Meet the Beatles! Just one month after they exploded onto the U.S. scene with their Ed Sullivan Show appearance, John, Paul, George, and Ringo began working on a project that would bring their revolutionary talent to the big screen. A Hard Day’s Night, in which the bandmates play cheeky comic versions of themselves, captured the astonishing moment when they officially became the singular, irreverent idols of their generation and changed music forever. Directed with raucous, anything-goes verve by Richard Lester and featuring a slew of iconic pop anthems, including the title track, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “I Should Have Known Better,” and “If I Fell,” A Hard Day’s Night, which reconceived the movie musical and exerted an incalculable influence on the music video, is one of the most deliriously entertaining movies of all time.

“One of the great life-affirming landmarks of the movies; it is no longer merely a musical, a comedy, or a Beatles film—it transcends its time.” — Roger Ebert

“The Citizen Kane of jukebox musicals, a film whose style and exuberance transformed the possibilities of the pop movie.” — Andrew Sarris

“Still feels astonishingly modern—fast, funny, inventive, and bursting with cinematic energy.” — BFI