'A Hard Day's Night'
"Bieber Fever" has swept the nation, much like the very mop on the kid's head. The release of "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" is probably the apex of such fever, with an unmemorable but good-enough Grammy performance accompanying the ailment.
"Never Say Never" is a documentary, showing Justin as Justin, as a kid readying for his biggest performance yet. There are flashbacks and stories, drop-ins and quick cuts. It's a well put together spectacle of celebrity, the insider's look that really isn't an insider's look, more just a way to keep the fans wanting more.
But that's how it goes today. Celebrities are carefully sculpted and protected, from films to promotional appearances. And Bieber has to be Bieber, the one that tweets, the one that shows up on MTV - you can't make things up, just show the truth as protectively as possible. So "Never Say Never" is a good documentary, but nothing monumental.
That leads us to "A Hard Day's Night," directed by Richard Lester, the first film that really peered into the glass of rising celebrity. Sure Elvis made movies, but those films showed Elvis as a character on a beach. The Beatles first film was about them - the Beatles - and how crazy their lives had become so instantly.
"A Hard Day's Night," though, isn't all about protection, and it doesn't tell the truth. There's a loose plot about Paul's meddling grandfather (Wilfrid Brambell), who must travel with the band and be kept watch of because he starts trouble. In reality, Paul's grandfather didn't travel with the band, and really, we knew nothing about him at all. This whole business isn't part of the Beatles lives - it's just a plot to tie things together.
And protection is little, if at all. John Lennon wisecracks throughout, especially in a party with upscale Brits. The humor is near seething as the Beatles take down their uppity counterparts. Bieber? He wouldn't offend a fly, since that fly could potentially be part of his target audience.
"A Hard Day's Night" really gives the Beatles added personality, more than what people saw through press conferences and quotes. Back in 1964, that's all you had - some quotes, some conferences; no Twitter, no YouTube, no MTV, no nothing. Protection was inherit. So "A Hard Day's Night" tries to round out the image that the Beatles' sculpted early: Paul is charming, John is sarcastic to a fault, George is shy, Ringo is odd. In the most poignant scene of the film, Ringo decides to leave the group for a walk along the river. He skips stones and meets a young boy, with whom he plays. It's set to the subtle and sweet "That Boy," one of the Beatles' earliest dips into melancholy.
Compare that to Bieber. Could you imagine Bieber walking by the river, alone, skipping stones and playing with a kid? Moreover, could you imagine it not being contrived? Of course not - this is reality. Bieber is there for the world to see. Ringo? He wasn't Tweeting back in 1964. The river scene, fictional or not, seemed plausible.
So in that sense, "A Hard Day's Night" is a genuine film, showing how fame can affect people in a short amount of time, but without cameras poking into their lives, and without quick cuts leading to exposition about drum sets and YouTube videos. Mystery, at least in 1964, was much more thrilling than constant information.
Oh, and then there's music.
Of course, "A Hard Day's Night" is like "Never Say Never" in that it's an excuse to play all the hits. The opening montage set to the title song is iconic - it captures instant fame in a way no three minutes in any modern documentary could dream. You also get the lovely "If I Fell," the charming "I Should Have Known Better" and the romantic "And I Love Her." Not to mention the other giant A-side from that record, "Can't Buy Me Love," which also gets the music video treatment - a wondrous multi-minute camera adventure through an open lot. Simpler times, indeed.
"A Hard Day's Night" is a masterwork of cinema verite. It's gentle, but at times ravenous, and it always seems tucked in its own world. It doesn't shout at you, but it doesn't make you fall asleep. It's simply a film that shows humans in a life that slowly is becoming inhuman. But it never felt so real.
----Timothy Malcolm
recordonline.com
