Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
The year is
1964 and Beatlemania is in full
swing. The biggest band on the planet are about to make their big screen debut.
The film is A Hard Day’s Night, a seminal piece of filmmaking that shows The Beatles as they’ve never been seen before.
To celebrate its 50th Anniversary the film will be presented in a new 4k digital
restoration approved by director Richard
Lester, with three audio options - a
monoaural soundtrack in addition to newly created stereo and 5.1 surround mixes
supervised by sound producer Giles
Martin and engineer Sam Okell at Abbey Road Studios. The film will be in
cinemas, on-demand
and available to download from 4 July, followed by a special edition Blu-ray and
two-disc DVD release on 21 July 2014, courtesy of Second Sight Films.
A Hard Day’s Night will have an Extended
Run at BFI Southbank from 4 July
2014, with a special preview and talk with Richard
Lester on 3 July 2014. The UK theatrical release will be handled by
Metrodome Distribution.
Director Richard Lester used
his experience of working on television adverts combined with slapstick comedy,
a nod to the French ‘New Wave’ movement and a documentary style, and alongside
screenwriter Alun Owen created a
unique and innovative film that went on to influence a whole generation of music
videos and films.
A Hard Day’s Night follows a ‘typical’ day in the life of the Fab Four as they
try to make it to their big show. As the title track roles we see John,
Paul, George and Ringo mobbed by a group of
fervent fans as they catch a train to London along with their manager
Norm (Norman Rossington – The Longest Day), his assistant Shake (John Junkin – Hooray For Laughter) and Paul’s troublesome Grandfather (Wilfred Bramble – Steptoe and Son).
A series of hilarious
escapades follow, with Grandfather bribing a butler for his clothes to go to a
casino, Ringo leaving the band to go solo and ending up in a police station and
John’s disagreements with a disgruntled TV producer (Victor Spinetti – Help).
Will the boy’s make it in time for their big concert?
This is all set to a
brilliant soundtrack of classic Beatles tracks including I Should
Have Known Better, And I Love Her, Tell Me Why,
If I Fell and Can't Buy Me Love, and features a stand out supporting cast
including comedienne Anna Quayle, cartoonist
Bob Godfrey, TV host Robin Ray, dancer Lionel Blair, Harrison's future wife Patti Boyd, and director Lester himself.
Bonus features include:
- ‘In
Their Own Voices’ - a new piece combining 1964 interviews with The Beatles
with behind-the-scenes footage and photos
- ‘You
Can’t Do That’: The Making of A Hard Day’s Night, a documentary by
producer Walter Shenson including an outtake performance by The Beatles
- ‘Things
They Said Today’, a documentary about the film featuring director Richard
Lester, music producer George Martin, screenwriter Alun Owen and
cinematographer Gilbert Taylor
- ‘Picturewise’
- a new piece about Richard Lester‘s early work featuring a new audio
interview with the director.
- ‘Anatomy
of a Style’ - a new piece on
Richard Lester‘s methods
- New
interview with author Mark Lewisohn
- Audio
commentary featuring cast and crew
CLICK HERE TO ORDER BLU-RAY FROM AMAZON UK
CLICK HERE TO ORDER DVD SET FROM AMAZON UK