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A Hard Day's Night (1964,
UK)
In Richard Lester's kinetic and influential, cinema
verite music-video documentary about Beatlemania - the first Beatle
film about a "day in the life":
- the opening montage scene of the Beatles being besieged
by a stampede of frenzied schoolgirl fans on their travels from
their hometown of Liverpool to London to perform in a TV broadcast,
and their retreat to a train station
- Paul's meeting and encounter with an unimpressed,
middle-aged gentleman (his fictional "Grandfather"
John McCartney) (Wilfred Brambell), who was on their London-bound train
in the first-class cabin; Paul told John: "He's very clean"
(an oft-repeated line) and described him as "a villain, a real
mixer"
- the scene in the train compartment when proper, commuting
city business-man Johnson (Richard Vernon) complained about their
loud radio - with John's coo-ed line to him as he leaned over:
"Give us a kiss!"; Johnson asserted: "I fought the war
for your sort" - John impudently joked back: "I'll bet you're
sorry you won"
- the group's dry, dismissive one-liners when interviewed
by the press with nonsensical questions: John Lennon's answer about
how he found America: ("Turned left at Greenland"); Ringo's
answers to questions: "Are you a mod or a rocker?" "Uh,
no, I'm a mocker"; and "What do you call that collar?" "A
collar"; and George's answers: "Has success changed your
life?"
"Yes" and "What would you call that hairstyle you're
wearing?"
"Arthur"
- Ringo's solitary misadventures, and "walkabout" wanderings
around London as he snapped pictures - into a clothing store, strolling
alongside a canal, in a pub; and along the way, the comic scene of
Ringo offering his coat to cover muddy puddles for a lady to cross
over, only to discover that the third puddle was a deep hole; he
was apprehended by police for
"wandering abroad, malicious intent, acting in a suspicious manner,
conduct liable to cause a breach of the peace - you name it, he's done
it"
Ringo's Wanderings Around London
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- the hit songs played in various locations - such
as an open field ("Can't Buy Me Love"), with the Beatles
creatively filmed partly from a helicopter and with hand-held cameras
- a precursor to modern, quick-cutting music videos with images
matching the beat of the music
- the climactic scene of the TV broadcast before an
audience of screaming young teenagers, mostly girls, and afterwards
backstage, Norm (Norman Rossington) (the group's manager) repeating
the recurring insult to John: ("You're a swine") - and
the group's run to an awaiting helicopter (to fly to another concert),
with the hand-cuffed Grandfather inside shouting: "Come on,
you're hanging up the parade!" - while Paul yelled back (the
film's last line) about a stack of personally autographed photographs
of the band on his lap: "Get rid of those things" - and
as they ascended, the pictures floated downward
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Escaping from Fans
Paul's Very-Clean "Grandfather" on Train
John to Businessman: "Give us a kiss!"
John: "Turned left at Greenland"
TV Broadcast Before Screaming Fans
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