Richard Lester
A Hard Day's Night (Tutti per uno!)

A Hard Day's Night is a film about and "by" the Beatles, and it was shown in Italian cinemas only on June 9, 10, and 11 as an event. I use "by the Beatles" because it's a film entirely centered on them, where they "limit" themselves to being themselves, almost without acting. The Fab Four are here at the height of success in the first part of their career, appearing young, carefree, fresh, bold—in a word, "modern".

The film is very entertaining, and even though it lacks a classic narrative structure, it works perfectly in my opinion. Brilliant dialogues, very amusing situations and Paul’s hilarious grandfather, a distinguished and polite man, an "upright" person (in reality, the master of troublemakers, whose sole purpose in life is women and to sow discord among anyone he encounters) joins them on the train journey from Liverpool to London for a TV performance, creating chaos both on the train and later in the studios.

I was very impressed by the liveliness, the charm, the wit of these four guys who, at the time, truly had an edge. Their revolutionary, bold, ironic, and irreverent nature is linked more to their lifestyle than to lofty ideals. What matters to them is music and the girls, who are everywhere and literally chase them during their travels. Getting on and off the train, taking the taxi, etc., becomes a real obstacle course, but they somehow manage to navigate it, and more than tiring them, it seems to amuse them.

The Beatles are always in a good mood, full of life and energy, and it's naturally when they pick up their instruments and play and sing their songs that they "become" the Beatles.

The film was hugely successful, and in '99 the British Film Institute even included it among the top 100 British films of the 20th century!

Highly recommended for those who love the Beatles, but those who love them have probably already seen it, so it's even more recommended for those who, like me, know very little about them. I was very pleased to get to know them a little, see what kind of people they were, each with his own personality and peculiarities, yet together they were a single entity, more solid than granite. The Beatles were simply invincible!