Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, terrible job by Miramax/Martin Lewis
Review: If you're just a casual fan, this is a must-have. But if you're a Beatle nut, beware!The print used here looks great as far as the blacks and whites are concerned. But the "widescreen" presentation was achieved achieved apparently by chopping the top & bottom. Strange. What is really awful is the sound. The horrendous "fake" surround sound applied to the music causes odd phasing that makes the performances virtually unwatchable after the initial joy of just having AHDN on DVD subsides. Now, the Beatles were not movie stars, they were musicians. Most of us will buy the DVD more for the music and the associated performances than anything else. The echo applied to the soundtrack is unforgiveable and makes a mockery of the music. Even my 3 1/2 year old son -- who admittedly comes from a musical household -- asked why the songs sounded so "funny!" I spoke with Martin Lewis during a recent screening of the film and he said "blame Apple" and that the effects "were not how (he) wanted to do it," but frankly that's not good enough. Prior to the screening, in his lengthy introduction, Martin stated that Miramax had let him take his time to "do this right; for the fans" instead of rushing the reissue into the marketplace. So, which is it Martin? With the stellar AMC mono mix and the decent MPI stereo mixes out there as a starting point it simply seems convenient to blame Apple. More importantly, whatever soundtrack was supplied as the original source, it is just plain idiocy to ONLY include a soundtrack that sounds at least as bad as the old Capital "reprocessed stereo" records from the 60s. Along with widescreen AND fullscreen versions of the print, a choice of soundtracks should have been included. To not do this makes this project, quite frankly, and no matter how many "recollections" and other extras (that we'll probably only watch once at most, if that), a truly pointless endeavour. It's about the music, man! I'm waiting for a reissue of this DVD that Apple takes part in, or maybe I'll just be looking for a bootleg version that combines the AMC soundtrack with Martin's print in bootleg form. But buy this anyway, just to see The Beatles before they became the myth. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Mr Banned Is Truly Ignorant.
Review: This is a fabulous film that WAS RELEASED IN 1964! Spice World came out in 1997. HOW IN THE WORLD could this be a rip off?
Mr.Banned..please stop making yourself look ignorant.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Beatles
Review: First off, whoever wrote that this film ripped off the Spice Girls is obviously not paying attention to the fact that "A Hard Day's Night" came out in 1964 and "Spice World" came out about thirty years later, so I believe that means the Spice Girls ripped off the Beatles, not vice versa. Anyway, this film is a great piece, and though not a very good representation of the Beatles, it features their classic songs, some humor, and you gotta love that classic black and white. There are some dull moments, but for anyone interested in this time period it's a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Rock n Roll Movie ....Ever
Review: This is no doubt the best piece of Cinema featuring a Rock n Roll Band,ever.The Black and White is vivid and clear here on DVD,and the sound is clear and well registered throughout the movie.The songs are a collection of upbeat,romantic Pop tunes
that are uplifting and exciting.The Beatles capture the screen with their charm and exuberant youth.The story line is simple. A Rock N Roll Band,travelling,meeting birds(girls) and camaraderie among close friends.Seeming cliche's that are taken for all there worth,and Directed and Produced to their fullest..
This is a must have for any Beatles fan or collector of Rock N Roll Cinema.
Rating:
Summary: Like time in a bottle, only in a videocasette instead!
Review: From reading the above reviews, I can determine that most of the people who wrote them are too young to remember the early to mid sixties decade when North America was introduced to these four longhairs from Liverpool. Before these British lads crossed the pond and made their first Sunday night appearance on the tube courtesy of Ed Sullivan, the United States had been traumatized by some unfortunate events. In October 1962, we were finally able to exhale when Mr. Khrushchev ordered his Cuba-bound missle-laden ships to turn around and go back to the USSR; thus ending any speculation about a nuclear war. A little more than a year later, we east coast Americans had our lunch breaks interrupted and had to endure a little indigestion when the TV's and radios blurted out the news that our commander-in-chief took a few bullets to the head in Dallas. When we were listening to our AM-only transistor radios for music, we had to settle for a superfluous amount of stale doo-wop music for entertainment. There couldn't have been a better time for the Fab Four to present their style of moderately-reformed rock and roll to the USA.
I remember seeing this movie for the first time as a Sunday afternoon matinee in a neighborhood theater. It didn't take much for anyone to see this production was a low-budget one that required a very small amount of planning. All this film did was present the Beatles acting as themselves living a presumed lifestyle while putting the audience in a vicarious experience of sharing that lifestyle with them. This movie told a story without being in the form of a banal documentary. This wasn't much of a movie, but people came in droves to see it just for a glimpse of this suddenly popular musical group. Back then, the Beatles' popularity permeated all age groups. I was a seven-year-old second grader when this group made their North American premiere. Could you imagine seeing seven-year-old girls in my class jumping up and down and squealing to the Beatles music on the radio? Well, thanks to modern technology and new copyright laws, we can see this flick anytime we want to. I've seen the VHS videocassette and I'll view the DVD sooner or later. I'll be back with another review after that!
Rating:
Summary: History in the making--a wonderful time capsule
Review: History was born with the opening chord of the Beatles' first movie. As the title track is playing, hordes of screaming young girls chase the Beatles through the train station, cutting back and forth to a man's attempts to open a milk carton, Paul and his grandfather calmly waiting the storm out, and finally all the Beatles escaping aboard the train. The musical numbers demonstrate spontaneity of bursting into song "I Should Have Known Better" and "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You." They are just plain enjoying themselves. And "Can't Buy Me Love," featuring their antics on the grass pitch, can be construed as the first ever music video. The aerial camera angles, the guys clowning around, and the speeded up camera shots add to the fun. "And I Love Her" is highlighted by the light effect around Paul's face at the end of the number. First, half his face is shaded, the other in light. The camera swings to a profile shot, first flooding his face so it can't be seen, then fading to a thin corona, making an eclipse effect. Great cinematography work there. The press conference has Paul's repeated answers: "No, we're just good friends," plus John's witty remark to how they found America: "Turn left at Greenland." Ringo's misadventures when he goes out parading is also of worthy mention. and even establishes a brief but good rapport with Charlie, the boy who's playing hookie from school. The scene in the cafe is good as well. George has a great moment in a scene demonstrating how mass marketing and teen trends are set. I kind of wonder if this is how things still work today. Other great moments: a Keystone cops-inspired chase scene, the carjacker, George showing Shake how to shave, John playing in the bath--believe me, there are so many scenes worth mentioning it'd be impossible to list them all--the movie's THAT good. Of the two schoolgirls in the train, the blonde is Patty Boyd, later to be George Harrison's first wife, later to marry Eric Clapton. David Langton, the actor in the dressing room reacting to John's long beard, is best known as Lord Bellamy in Upstairs Downstairs. Lionel Blair, the choreographer of the "Tell Me Why" dance routine, appeared in Absolute Beginners as Harry Charms. Richard Vernon, the stuffy newspaper reading man aboard the train, had many roles in TV, including Yes Minister. And the tall gangly man jumping up and down in the club with Ringo is Jeremy Lloyd, one of the co-creators of Are You Being Served? (!) Other supporting characters include Norm, as their bossy, height-challenged PR man who's fighting a war of nerves with John, and Shake, his towering but unassertive assistant on whom he takes out his frustrations. Shake tells him, "John hasn't got any [nerves]" Norm: "That's just the trouble." But let's not forget Wilfrid Brambell as Paul's "clean" grandfather, who's got a wily look in his eye. He's an instigator, all right, stirring things up, "a mixer," as Paul calls him. The scene where he gets more chips after he goes broke at the gambling club shows how foxy he can be. He successful stirs up Ringo, nearly sabotaging the live performance. The final music montage featuring "Tell Me Why," "If I Fell," "I Should've Known Better," and "She Loves You" demonstrates the triumph of the Beatles. And look at the hysterical to love-stricken faces of their feminine audience! What an effect they had on their fans! The rock movie would not have been possible without this day in the life of the Beatles movie. This also shows the band in their early days, when they were fresh, getting along with each other. And if you don't like this movie, well, to quote John, "you're a swine."
Rating:
Summary: A Hard Day's Night - - Hard Not to Love!!(New DVD-1 star)
Review: To quote from a review..."The Citizen Kane of Pop Musicals..." What can you say? The film that has never been equaled or reproduced by any rock act. What set the Beatles apart from other bands then and since, is that there were four distinct personalities in the group, and no matter if you liked them or not, the average rock afficionado can name all four members of the band. A HARD DAY'S NIGHT further enhanced this aspect and at the same time made one of the best rock movies of all time. The film is filmed in a black and white, quasi-documentary style, with great innovative camera work by director Richard Lester. Stripped down, it's a musical comedy based on a 'day in the life' of the Beatles as they are preparing for a press conference and rehearsing for an upcoming appearance on a television program in London. Foregoing the traditional musical where a scene is set up to segue into a musical number, the Beatles play themselves and inject musical numbers at random points with great success and fun. Its not like an Elvis movie where he sings to the bad guy after he beats him up, the musical spots are like modern musical videos. Great classic songs like "Can't buy Me Love", "She Loves You", "If I Fell", "And I Love Her", etc.. are used in the film and a good time is had by all. Pretty good natural comedic performances by the Fab Four . A film that's in a league all its own. Fun!!
- - -However, the newly released DVD by Miramax is not a very good in the bells and whistles. It mostly contains interviews from people we don't care about. There should have been deleted scenes and outtakes. Now that would have been better. The most disappointing thing is the soundtrack. In the films climactic concert scenes in the television theatre studio, the audience girls screaming IS MUTED INTERMITTANTLY to keep the integrity of the songs. It sounds and looks as if the Beatles are singing to an empty theatre. Any Beatlephile knows that the screams from the girls was an integral part of their live shows and what made the concert scene in the film authentic...
Rating:
Summary: A blast from the past!
Review: When I was still in grade school, I remember my brother and I watching 'A Hard Day's Night' just about every time it was aired as the 'Saturday Afternoon Matinee' on the local UHF channel. We loved the film and would play my father's LPs continuously. With the DVD, I am happy to say that my children are now huge fans of the film, the band, and the music. I get at least two requests for the movie each week. The film shows a day in the life of the Beatles during the height of Beatlemania in England. It starts out with the band heading to a studio to perform before a live audience. Along the way the band have a couple of mis-adventures, most of which are caused by Paul's grandfather (played brilliantly by Wilfrid Brambell). Seeing the band during that stage in their carreers is a treat. It was a time before they started to push the boundaries of popular music and the music business. This movie is great for young and old. Even if you are not a die-hard fan of the Beatles, this film is worth watching. The DVD's extras are good. I was hoping for more from the surviving band members, and possibly more performances that didn't make the film. I remember a documentary that was aired a couple of years ago that contained some footage that was cut from the film, and was a little disappointed that it was not included. All in all, this film is one of my favorites, and it apprears to be a hit with the next generation.
Rating: 
Summary: Please don't let yourself get tricked into buying this!!
Review: Miramax has done such a bad job with the audio quality on this movie it is not funny! My old VHS with water damage played better than this!! And the extras, forget about it--you don't even get a single interview or comment from a single beatle--what a joke!
Rating:
Summary: Historical, interesting...
Review: This movie, the first one where the Fab Four were captured for posterity, definitely has a historical character which sets the stage for things to come later. It's absolutely fair to grant it the title of precedent to the music video, in a conceptual way, in spite of the fact that the movie lacks what you would call a solid storyline. The "story" is basically depicting the four guys in their typical environment, jumping, laughing, joking, playing GREAT music (every song is brilliant!) and overall, having fun, while taking good care of each other, almost like brothers. In this, you have to give credit to Dick Lester, the director for accomplishing his initial vision of showing The Beatles "as they were", and not playing the 3 Musketeers or some other thing they weren't. In my opinion, the interviews (last part of disc 1 and most of disc 2) complement VERY well the film footage. I strongly disagree with the reviewer that argues that the interviews were uninteresting and unnecessary. To the contrary, they supplement the viewer with an abundance of information about the context that surrounded the movie, the music and round it up as a more solid documentary of the band's overall picture at the time. Worth seeing: absolutely. Worth buying: I'd argue it, but I guess die hard Beatles fans will want to own a copy of it.
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