

LONG LIVE THE BEATLES <333!!

I bought this movie on DVD because my 21 year old son who enjoys the Beatles music wanted to see it. I had seen it when it first came out in theaters and thought it would be fun to see it again. This movie holds up so well. It is still as fun to watch as it was 40 years ago. The Beatles shine through as funny, engaging entertainers. You get to see a bit of their personalities as they are not playing "characters" but themselves. It is done as a mock "documentary" in a typical day in their lives but it is light and fun to watch. Their musical performances are great and you get a glimpse of George Harrison's future wife Pattie Boyd as one of the school girls on the train. John and Ringo are particular stand outs in this movie but George also has some fun scenes. I would highly recommend this DVD to anyone who wants to see why Beatlemania existed. Classic entertainment!

The last time I saw this movie was when I was 12 and sat thru it 15 times with my best friend... I enjoyed it this time just as much (Only with no screaming)

It was great to see this dvd presented with excellant picture quality and (caution: lower the volume on your sound system) booming but great sound. You can tell a lot of pride was put into reproducing this dvd.It's GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!! Bring on "Let it Be"!

I first saw this movie at a drive-in when it first came out. I loved it then and it has stood the test of time.

The first Beatles song I heard was "From Me To You." I thought they were black. By October, 1963, I knew something was going on around this British group. In January, 1964, I saw a clip on the Jack Paar show. It was unbelievable! The Beatles were going wild! Girls were screaming and throwing jelly beans! It was their sound! It was the long hair! I started growing my hair that night. Beatle records flowed into America. The Beatles revived the rock 'n' roll of the late 1950s. John Lennon sang Chuck Berry. Paul McCartney sang Little Richard. They took it to the next level. They wrote their own songs, incredible songs! When cousin Larry and I saw "A Hard Days Night," the theater was packed with teenage girls. They screamed for 90 minutes! We could not hear a word of dialogue. It did not matter. This was Beatlemania, and there would never be anything like it again! You Can't Do That was cut from the film. John Lennon's jealousy and possessiveness were too potent for the young audience. The Beatles made great records. Each album was a development with Lennon leading the way. After the split, Lennon joined the peace movement. He was gunned down on the street in New York City in December, 1980, by a deranged fan named Mark David Chapman. He was finishing his first album in five years, an album which showed his domestic side.

This is a great classic Beatles video - it really gives you an idea of how crazy the Beatles mania was.

I'm middle aged so I guess thats why I liked this from the first time I saw it. Being a Beatles fan from the beginning of time. However this purchase was for my 16 year old Daughter, who is a bigger fan of the "Fab Four" than I ever was. I'm assuming that this is the "Retro Phase" that today's youth are experiencing, and I'm glad in a way because I've always been of the opinion that yesterday's music is much better than a lot of the recent trends that is considered music today. Some of these current artist's scare me a little with their lack of musical talent, and their constant re-recording of earlier artists/true musicians works, and making money off of someone else's efforts.
I will always love the Beatle's work, and am glad to see their early
creations recorded for todays technology.

The Beatles' attempt to follow Elvis' lead by making a movie surpassed any of Pressley's productions in this classic, artsy black-and-white comedy. The Fab Four, complimentary compared to the Marx Brothers, are filmed "in a train and a room and a car and a room and a room and a room" (as Paul's grandfather complains), but anywhere the Beatles show up makes it an extraordinary place. The witty humor, the unforgettable songs, the impeccable casting of supporting characters, topped off with the ambiance that Beatlemania created...all of these ingredients produced a feast for the eyes and ears that can easily be watched over and over. It's just a shame that only 5 stars can be given!

The Beatles of course are always great and I love Hard Day's Night, but for some reason it won't play on my dvd player in my living room. The only place I can play it is upstairs or on the computer which is a real bummer.

This is a quick review of the VHS - the DVD seems to be taking a trouncing here.

At any event, "A Hard Days' Night" is a good-time movie, one of the best ever made. I love every part of it - the songs, the rapid-fire Liverpool banter, and of course the boys themselves before they grew beards - so incredibly young and carefree.

And don't forget Wilfrid Brambell - that very clean little old man. As we all know, he belongs to Paul.

I just watched A hard Day's Night on DVD. The quality of the sound and video are average at best. It is still the Beatles; however, and any time with the Beatles is quality time. This movie was fun because of the interaction between the band members and the silliness of John. This is required viewing for a Beatles fan. There is little here for non-Beatles fans. The music is still as wonderful as ever, I just expected the sound to be much better. I was disappointed in the extras, or lack thereof. This was a three star viewing experience... not bad but not what it could have been.

I saw the Beatles in concert back in 1964
and watching the movie brought the memories back again.
Being caught up in the female screaming frenzy, just reminded me
of just how much actual singing I heard, NOT MUCH.
But just being a part of Beatlemainia says it all.
Wonderful.

Love this movie when it first came out when I was a child and now my daughter loves it too! A classic that lives over time with the most famous band of all time.

If you loved the Film , "A Hard Days Night" you will love this.

It is done well, the pictures are clear and sharp and the story is excatly the same as it was in 1964.

It is great and the Humor of the lads is "priceless".

You can now watch them over an over and laugh all over again.
I know I did.

I love the "Train Scence" It is prob. my Fave.

" I love "Who's that little ole man".

It just makes me laugh.

I hvae the box set of "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help", you need both of them in your collection

and "Let It Be". I have it on DVD.

Every Beatles lover needs all of their 5 movies on DVD.

I have them all of VHS and DVD.

There has and Never will be another group like the "Beatles"

They are "One of a Kind", and the World will Never seen the "Like" of them again.

It is great to have all their movies and their Best Concerts to watch "again and agin"

And I do.

Take my word for it.

It is worth having, all their books, concerts and films, are.....


luvmusic
12/02/07

This DVD set has taken a lot of trashing! The aspect ratio isn't correct on the DVD but, the cropping is not all that bad! I did find that during the many musical numbers the bass was booming way too much through my sub and I had to adjust it quite a bit. The film itself is a classic and anyone growing up with it will fondly rememeber how magical these guy were. A groovy Marx Brothers romp through the early 60's with some of my favorite Beatles songs laced throughout the random comedic elements. Maybe they will make purist happy one day and release this in the correct format but, I'm not holding my breath. I say, if your a fan stop crying and start enjoying this wonderful film, even if it isn't the definitive release of this film on DVD. The transfer is excellent and there are some interesting extras.

Was looking forward to the DVD release - and low and behold a huge step backward compared to the MPI release. Maybe they did clean up the sound a bit - but that 'plus' is completely ruined by the poor print they used for this DVD. The MPI release was MUCH better, and I'm certainly holding on to mine. Thus learneth the lesson on marketing that promotes "new and improved" - especially from Miramax.

This film was long overdue in DVD. The quality is superb and I am more confident with the longevity of the DVD over my older VHS copy. Yes, they did tinker with the screen ratio aspect of the original film to make it appear as if it is widescreen. Remember that at one time the same thing was done with GONE WITH THE WIND to make it appear as if it was Cinemascope. I forgive the current A HARD DAY'S NIGHT release for this commercially targeted ploy based on the high quality of the rest of the movie.

In my opinion this is the best of the Beatles films. It is a fictionalized version of a day in the life (pun intended) of the Beatles in those early hectic days. Inserted into the mix is actor Wilfred Brambell playing the part of Paul's mischief prone grandfather. The dialogue comes off so naturally that many assumed there was no script at all. In fact, the film was carefully scripted by screenwriter Alan Owen after he spent several days with the Beatles. The movie was directed by Richard Lester (The Three Musketeers). Lester was an up and coming director with several short films to his credit already. A HARD DAY'S NIGHT and HELP! provided him a golden ticket to later productions.

The great thing about A HARD DAY'S NIGHT is the boatload of trivia associated with it. There are so many interesting tidbits that you could fill an entire book discussing them. This is a film you have to watch several times to catch everything that is going on, for example:

-The "Clean old man" reference to Paul's grandfather is a comical reference to Brambell's character in an unrelated British television show.
-Look for a copy of John Lennon's IN HIS OWN WRITE in the dressing room.
-Ringo was actually hungover from an evening of partying during the "This Boy" sequence.
-There are coat hangers from the New York Plaza Hotel in the background of one scene.
-A cameo appearance by Tony award winning actress Anna Quayle (probably most remembered as the Baroness in CHITTY, CHITTY, BANG, BANG) talking with John Lennon on the staircase.
-Director Richard Lester accidentally walks into two performance scenes.

My one negative criticism of the DVD release is that the original mono soundtrack (at one time found on the United Artist release of the soundtrack album) was replaced with stereo during the movie's lengthy restoration.

In the mid 1980s Walter Shenson made the mistake of allowing A HARD DAY'S NIGHT to be restored for re-release in theaters. He was also planning to do the same thing with HELP! As with most classic theatrical re-releases, A HARD DAY'S NIGHT appeared in only a handful of obscure cinemas across the country. As ususal, none of the selected theaters were anywhere within a few hundred miles of where I was living at the time. Surprise: The film's limited re-release was considered less than successful and A HARD DAY'S NIGHT went straight to video and laser disk. A later restoration of HELP! skipped the wide screen completely and went straight to the home video market.

I bought the original VHS video tape by mail order catalog as soon as it was available in the late 1980s. By that time A HARD DAY'S NIGHT had largely disappeared from broadcast television. For several years during the late 1970s the local New York City ABC affiliate, WABC, aired A HARD DAY'S NIGHT every New Year's Eve. It was at that time that I captured the entire film soundtrack on cassette tape. In lieu of the film I subsequently played the cassette soundtrack over and over again. As such, I just about memorized every line of dialogue, the music, and the accoustic peculiarities of the old mono recording.

Yes, there is a point to this personal flashback.

Upon receiving my copy of A HARD DAY'S NIGHT in its clamshell case I spent a Saturday afternoon -- with specific instructions to not be disturbed -- enjoying the film from beginning to end. The quality of the VHS recording was superb. The solitary aspect that irritated me was the fact that stereo versions of the Beatles music were substituted for the original mono tracks. In doing so the overlay of the stereo tracks upset the original quality of musical number scenes. The two most notable alterations are that the lip-synching is not as well timed as in the original film. Secondly is that the new stereo tracks eliminated the original background sound. This is most notable during the final concert scene where the cheering of the fans is basically a repeated loop of the audience cheering before the performance and during the short break before the Beatles begin 'She Loves You.'

The more recent DVD release is an improvement over my aging VHS copy. The picture is crisp and clear. As noted in other reviews the DVD copy allows us to hear more of the movie dialogue. Unfortunately the out of place stereo tracks remain just as they were in the 1980s video release. I would have preferred that the film was restored back to its 1964 appearance rather than try and improve upon the original. Unfortunately "improving" the original (ala George Lucas and the STAR WARS films) has been the trend for almost a decade.

The DVD release is great. Hopefully a future release, and there are always new special editions of every film released in time for the holidays, will become available with the original soundtrack intact.

I guess you would have to love this movie if you are a Beatles fan. It really takes you back to a time when movies were very wholesome and fun. The humor is a little goofy, but that whats makes it so enjoyable. It is a great film that the whole family can enjoy. Definately check this one out if you are looking for a very different film then what we have today.

What a movie! 88 minutess of pure Beatlemania in a DVD such as this. I enjoyed watching this movie after last seeing it in over 20 years. What memories. I thought the DVD did tribute with interviews with the people behind the scenes. I just wished the trailers would be in this collection. All in all, it is a good price to enjoy a piece of movie fun with The Fab Four!

After their first visit to the U.S. and three appearances on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, the brains behind The Beatles, one Mr. Brian Epstein, decided to strike the fire while it was hot. In doing so, he created a phenomenon that few bands have ever witnessed or experienced other than The Beatles. "A Hard Day's Night" was the result. With this movie (in black & white) and the album release, he created a marketing plan that is still being used by many today. This movie gives the viewer a supposed look into the lives of the Beatles before and up to a televison performance. No doubt, these dudes were being seriously chased in real life, and this movie gives us a look at the madness from their perspective. If you've never seen this, watch it, you just may learn something. And while it's from a time of different attitudes and a simpler technology, it still delivers the goods from the standpoint of a fan. Yes, the songs are simple and light, but at the time they were also some of the most played on radio. This is a must own for any Beatles fan,
for it's a look at music history that will probably never be repeated again by anyone any time soon.

This was the first movie that the Beatles did and my favorite of their movies as well.

Plot - pretty much a day in the life of the Beatles. Shows a good look at Beatlemania. Best thing about it is the song performances.

Extras on the DVD - lots of documentaries about the making of the movie.

I own this dvd and watched it a dozen times I like it. You never realize how funny they can be until you have seen them in a movie acting. It reminds me about funny flashbacks of hotdogs and yellow submarine and other strange hallucinations. If you look at some of the actors in the background you might think of other influences like FZ or Bo Diddly. I thought the bonus stuff was mostly lacking though in the movie there was a lot of live and concert footage anyways. It was very dreamlike to watch in a sense it was unreal probably because it's totally black & white. Very revealing if you ever find yourself emersed in BeatlemaniaYellow SubmarineThe Wizard of OzEnsemble Modern Plays Frank Zappa: Greggery Peccary & Other PersuasionsBob Dylan - Don't Look Back

This is a story around the Beatles'fame. A Humorous entertaining story with the Beatles' music which is well loved. I love this two volume DVD which includes interviews on the making of the movie because I love their music and their humor and always loved them since being a little girl. Their music is intriguing, inspiring and entertaining. They are musical geniuses.

Having not watched this film in about ten years, getting reacquainted with it recently was almost like discovering it for the very first time all over again. The cinematography is beautiful (the early Beatles just seem to exist in black and white; it's very hard for me to picture them in color at this point in their career), the songs are terrific, the film really brings to life just what Beatlemania was like, with those hoardes of screaming young girls chasing their idols, and in spite of not having that much of a plot, the story is carried through very well by its young stars. In spite of not having been professional actors, The Beatles just have so much charm, wit, and vibrancy in this picture, back before they became weary of so much touring and all of those screaming fans, back when it was still all new, fun, and exciting to them. They were all so young and good-looking in this film! And being from this early stage of their fame, one gets a genuine sense of them being almost like four brothers who care about one another and enjoy one another's company, a far cry from the tension and acrimony present in LIB. At times it doesn't even feel like they were using a script, but that they were just ad-libbing most of it and acting like they would have in real life, four crazy, fun, and ultimately caring good young men dealing with the pressures of fame as best they could.

However, this DVD release leaves a whole lot to be desired. Disc one has a documentary of sorts, which is nothing more than a collection of interviews from people involved in the making of the film, and disc two is entirely taken up with interviews from all sorts of people who were involved in the making of the film. While there are some genuinely nice interviewees, such as George Martin, Klaus Voorman, David Jaxon (who played the young boy), and director Richard Lester, most of them aren't from such high-profile people; indeed, some of the interviews can be rather boring, and don't give us any real new information. Who, for example, wants to see an interview with Betty Glasow, their hairdresser, over, I don't know, an interview with an actual Beatle? Some of the interviewees mention deleted scenes, but we're not even shown any of them. While they're interesting to watch once, they're not something that most fans are going to want to see over and over again. Where are actually substantial bonus features like trailers, newsreels, the making-of documentary "You Can't Do That," the aforementioned deleted scenes, photo galleries, galleries of PR material, or an audio commentary? It's inexcusable that such a wonderful and famous film gets the short end of the stick in this rereleased format. The lacking bonus features aren't the only downside, either; the film is shown in phony widescreen, with the wrong aspect ratio, and therefore portions of the picture are cropped out. And while I normally find excessive complaints about audio quality to be sheer pedantry, complaining about relatively minor things that normal people don't really notice or care about to such a huge degree, even I noticed that there was something a bit off about the sound, particularly when it came to the songs. Additionally, the front cover almost looks like the cover of a bootleg. Whatever happened to the original cover design?

This is still a fun charming film after all of these years, but it really deserved better packaging and treatment. One would be better-served searching out the original DVD release, which had better bonus features, sound, and aspect ratio, or, if one can still find it, the older CD-ROM which I feel lucky to possess, which also gives the film the respect it deserves. How is it that such a classic rock musical gets such shabby treatment while the music videos and movies put out by modern day no-talents are treated with more care and concern?

These are "My Boys". I don't know what else to say. I loved them then and I love them now. This movie transports me back to a wonderful time when they were everything to me. I still watch it with a big smile on my face and laugh at the ease with which they toss off a "comeback" line at each other.

They look beautiful. The sound is great. The music is amazing still.

If you were ever a Beatles fan, the ownership of this film is a must.

I absolutely love this movie! I wasn't sure that I was going to like it before I had watched the movie. (I thought that it was going to be just another boring black and white movie.) The cover does not do the movie any justice. . . But I was hooked from the very beginning: The song "A Hard Days Night" started playing, and one of the Beatles members tripped running from a crowd of obsessed fans. From that point on, I laughed the entire time it was playing. Watching it was the reason that I fell in love with the Beatles in the first place. John, Paul, George and Ringo are such witty individuals, and I think that every person should see this movie . . . . at least twice!! I don't consider myself to be a movie critic by any means, so as far as acting abilities, plot, ect. are concerned, I would not be the best person to give a review of that nature. But I do know a good movie when I see one, and this is definitely one of them. . . .

Perhaps my expectations for this dvd was a bit too high, but it wasn;t all that I had hoped for. I enjoyed the packaging ad certain features, but it jsut didn't seem complete.

I first saw this film in 1964, just after its release in the U.S. The comedy and music are as fresh and funny and exciting and touching today (33 years later!) as then. From a devout beatles fan.

I will be writing a review on the legendary historic landmark movie entitled "A HARD DAYS NIGHT" starring the FAB FOUR and the true pride of England, T-H-E B-E-A-T-L-E-S! "A HARD DAYS NIGHT" was originally released in theaters in 1964 by United Artists and in 2002 in a Special Edition Collector's series in a Two DVD set by Miramax Entertainment Inc. which is distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. As always, if I hear any new additional information concerning this legendary historic landmark film or the artist, I will edit this review immediately so that you the consumer will get the overall best informative and most accurate review possible.

As I've said before so many times, THE BEATLES will forever go down in Rock n' Roll history and be remembered for composing and recording THE ULTIMATE AND GREATEST ROCK N' ROLL SOUND THAT MUSIC EVER PRODUCED. THE BEATLES, up to this very day, are considered by many Rock critics as well as millions of fans the world over to be THE ULTIMATE ROCK ROYALTY. When THE BEATLES appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on 9 February 1964, the world and Rock n' Roll would NEVER be the same again. In my opinion, THE BEATLES singlehandedly saved Rock n' Roll when Rock n' Roll was on the near verge of dying forever. When Elvis joined the Army, Chuck Berry would go to prison for violating the man act, Little Richard would go into the ministry and three of the nations top Rock n' Roll icons, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. (The Big Bopper) Richardson, would die in a plane crash in clearlake, Iowa in 1959, who was going to take over the helm and keep Rock n' Roll alive? Also, if that wasn't bad enough, JFK would be assassinated in Dallas, Texas on 22 November 1963. Our country besides Rock n' Roll was facing hard times. Our country was waiting for something good or anything to happen. It wouldn't be long before America as well as the whole world would get the answers to their prayers. Guess who it was? That's right, you guessed it, THE BEATLES. When you think about it, really, THE BEATLES truly came at a time when our country as well as Rock n' Roll was in desperate need of them. THE BEATLES made us laugh, made us happy when America was truly down in the dumps. And because of that, THE BEATLES would forever leave their mark and place in the world history books the world over for truly making a positive difference in the world. Which brings me to the film I'm about to review for you today. Following the extreme success of THE BEATLES four appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and the Washington D.C. and Philadelphia concerts, THE BEATLES barely managed to fit "A HARD DAYS NIGHT" in their schedule. As a result of THE BEATLES undying loyalty and devotion to their fans the world over, THE BEATLES would not let them down and would prove it by delivering the film "A HARD DAYS NIGHT" to them as a present.

"A HARD DAYS NIGHT," in itself, is truly the greatest Rock n' Roll film ever made of its kind. This film captures THE BEATLES in a day in the life of a Rock n' Roll band reality story segment in the 1960's which truly captures the true spirit of what Rock n' Roll really is suppose to consist of. THE BEATLES would re-write and singlehandedly change the rules for Rock n' Roll completely. Rather than disclose the whole film concept or the plot and spoil it for you, I would rather you see the film for yourself and let you be the judge of it. Believe me when I say to you, that the music speaks for itself.

THE BEATLES would definitely let the their music do all of the talking in this film by performing original classic Rock anthems such as the magnificent "I Should Have Known Better," the beautifully slow and romantic "If I Fell," the Rockin' statement "Can't Buy Me Love," the beautifuuly slow acoustic "And I Love Her" and George Harrison's blistering Mersey Beat composition Rocker "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" just to name a few.

In closing, I truly hope that all of you will purchase this legendary BEATLES movie through Amazon com or anywhere you desire and witness history in the making. It truly amazes me to this very day when I see a young man or woman in their early teens go inside of a music store and ask about THE BEATLES. With every new BEATLES fan that is born the world over, THE BEATLES are reborn all over again. As long as music still exists, THE BEATLES will live on forever as well as in our hearts as those four funny and witty young men from Liverpool, England who called themselves John Paul George and Ringo. This one's for you guys, my tribute to you. Thanks for reading my review and I truly hope that you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have truly enjoyed writing it for your reading pleasure. I also deeply hope that all of you will read all of my other reviews in the near future when time permits. THE BEATLES FOREVER! R.I.P. John Lennon (1940-1980) and George Harrison (1943-2001). Long Live Rock n' Roll. Rock out always and take it easy. Forever in Rock, John L.

I can't believe that there are actually people who haven't seen this movie and would need to read a review. A Hard Day's Night has been a part of my consciousness since I was little, but considering the Beatles' fan base is so wide and varied by age, I guess there might be some young fans who have not seen it. Whether you've never seen it or you've seen it 20 times, this is essensial viewing for Beatle fans and also people who are studying the art of film. Many famous directors sight this film as the first one they ever studied and even say it made them want to be directors. I remember studying it in college film classes. It is noted for it's quick cut away camera work, and innovative lighting.

But of course I am a hard core Beatle fan so I bought this dvd because I just love it. It's their first film, and most people,( I think them included,) think it was their best. But I also like Help because it's in color and it's a beautiful film.

Made in 1964, it features the Beatles at the youngest that most American people remember them.(Paul and George were barely out of their teens at this point) It is still very funny but I think the Beatles were a lot funnier when they were just being themselves in a documentry (like The Maysles Brother's The First American Visit dvd), or in interviews. The diologue is sort of contrived and even though the screen writer traveled with them for months in order to get their speech patterns, I don't really think he was paying that much attention. I don't think he really captured them all that well. Or maybe they were too nervous to be natural. John and Paul come across as nervous and unatural. But they are still wonderful, and the music is really wonderful. This dvd has been remastered and restored of course, so it looks and sounds great.

I remember when A Hard Day's Night was still being shown on tv, so I'm a veteran but you will want to own this and watch it many times. What Beatle fan should be without this?

very good beatles dvd. i don't know why some reviewers say the sound quality is bad, my dvd was perfect. the extras were a nice touch, to bad we didn't here from paul or ringo.

You don't need to be a Beatles fan to love this movie--but you will be after seeing it! It's beautifully shot, funny, fun, and full of some of the best pop music in history. I've watched it repeatedly and will for the rest of my life.

Remember this is B & W. It is still great and has great music.

What can I say about one of the top 100 films of all time. It's the kind of film that shames the big blockbusters. It was made in a documentary style, low budget, with four really unknown boys, playing the music that made me a fan forever. It's sharp, funny, and don't forget the people that make this film memorable.

Beatles Forever!

Mario

I remember seeing this movie in Garden Grove Calif.. when it came out in 1964. Girls were screming wildly like the beatles were actually there! i wasn,t able to hear a damn thing they said because of all the screaming. me and my brother saw it again afew monthes later in this little theatre and i could finally hear what they were saying! this movie is great! filmed in black and white it has kinda a documentury feel to it. a day in the life of the beatles! it's hard to imagine now, but beatlemania really did happen! i was there! all the songs in this movie are classic beatles songs. they all look great and young!John is really funny in this movie, the bit with ringo and the kid who is skipping school is really good stuff! director richard lester does a great job of letting us fans see the madness that followed them wherever they went. they seemed to take it all in stride. a real fast paced movie, it willleave you wanting more! FIVE STAR. Highly recommended!!