In Theaters, In Glorious Black and White

Walking out of the Michigan Theater this evening, I exclaimed to my companion with much elation how incredibly proud I was to be a musician. My friend and bandmate agreed and we walked out into the moonlit streets of Ann Arbor and back to our houses. I pulled out my Beatle albums and I suspect he did so as well or maybe tried to write some songs.

I wasn't prepared for the effect A Hard Day's Night had on me. I'm 23 years old and have never seen it. My parents saw the Beatles perform in Chicago in 1964 and that was a source of pride for me while growing up. I considered it part of my musical roots and held it over the other kids without mercy. I've loved other bands ferociously and still hold a number of acts well above the Fab Four, but there is the magic, charisma, and attitude that still sparks such wide-eyed wonder whenever I encounter them in any medium.

The theater is the only place to see A Hard Day's Night. I sat close to the front and was mystified and dizzy with the barrage of rapid-fire chase shots that open the movie. What I would give to have been a kid during Beatlemania. The feeling is contagious and spills off the screen in abundance. I was there following John, George and Ringo into the alley and up the fire escape. I was there on stage at the end and felt the rush of playing to a room of hysterical people who are screaming themselves sick, jumping up and down and stamping their feet. I laughed at the jokes and listened closely to the songs I'd heard millions of times.

The cinematography was truly wonderful and must have been a real milestone when this was released. There were camera angles from behind liquor bottles and under hi-hat stands that made me so happy. When they escaped rehearsal to go jump around ecstatically in the neighboring field I could hardly contain myself. No other band could have made this and no other music film could have been made like this.

I often wonder what it is about the Beatles that makes their existence so essential, everyone wonders. I suppose it was just the right time for them to exist. Four fated kids were brought together somehow and they played music that made people feel good and got them excited about something. They had charm and irresistible chemistry. Their one-liners in this movie were sharper and quicker and funnier than a hall full of career comedic actors could have made. They looked great and worked naturally together and this film undeniably captured this. I'm still high from it and could probably write volumes more on the subject but I don't think I need to. Instead, I'm going to try to get some sleep and recall once more my favorite part in A Hard Day's Night.

The film closes with the group performing a live television appearance and there is a montage of audience shots (screaming, fainting, etc.). They play the last four notes of "She Loves You," the stage lights dim and they bow. It's the same bow we all know from all their performances where George takes a quick step to the left, Ringo stands, and the four bend humbly down like a single organism. I don't know why but it hit me like a hammer tonight. If you're even just a casual fan of the Beatles, you owe it to yourself to see this re-released classic in the theater in glorious black and white.