The Beatles. Wouldn’t those words alone compel you to see that film at that given point in history? Even in current times, if they were all still alive, many people would still go see such a film. This film was not only a box office success, but it even began to effect society for the better. Through an article that I found, written by R. L. Friedman, he talks of how the film helped merge rock ‘n’ roll into the mainstream. He speaks of how the generational gap between parent and child is the cause for the struggle of acceptance of this new form of art into the societal norm. He also continues to speak of how the film was used as a marketing tool. Sparking the fantasy of a musicians rebellious lifestyle, while simultaneously contradicting the lyrics being spoken. This article is important because it shows the correlation between a changing society and the old habits of the previous one. The general population has started to become accustomed to building what seems like a personal relationship between them and any given artist. It does make sense that fans have begun to do this because they are, in fact, the reason behind the artists success in the industry. Without the fans purchasing the product, the artist would have no source of revenue. That is exactly what I found in a review written by David E. James. James discussed the development of the relationship between the musicians and the fans. He continues to also discuss the creation of the audio-visual composition that would later be integrated into the basis of music video production. This source is important because it conveys what the director, Richard Lester, was trying to show that is shared between the artist and their fans. Lester not only beautiful composed the shots to show relation between the two, but he also developed a new style of filming. Composing a new style of filming that can evoke emotion with simple factors such as audio and visual pairing, to enhance the quality of the product. In fact, Lester was so influential in the industry that MTV sent him the award of “Father of the Music Video”. Even the trailer that was developed for the film was easily able to capture the attention of viewers.
As if it wasn’t enough, The Beatles even developed an album that also helped with the promotion of the film. The album offers youthful optimism and depicts a high level of maturity in their songwriting, Containing some of the popular songs like “ Can’t Buy Me Love”, this album was the first to contain only music written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
The entire production and developmental process of this film is a prime example of a new era of stylistic filming. Acting as a basis, or standard, that music videos should meet, Leonard contributed much more to the industry than I think he could have ever imagined. With audio and visual pairing being demonstrated with such ease, he was also able to capture the emotion and relationship that is shared between the artist and their fans.
Resources
Friedman, R. L. “The Beatles in Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night.” The Hopkins Review, Johns Hopkins University Press, 29 Sept. 2011, muse.jhu.edu/article/451889/pdf. (Critical)
James, David E. “The Beatles I.” Beatles I: Richard Lester and A Hard Day’s Night – Oxford Scholarship, Oxford Scholarship Online, 7 Dec. 2015, www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199387595.001.0001/acprof-9780199387595-chapter-8. (Critical)
bf2sluvr. “A Hard Days Night Trailer.” YouTube, YouTube, 10 Mar. 2007, www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0eJEX5c1sM. (Historical)
“The Beatles – Tell Me Why.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Mar. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a1WCwZ9LQk&list=PLCG2Cea6U6Em5e6SfjylxyQXGrARrxfod. (Historical)
I also wrote an essay on A Hard Day’s Night and I wanted to read what you gathered from it. I enjoyed your take on what the film meant for the genre and what it created. I did not know that Lester was dubbed the “Father of Music Video” but it does make sense for this film was basically a long music video. The genre itself didn’t exist so this was a great marketing tool, that could have failed very easily, but like you said, it’s the Beatles and it’s chance of failure was slim. Another point you made that I really liked was the generation gap and how the film represented that. The separation felt throughout post war England was very real and the band along with this movie represented that emotion. The articles you attached were also very insightful so excellent work!
“Marketing tool.” That says a lot.
So is this wonderful style a great cultural innovation, a way of making cultural products hip and fun?
Or just a way of selling records?
That could be the whole question of culture since 1965: Is it just cool–or just merchandizing?
Hey there, really enjoyed reading your post. I currently took the online Beatles class last semester and learn basically everything I know about them know. Clicked on your post first because I have started liking the band more and more and the history and stories behind them. I like the fact that you decided to go with a movie with the main characters of the Beatles. When these movies were released it really helped the audience understand and learn about who the Beatles were. This connects to my writings because it’s not just about the film, it has areas of before the film and the making of it. One thing I learned from this post was the Beatles movies were really a new style of stylistic filming. One thing that inspired me was how you formatted it, how areas of importance are sectioned off. All in all great post!