Get Back (to Leeds)

A Hard Day's Night may not be my favourite film of all-time, but it's certainly in the top two. If my VHS copy and subsequent DVD had stat counters on them they would probably conclude that I'd spent half my waking hours watching this timeless classic.

And here's the thing - I've never seen it at the pictures. I've only ever seen it on the box.

But that's all about to change. A Hard Day's Night is 50 this year and it's coming to Leeds, of all places. For one night only, Tuesday 29 April, it will be showing at the Cottage Road Cinema in Headingley - and I've just bought four tickets. I've got my eye on that poster too.

True Colours?

It's not golden, nor does it have any gates

We all know that The Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District never repainted the bridge green, but they did, quite cleverly, show the iconic structure in its new livery in an advertising campaign to promote their green agenda - including emission reduction policies, bicycle programmes etc.
Vincent Tan, on the other hand, the new meddling Malaysian billionaire Chairman of Cardiff City FC, The Bluebirds, changed the team's home strip from blue to red overnight; thus instantly destroying 100 years of club history. Apparently the colour red is lucky in his culture. Maybe someone should tell David Moyes.

In 1964 when Richard Lester was brought in to make A Hard Day's Night he decided to shoot it in black and white; one of the film's many endearing qualities. But now, thanks to colorization, we can see Macca's Hofner bass looking the same colour as watery gravy and John Lennon looking decidedly unwell.

A Hard Ray's Night

My cousin Ray has been around these parts on at least one previous occasion. Not not only do we share the same set of grandparents, but also a love of all things Beatles; in particular A Hard Day's Night. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of conversations we've had that hasn't contained at least one line from the film: 'He's very clean, your grandfather' being a hardy perennial. Last Saturday, on a trip to the seaside, we found ourselves in what can only be described as a Hard Day's Night carriage - so with a little help from his son (my second cousin, I think) Jack, we tried to do a little FAB re-enactment. I'm out of shot holding Jack's feet. 

A little later we took our guitars down the corridor to the mail carriage and played 'I Should Have Known Better'.

Geo.

None of your five-bar gate jumps and over sort of stuff

George Harrison was shot almost exclusively in monochrome in 1964; this snap from a Mike and Bernie Winters TV rehearsal in July was taken the week after A Hard Day's Night was released. It was the same week he pranged his new E-Type; I don't know, colour photography, E-Type Jags and Mike and Bernie Winters - it's enough to make any man loosen his tie.