The BeATLES ON THE BIG SCREEN Words: Robert Stimpson
The band that changed everything’ is a tag often applied to The Beatles. Musically, the story has been told and retold, re-mastered and re-released. But the world of music was not the only area that the band ventured into – far from it. The ill fated Apple Boutique and Apple Records are two rather less flattering recollections. One venture that yielded more success, however, was into the world of film. This summer marks the 50th anniversary of the cinematic release of A Hard Day’s Night , the group’s motion picture debut. Revisiting, reminiscing, re-evaluating – whatever you choose to call it, it is impossible to ignore just how far the reach of The Beatles extended beyond their music and into the world of film. The circumstances behind The Beatles first foray into cinema are not as glamorous as one might expect. Before the release of A Hard Day’s Night in July 1964, films starring musicians were invariably a cheap vehicle in which to cash in some easy money on the back of their
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popularity. Think Jailhouse Rock and Summer Holiday. While these movies have their fans, their impact outside of those circles is minimal, at best. Under these same circumstances, however, The Beatles were thrust into the cinematic world. Their success in Britain was assured at the time, but the long term future wasn’t considered to be anything of great certainty, so the money men decided to cash in on a movie in case their prized asset suddenly stopped laying golden eggs. Even the man at the helm, Richard Lester, was a relatively untried director. In fairness, though, the reality was a case of the truth being stranger than fiction. After the film was given the go ahead, but before filming itself commenced, the band made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show,