Shout-out to Richard Lester
As we wrap up our Fortnight With the Beatles here at Eisengeiste Coda, I just wanted to express appreciation for this sequence from A Hard Day’s Night.
I cropped these (sin!) to match the photo format used for this blog - in the letterbox there’s some blank wall in the left side of the frame:
Man crossing alley, Beatles manifesting in the background, pursued by the police.
Looks right, notices the commotion, picks up his pace and gets out of the way.
Man disappears, the Beatles are coming right at you!
A woman appears in the window.
Chaos arrives, the static shot turns dynamic as the camera pans to follow the band.
And we’re at the theater.
The Criterion Collection version - “new 4K digital restoration, approved by director Richard Lester” - looks fantastic.
Same cinematographer (Gil Taylor) as Star Wars, by the way.
A Hard Day’s Night, Criterion Collection spine #711 - (link)