A Hard Day's Night: A Short Look Back 50 Years Later

It’s been 50 years since they released their very first film. They are at the centre of pop culture and some will argue they are pop culture. They are of course the boys from Liverpool, the reason that nearly every single scouser is called either John, Paul or George. The Beatles themselves, several days of their lives depicted in this iconic film. It’s resounding and influential beyond all other music based films.

Released at the height of Beatlemania it was predictably a massive commercial success, but it’s also managed to remain one of the most critically acclaimed musicals of all time as well. It’s smooth fresh and incredibly up-beat, honestly you would have to have a heart of stone not to smile all the way through this film. More than ever that is true today, when too many of the leads are no longer here today.

Nothing captures the brilliance and effect of the Beatles like this film. You can watch all of the documentary’s and listen to all of the songs. But you won’t find the full effect of the Beatles in fact, you’ll find it with this fictionalised black and white film. Their sweet boyish personalities are all captured beautifully reminding you that behind the fame and swinging (metaphorically, not physically or sexually) are these four friends that are living the dream of every aspiring musician and teenager of the era.

Not only did it capture the characters, but this film captured the age in which it was made. If you want to understand what it was like to live in the sixties watch this film. Amazingly the film remains ageless to this day, despite being the embodiment of the sixties A Hard Day’s Night is just as intelligent, humorous and joyful as its release half a century ago. Maybe it’s the nostalgia that we all experience when a certain era gets a little too far away, but whatever the reason, we would all jump at the chance to enjoy this film again. If you are lucky enough to see the fiftieth anniversary addition DVD and Blu-ray version in stores then do not hesitate to buy it and relive the essence of nostalgia.