A Hard Day's Night | 
 enlarge | Director: Lester, Richard
Actors: Lionel Blair, Wilfrid Brambell, Deryck Guyler, Kenneth Haigh, George Harrison
Studio: Miramax Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.99
Buy New: $6.90
You Save: $8.09 (54%)
New (67) Used (40) Collectible (4) from $5.95
Rating:  357 reviews
Sales Rank: 306
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.6 x 0.8
MPN: 717951004864
ISBN: 0788818317
UPC: 717951004864
EAN: 9780788818318
ASIN: B0000542D2
Theatrical Release Date: August 11, 1964
Release Date: September 24, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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Product Description
The Beatles star in this film about a \""typical\"" day in the life of the Beatles.
Genre: Musicals
Rating: G
Release Date: 6-JUL-2004
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com essential video
The Fab Four from Liverpool--John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr--in their first movie. Nobody expected A Hard Day's Night to be much more than a quick exploitation of a passing musical fad, but when the film opened it immediately seduced the world--even the stuffiest critics fell over themselves in praise (highbrow Dwight Macdonald called it "not only a gay, spontaneous, inventive comedy but it is also as good cinema as I have seen for a long time"). Wisely, screenwriter Alun Owen based his script on the Beatles' actual celebrity at the time, catching them in the delirious early rush of Beatlemania: eluding rampaging fans, killing time on trains and in hotels, appearing on a TV broadcast. American director Richard Lester, influenced by the freestyle French New Wave and British Goon Show humor, whips up a delightfully upbeat circus of perpetual motion. From the opening scene of the mop tops rushing through a train station mobbed by fans, the movie rarely stops for air. Some of the songs are straightforwardly presented, but others ("Can't Buy Me Love," set to the foursome gamboling around an empty field) soar with ingenuity. Above all, the Beatles express their irresistible personalities: droll, deadpan, infectiously cheeky. Better examples of pure cinematic joy are few and far between. --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 352 more reviews...
 Movie Good / DVD Bad. July 10, 2008
Richard (Rochester NY, USA)
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).
 The Beatle's best movie! July 5, 2008
Heather Boo (Sacramento, Ca)
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.
 Don't Buy It !!! June 23, 2008
pianorman
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!
Never gets old June 16, 2008
Patricia P. Surrey (Brooklyn, NY USA)
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.
Beatles Movie June 12, 2008
lakegraham (Graham, TX USA)
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.
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