Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

A Hard Day's Night 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 10, 2022

Richard Lester's "A Hard Day's Night" (1964) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original rerelease trailers for the film; documentary film produced by Walter Shenson; Richard Lester's early short film "The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film" (1960); audio commentary featuring various members of the film's cast and crew; video piece featuring story editor and screenwriter Bobbie O'Steen and music editor Suzana Peric; Martin Lewis' documentary "Things They Said Today"; and a lot more. Region-Free.

Richard Lester’s pseudo-documentary A Hard Day’s Night has that unique energy that is present in many of Jean-Luc Godard’s early films. It is so overwhelming that it is almost irrelevant where the film wants to go and how it wants to get there.

The film beings in Liverpool, where George, John, Paul, and Ringo board a train together with their manager Norm (Norman Rossington) and Paul's grandfather (Wifred Brambell). They are on their way to London, where the Beatles are scheduled to perform live on a popular TV show. While traveling, the boys try to relax but are frequently annoyed by pretentious adults and distracted by beautiful young girls.

In London, the boys are constantly on the move -- they meet curious reporters, talk to excited producers, and routinely try to avoid large crowds of screaming girls. They never seem to have any free time to rehearse or entertain themselves.

Hours before the band is to perform live, Ringo disguises himself with a trenchcoat and disappears. The show’s producer (Victor Spinetti) panics and everyone goes on the streets looking for Ringo.

The film was scripted but it frequently looks and feels like George, John, Paul, and Ringo are simply being themselves while Lester’s camera observes them from afar. The magic is in the careful framing and editing. The entire film is essentially a large collection of uneven episodes blending behind- the-scenes footage with music clips that remind of the various music mockumentaries MTV popularized. However, these episodes are so effectively framed and edited that the energy they sustain until the final credits roll makes it quite easy for one to believe that George, John, Paul, and Ringo might have been unaware that Lester’s camera was filming them.

Quite predictably, the music is superb. There are fabulous performances of such classics as “A Hard Day's Night”, "Tell Me Why", “If I Fell”, “And I Love Her”, "Can't Buy Me Love", and "I Should Have Known Better".

A Hard Day’s Night was the third studio album the Beatles recorded and the first to be recorded entirely on four-track tape. Initially, side one of the LP featured the songs that were used in the film’s soundtrack, while side two featured songs that were composed for the film but were not included on the soundtrack.

In the U.S., a different version of the album was released. In addition to the songs from the UK version, there were four instrumental tracks from the film's soundtrack performed by George Martin's Orchestra. The U.S. version of A Hard Day’s Night was released a month before the UK version (in late June 1964).

The original soundtrack of A Hard Day’s Night was in Mono. However, because the studio album was recorded entirely on four-track tape, consequently a Stereo version of it was created. Criterion’s Blu-ray release of A Hard Day’s Night comes with three different audio options: Dual Mono (LPCM 2.0), Stereo (LPCM 2.0), and new 5.1 surround soundtrack (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) made by Apple Records.

A Hard Day's Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Richard Lester's film was restored in 4K a while ago and Criterion released the 4K restoration on Blu-ray in 2014. You can see our listing and review of the Blu-ray release here. This upcoming 4K Blu-ray release offers a presentation of the same 4K restoration, but in its native resolution.

So, how much better does Lester's film look now?

I viewed the entire film with Dolby Vision enabled and I think that there are meaningful improvements, but I would say that the 1080p presentation remains very impressive. In native 4K the visuals frequently look quite a bit tighter, boasting improved fluidity as well, so if you have a larger screen you will appreciate the difference. If you project, I have to speculate that the difference in quality will become even easier to recognize. I think that the grayscale is superior as well. For example, during daylight footage there are areas where the grays and whites appear slightly better balanced, plus some highlights are more convincing. Some of the darker areas look even darker now, but virtually all reveal fines nuances as well. So, I would say that in native 4K the dynamic range of all kinds of different visuals is superior, as it should be. Delineation, clarity, depth, and sharpness are very good, but I am unsure if you will encounter any visuals where you will conclude that they are dramatically better than what you have seen in 1080p. Interestingly, I expected to see more pronounced grain in some areas, but this just isn't the case. Image stability is outstanding. Obviously, the entire film still looks exceptionally healthy. (Note: The 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray disc with the bonus features is Region-A "locked").

A Hard Day's Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 (Mono), English LPCM 2.0 (Stereo), and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

I prefer to view the film with the Mono track, so it is the one that I used to test the 4K Blu-ray release. Obviously, all of the important restoration work was done a while ago, so the Mono track still sounds great. I actually used a different receiver this time around because I upgraded a while ago, but the experience was the same. I did test the 5.1 track as well. From what I heard, it sounds terrific and during the live performance at the end it clearly opens up the entire segment quite a lot. So, choose the audio track that you prefer.

A Hard Day's Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this audio commentary was created from material produced by Martin Lewis in 2002 and features actors John Junkin, David Janson, and Jeremy Lloyd; cinematographer Gilbert Taylor; associate producer Denis O'Dell; second assistant director Barrie Melrose; assistant editors Pamela Tomling and Roy Benson; and others.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this audio commentary was created from material produced by Martin Lewis in 2002 and features actors John Junkin, David Janson, and Jeremy Lloyd; cinematographer Gilbert Taylor; associate producer Denis O'Dell; second assistant director Barrie Melrose; assistant editors Pamela Tomling and Roy Benson; and others.

• Trailers - two trailers for A Hard Day's Night.
  
  1. 2000 Rerelease trailer. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080i).
  
  2. 2014 Rerelease trailer. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Anatomy of a Style - in this video piece, story editor and screenwriter Bobbie O'Steen and music editor Suzana Peric discuss the unusual editing and framing of the music sequences in A Hard Day's Night. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).
  
  1. "A Hard Day's Night"
  2. "I Should Have Known Better"
  3. "Cant Buy Me Love"
  4. "And I love Her"
  5. "She Loves You"

• In Their Own Voices - this video piece features behind-the-scenes stills, footage from the making of A Hard Day's Night, and clips from audio interviews in which the members of the Beatles share their impressions of their first film. The interviews were conducted during the British band's 1964 American tour. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• "You Can't Do That: The Making of A Hard Day's Night" - this 1994 documentary, produced by Walter Shenson (producer of A Hard Day's Night) and narrated by Phil Collins, features clips from archival interviews with Roger Ebert, Peter Noone (lead singer of Herman's Hermits), Roger McGuinn (founding member of The Byrds), cast member Victor Spinetti (the nervous TV producer), wardrobe designer Julie Harris, screenwriter Alun Owen, and Debbie Gendler (New Jersey Fan Club President), among others. Also included is an outttake performance. In English, not subtitled. (63 min, 1080i).

• Things They Said Today - this documentary focuses on the production history and success of A Hard Day's Night. Included in it are clips from interviews with David Picker (VP Production & Marketing, United Artists Corporation/1962 to 1964, Sir George Martin (The Beatles' record producer), Tony Barrow (Beatles publicist/1962-1966), producer Walter Shenson, and director Richard Lester, among others. The documentary was produced by Martin Lewis in 2002. In English, not subtitled. (37 min, 1080i).

• Richard Lester -
  
  1. The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film - this film was shot by Richard Lester in 1959 for approximately seventy pounds and it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Subject, Live Action Subjects. It features Richard Lester, Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Graham Stark, and Bruce Lacey. B&W. Music only. (12 min, 1080i).
  
  2. Picturewise - this new video essay focuses on the production history of A Hard Days Night and Richard Lester's directing style. The essay, which is narrated by actor Rita Tushingham, features raw footage from the shooting of A Hard Day's Night and a new audio interview with Richard Lester. The essay was written and produced by critic and filmmaker David Cairns exclusively for Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (28 min, 1080i).

• The Beatles: The Road to A Hard Day's Night - in this new video interview, Mark Lewisohn, author of The Beatles: All These Years, Volume 1 -- Tune In, discusses the British band's glamorous career and its enormous impact on the music business. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (28 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Howard Hampton, excerpts from a 1970 interview with Richard Lester, and technical credits.

A Hard Day's Night 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I am not surprised that this upcoming 4K Blu-ray release offers such a strong presentation of Richard Lester's A Hard Day's Night because the film's 4K makeover was done right and looked great on Blu-ray as well. I think that folks with big TVs and projectors will see the most significant improvements in quality, but if you are on this site and reading our reviews, you won't need a large screen to recognize and appreciate the difference. If you reside outside of North America and plan to get the release for your library, please keep in mind that the 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free while the Blu-ray disc is Region-A "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.