A hard day's night

Criterion marks the golden anniversary of the Beatles' first, and arguably best, feature film with a Blu-ray and DVD dual-format reissue of A Hard Day's Night that boasts visual and audio enhancements and is packed with bonus features. Directed by Lester, who also helmed the band's follow-up film, Help!, and written by Oscar nominee Alun Owen, A Hard Day's Night blends slapstick, social satire, and surrealism in its fictionalized account of the Beatles, who proved to be capable actors with charm and comedic chops to spare, dodging obstacles on their way to a television performance. Intended as a quick cash-in to capitalize on what many assumed would be the band's short-lived success, this groundbreaking musical comedy became an instant, influential classic. The outstanding digital transfer provides bright and crisp black-and-white visuals and fantastic audio quality, with viewers able to choose from three noticeably different but equally impressive audio presentations. Extras include supplementary short films that have been available on previous DVDs, plus new content such as commentary tracks and an enlightening documentary on Lester. [See Trailers, LJ 5/1/14.] The unauthorized documentary The Beatles: Parting Ways charts the fortunes of all four Beatles following their 1970 split, focusing on the Fab Four's personal lives and skimming over or even omitting key details of their post-Beatles musical careers and neglecting their cultural impact. The Paul McCartney portion, for instance, dwells on his recent divorce scandal but sidesteps the prolific and mostly successful musical path he took as the leader of Wings and as a solo artist. John Lennon's brief separation from wife Yoko Ono is covered in greater detail than his social and political activism and string of early 1970s hits. The uncredited filmmakers continue to emphasize marital woes, romantic travails, and other tabloid fodder in segments on George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Generic psychedelic pop and cheesy Beatles sound-alike background instrumentals add to the film's low-budget, low-effort feel. VERDICT Casual fans may find something interesting and new in Parting Ways, but enthusiasts and informed Beatles devotees won't encounter anything they don't already know. This definitive version of A Hard Day's Night is recommended to both old fans and viewers experiencing cinematic Beatlemania for the first time. Not to be missed!-Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.