A Hard Days Night - Television Tropes & Idioms

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The first and greatest film of The Beatles. It provided clear caricatures of the members of the band—not ideal, but better than the Band Toons. And it helped fuel the phenomenon it showed onscreen.

It's just an ordinary day-and-a-half in the life for John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr: a train and a room and a car and a room and a room and a room; interviews and rehearsals and performances. It's slightly more unusual than most ordinary days, though, because Paul is supposed to be keeping an eye on his "very clean" grandfather, a "king mixer." But since when have the Beatles, offstage, done what they were supposed to do?

The film itself has become a classic due to its many innovations in cinematography (notably the invention of the handheld camera shot and its use of the birds-eye-view shots during the "Can't Buy Me Love" sequence).

The Beatles later did other four movies: Help!, Magical Mystery Tour (though that one ended up Made For Television), the cartoon Yellow Submarine, and the actual documentary Let It Be.

Director: Richard Lester. Most of his work is surreal comedy. Hints of that reach this film.

Screenwriter: Alan Owen. He spent a week with the group to write the right script, and was nominated for an Oscar. But it's hard to know what's scripted and what's improvised.

Tropes:

All Of The Other Reindeer: much of the conflict in this film comes from uncertainly-motivated teasing of Ringo, and his reactions to it.
As Himself: Well, of course.
Crowning Momentof Funny: "I now declare this bridge... open!" and many more.
Day In The Life
Deadpan Snarker: All four Beatles were masters of the craft. Particular mention should go to George's completely straight-faced answer to "What do you call that haircut?" "Arthur."
- Who can forget Ringo's line:
  Who knows if it's your Grandfather hahahahaha.
Devil In Plain Sight
Dis Continuity: there is a 2001 remaster of this film, which the Independent Film Channel appears to be ignoring in favor of the 1996 remaster—perhaps because of the 2001 decision to use 5.1 dialogue and mono songs.
Disney Acid Sequence: "Can't Buy Me Love"
Finagle's Law
Floating Head Syndrome - even occurs in 1964 posters.
Getting Crap Past The Radar: John "snorting" his unopened bottle of Pepsi
Groupie Brigade: Of note, one of the schoolgirls on the train is Patti Boyd, who would later become George Harrison's wife (and later the wife of Harrison's best friend Eric Clapton, who wrote "Layla" about her).
Hilarity Ensues
Hypocritical Humor: When Ringo is forbidden from going to a club he's been invited to.
Paul's Grandfather: Quite right! Invites to gambling dens full of easy money and fast women, chicken sandwiches and cornets of caviar? Disgusting. [Slips the invitation into his pocket]"
Jitter Cam
Kensington Gore (in throwaway gag)
Lip Synch: This is normal procedure for musicals, but it's notable here because a sharp-eared person can see Paul singing parts in "I Should Have Known Better" that, strictly and musically speaking, aren't there. (Actually, it's just the wrong verses.)
- Also look at John's facial expressions during "If I Fell." Proof that not only did they do this, but the boys really didn't take it seriously.
Mistaken For An Imposter
Mockumentary: Many viewers actually thought this was a true documentary.
Orbital Shot
Paper Thin Disguise
Performance Video: Much of this film qualifies.
Real Life Relative - George Harrison met his first wife, Pattie Boyd, while shooting this film. She played the blonde schoolgirl who says "Prisoners?" when Paul tries to flirt with her on the train.
Real Life Writes The Plot: In numerous ways, real-life Beatlemania being an obvious example. Other minor examples are George tripping and sprawling over the suitcases during the opening chase (a real accident that was left in), and Ringo's Sad Clown sequence walking along the lake (it was praised as some of the best acting in the movie, but Ringo himself later admitted he was extremely hungover and genuinely miserable that day).
Shout Out: Paul's grandfather is frequently referred as "clean" because the actor played a "dirty old man" in Steptoe And Son (which begat the American version Sanford And Son). These jokes would often go over American fans' heads, but British audiences would've gotten the references immediately.
Squee: The mob of fangirls did a lot of this, to humorous effect.
Straw Fan: it opens with the Fab Four pursued by the aforementioned mob of fans. The fans playing the fans were so good, the filmmakers could do only one take of the relevant scenes.
Throwaway Gag (numerous)
Throw It In: as noted above.
Visual Pun: John snorts the top of a Coke bottle... subverted in that it's actually a Pepsi bottle.

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