Beatle movie gets back on screen

The movie first hit the silver screen in 1964

LONDON, England -- The Beatles' movie "A Hard Day's Night" has been re-released in Britain 30 years after its first success.

The grainy black and white film released on Friday follows a day in the life of John, Paul, George and Ringo, battling out screaming fans and reporters.

The film is wall-to-wall with Beatle hits, including "I Should Have Known Better", "Can't Buy Me Love", "I Wanna Be Your Man," "All My Loving", "Happy Just to Dance With You", and "She Loves You."

After its 1964 release, "A Hard Day's Night" received two Oscar nominations and was hailed by critics and fans to be a resounding hit.

The re-release, which kicked off in Liverpool, the birthplace of the Beatles, has given a whole new generation of music fans a chance to discover the sounds of one of the world's most famous groups.

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Beatle biographer Patrick Humphries said: "I think this is probably the best ever pop film. It is the epicentre of Beatlemania ... There is something in the group and their music that will just not go away."

Director Richard Lester is eternally grateful to the "Fab Four."

"The Beatles gave me a film career," he told a British tabloid. "I was able to trade on that for 40 years. So in terms of gratitude I owe them a lot more than they owe me."

Lester thought George Harrison was the best Beatle actor in the film and he felt Paul McCartney's performance suffered because he tried too hard. He loved Ringo Starr because he looked so lugubrious.

He said of Lennon: "John is one of the three or four most interesting people I've ever met...John was unique in that he suffered fools very badly, and he was quick-witted and cynical.

He hated pomposity and hated people in authority who treated them as hired servants."

Beatlemania certainly shows no signs of fading 30 years after the group broke up.

The Beatles set yet another world pop record when a compilation album of their number one hits topped hit parades late last year in 34 countries from Colombia to Poland.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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A Hard Day's Night
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