portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008

Saturday, March 02, 2019

I've said before I went with my cousins and my dear brother Steve to see the Beatles first film when it was released whilst on holiday in North Wales I had simply never seen anything quite so perfect in all my days and still love both films . . . . . . 


On this day in music history: March 2, 1964 - The Beatles begin work on their first film “A Hard Day’s Night” with director Richard Lester at Marylebone Station in London (not Paddington Station as it is often misquoted). Produced by Walter Shenson and released through United Artists Pictures, the film is a semi-fictionalized day in the life of the band written by Alun Owen. Budgeted at a modest £200,000 ($500,000 in today’s currency), the film is shot in black & white and will break new ground in film making with its innovative cinematography, editing and use of music. During the six weeks of filming, other location shooting takes place in at the Thornbury Playing Fields in Isleworth, Middlesex (“Can’t Buy Me Love” sequence), Scala Theatre in Camden (theater performance scenes), West Ealing, London (“Ringo dropping his coat on puddles for a lady to step on” sequence") and the interiors are shot at Twickenham Studios in London. The film is a huge success, grossing over $6 million at the box office in its original theatrical run.

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