Restored Version of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ Screened Nationwide July 4 Weekend

April 30th, 2014

Nina Corcoran

This is the year of The Beatles–well, more than it normally is, anyway. It’s been 50 years since the English band’s iconic performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and as such all sorts of treats have been popping up. The newest caters to music lovers and film buffs alike. The 1964 film A Hard Day’s Night will play in more than 50 cities nationwide over July 4 weekend.

According to Janus Films, the film has been digitally restored in 4K resolution from the original camera negative by none other than the Criterion Collection’s restoration team and was approved by director Richard Lester. The soundtrack has been remixed and remastered by producer Giles Martin at Abbey Road Studios (of course).

When the film first premiered at London’s Pavillion Theatre in 1964, people were thrilled to see a light-hearted satirical look at the life of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr as The Beatles. With a soundtrack that includes eight Beatles songs, including “I Should Have Known Better,” “If I Fell,” “Can’t Buy Me Love” and title track “A Hard Day’s Night,” it’s no surprise it brought in over $12 million after using a $500,000 budget. This July 4 weekend, it will no doubt be tacking on even more bills to that number.