A Hard Day's Night (Miramax Collector's Series)

I recently received the Blu-Ray, but this review applies equally to the Miramax DVD of "A Hard Day's Night." (In fact, the Blu-Ray is made from a video transfer of the DVD, as opposed to an original film source, and so preserves the digital "jutter" that comes with transferring film to video. If you have the DVD, it is truly not worth the investment to upgrade to Blu-Ray.)As to the film itself, I would like to address the sound issues discussed by previous reviewers. Yes, in an age where we are all used to hearing the digital upgrades to the studio recordings on modern sound equipment, the sound will seem muddy. When a source close to the project said "blame Apple," he meant that the Beatles' licensing company had insisted that, from now on, the soundtrack must be authentic. The 5.1 soundtrack on the DVD and Blu-Ray does modify the sound (and previous calls for an alternate original mono track should be heeded), but is made entirely from the original film track. When songs begin, the sound is moved off of the center channel and out to the left and right channels. A very slight delay is added to the rear channels to provide a sense of depth, but it does not come off as added echo. (The reverb added to "Tell Me Why" was also on the original soundtrack album - along with a good deal of left to right panning!) Basically, the tracks remain in their original mono, and, more importantly, in their original movie mixes.Aside from the obvious single-tracking of Paul's vocal on "And I Love Her" and John's in the intro to "If I Fell" (which, by no intent of the Beatles, became the mixes used on the U.S. single of those two songs), there are other, more subtle changes in the mixes made to accommodate the film. (Guitars are brought forward when the camera is on them, the drums when it moves in on Ringo, and so on.) There are also sound effects which were lost when stereo versions were substituted (such as when John knocks over the music stand during "And I Love Her.")In short, the sound may not be up to the albums we listen to at home, but it is what we heard in theaters in 1964 (if we could hear it at all over the screaming!)As to the picture, the widescreen video does cut off a small bit of the top and bottom of the picture we saw on the VHS tape, while showing a silght bit more on the sides. It should be remembered, though, that the film was shot and framed for widescreen viewing. (Note how the credits are placed far from the top and bottom of the screen. There is also no feeling of cut-off heads or action missed offscreen.) Widescreen was the norm in theaters in 1964, and most theatrical prints were made to accommodate them. We did not watch a square picture in theaters when we saw the film in 1964 - we watched the Beatles explode across the wide screen! The square picture on the MPI VHS version was a nice accommodation for square TV's, but the widescreen on the current release is far closer to the original presentation. And plugging in the stereo versions of the songs may have been a sonic upgrade, it was a move away from what the producer created.I wish that the Blu-Ray had been an actual 24/fps transfer from a film source, and I wish that an alternate "true mono" soundtrack had been provided - but all in all, it's an excellent presentation the original film in its original form. Yeah, yeah, yeah!

NOTE: Previous to buying this Blu-Ray I had the Miramax deluxe boxed set (ASIN: B0000542D2) which I paid a good chunk of change for back in 2002 and it was (still is) a quite decent experience.2014 release BLU-RAY VIDEO QUALITY: When I played the Blu-Ray, ** at first ** I didn't see any "immediate" earth shattering difference. Then, a few minutes in, I start noticing things. John Lennon's left sideburn in the early train car sequence is not trimmed evenly. The eye pupils refocusing on the stuffy old man passenger's face as he processes feeling hurt / indignant ruffled after our Beatle heroes leave the car after toying with him. I can make out the lettering on Ringo's radio. I notice the Pepsi-Cola logo on a pop bottle. I notice the upholstery pattern in the train seat. I notice the fabric pattern in Paul's suit. The lines in certain actors faces, groups of combed hairs in the Beatles and other actors, etc. The "Ramirez" guitar logo inside George's acoustic guitar. The pocket watch on Victor Spinetti's video desk, etc. These are all subtleties and they may be visually there in the older DVD but for the first time I ** noticed ** them and I believe it's the extra detail of the Blu-Ray that makes this possible. It adds to realism and my enjoyment of the movie.AUDIO QUALITY: I can't say that I notice any major difference in the audio quality compared to the 2002 Miramax DVD which also had good audio.SUMMARY: If you are a dyed-in-the-wool Beatle fan and can afford to re-buy this, yeah it's worth it. I watch this particular movie probably once a year or two anyway and I do replay scenes that I like. That being said dear Beatle fans: You are not suffering if you have the old 2002 Miramax DVD version, the story will still be told and enjoyed, but the video on this is a notch maybe two notches better - in the realm of fine detail and subtleties.Techno stuff: I have 60" LG Plasma 1080p screen and $300 Sony Blu-Ray player, Pioneer 7.1 receiver. NOTE: I see mention on Amazon that the B2 version wont play in US. I can't speak to that. What I can tell you for sure is: 1. I live in the U.S. 2. My copy says it's "Region B" and the UPC on my copy that plays in the US on US region equipment is: UPC 9344256010514 Edition is listed as Umbrella Entertainment (umbrellaent.com.au) Full HD 1080.What I don't get: Why does it have an "M" (Mature) audiences rating for "Low level coarse language". I mean there is nothing tamer or squeaky clean by today's standards than this movie.P.S. 2 of my favorite moments: "That's dead grotty!" "I'll bet you're a good swimmer!"

Unlike those reviews posted well before the release date, I've actually watched this.I remember going to see this with my brother at the Dartford Granada ("We're all for one and one for all, we're the Dartford Granadiers. Granadiers!" was sung before Saturday morning pictures). We were two of a very small number of boys in the cinema, and I also remember it being the only film I've ever seen at the 'flicks' when I couldn't hear anything. Why? Unbelievable as it may seem, there was a relentless barrage of screaming from the other 98% of the audience. At moving images on celluloid! Fifty years on, those memories come flooding back (not that they ever left) with the anniversary reissue of what is considered to [still] be the best film of it's genre.There's no point in going through what the film itself is about, as that has been de-constructed, analysed, pored over and commented on more times than I want to know. This review is about what it looks like, what it sounds like, and the extras. As an aside, not many realise this was officially released on a CD-ROM in 1993.The Packaging:Second Sight saw sense (now there's an alliteration for you) and this now has a decent, partly embossed slip case cover pertaining to what's inside. And inside that slip case is the Blu-ray case. And that's it! Unlike the USA issue, there's no booklet. There are a dozen photos on the reverse that you might think are taken from the LP sleeve; seven aren't. One strange thing is that the BBFC rating for this is 'PG' whereas it was '12' on the Miramax DVD.The Film:First of all, it looks superb. It's bright, clear and the picture jumps out at you. It could have been filmed last week. Whilst this has 16 scene selections, the earlier Miramax DVD has 14. (I'm not sad enough to bother going through it but it's probably down to the way a scene was judged to have ended.)The Sound:The sound, and particularly the music, is an aural delight. There are three sound options here; mono, stereo and 5.1. However. If you have this set to mono in your audio options, for some reason at the start of the card game scene the "One for you, two for me..." speech is missing, which is why the song appears to fade up, but it's there in the other two sound options. And Lennon's "Cheat!" comment is completely absent whatever option you select. Also, in stereo and 5.1, 'If I Fell' is isolated enough to hear McCartney seemingly coming in too early with "...was (in vain)" the second time round, which I've never heard on any other stereo version. It could just be the remix, as it isn't there listening in mono. 'I Should Have Known Better' has the missing mouth organ note, or not, depending on how you're listening. It seems weird that they seem to have remixed it for both mono and stereo. [For those unaware and students of Beatles' minutiae, the version here of 'Tell Me Why' has a different Lennon vocal to that heard on anything else.]The Extras:Some of these were on the Miramax DVD a few years ago, and the 'Making of...' was issued on VHS. They haven't bothered to restore any of this, including 'You Can't Do That', which is a shame. Of the remainder, there's a 2014 trailer, what I consider to be a throwaway interview with author Mark Lewisohn (any interview with someone unconnected with either an artist or their work I think is a waste); a commentary with some cast and crew, which is rather enlightening, and a look at the work of the director. Also included is 18 minutes of interviews with the Fab Four over some behind the scenes footage and stills. It's unfortunate that most people never watch any of these more than once.The Verdict:It's a superb film in its own right and though far from being actors, they do take it in their stride. The most amusing part is Paul's reaction when his 'Grandfather' rises from the trapdoor during the broadcast; it's as if he didn't know what was going to happen. There are also things you didn't really notice before such as John making faces at Ringo at the start of 'If I Fell' and George falling against an amplifier and looking up sheepishly during the same song.However, seeing as this is a 50th Anniversary release, I feel a bit cheated. I realise it was out of Apple's hands, but at least they managed to give us some lavish packaging and lots of bits and pieces with the reissues of both 'Help!' and 'Magical Mystery Tour', albeit at an increased price if you wanted it. This has nothing.Even so, for the price, it's an essential purchase for all Beatles fans as well as those who want to see the best example of the group's foray into celluloid, as well as the pinnacle of the pop musical. (It also has a bonus in the casino scene of one of the most stunning girls ever to appear on film; Margaret Nolan.)EDIT: I've watched this many times now and I've noticed something strange. The second time they run into the police station, John gasps at the desk, nods to George and they all run out again, John at the front. However, it's just occurred to me that he must have ran round the set to run out the door a second time behind the police. I originally thought he must have gone to the right (it does happen quickly) but he clearly leads out everyone. As the camera lingered on that scene, someone must have been in on the joke.

Again a great watch.

Wie früher die DVDs, nur eine bessere, digitale Qualität. Zeitloser Einblick in die Zeit der Beatlemania.

Worked well and was as described

Sin lugar a dudas, la mejor película musical pop-rock de la historia del cine. Realmente buena en todos los aspectos. Los Beatles tuvieron la suerte de que alguien como Richard Lester, que estaba empezando, se uniera a ellos en esta producción. La película narra, a modo de documental, un día de trabajo de los Beatles. Es divertida, fresca, entretenida, con muchas virtudes y hallazgos cinematográficos y evidentemente con una música insuperable. Está considerada como el inicio de los vídeos musicales para promocionar a un músico y desde luego, muy influyente en su género. Como siempre los Beatles fueron los primeros; como casi en todo. Es muy superior a cualquier película de Elvis Presley sin lugar a dudas. Elvis hacía personajes, los Beatles hacían de sí mismos. Su banda sonora fué nominada a los oscars de Hollywood de 1964, en la ceremonia de 1965, que ganó "Mary Poppins". También su guión fué nominado. Los Beatles ganarían un oscar en 1970 por "Let It Be" (mejor adaptación musical, en la ceremonia de 1971). Tienen hasta un oscar de Hollywood, cuando no daban oscars a músicos pop-rock. Ahora está un poco más de moda dar este premio a músicos; da como más prestigio a la ceremonia de entrega, pero en los años 60 ó 70 no.Esta edición puede ser la definitiva ya que la calidad de la imagen y el sonido (con nuevas mezclas) es inmejorable (yo tengo también la editada en 2002) y los extras son muy buenos y extensos. El problema es que no tiene los subtítulos en castellano, solo audio y subtítulos en inglés. Hay una edición alemana, una francesa, otra inglesa (ésta) y otra norteamericana. De todas las maneras, cualquier fan español de los Beatles tiene que tener esta edición, es de obligada compra.Totalmente recomendable para cualquier aficionado a la mulsica popular moderna o al cine musical en general. No defraudará a nadie. No hay otra con esta calidad cinematográfica y musical (dentro de su género pop-rock); eso es seguro.