Category: Music Fan Film Series

Summer of Soul

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
7:30 pm | $10/$6 members | PG-13 | Documentary | 1h 57m

Rock Camp: The Movie

$12 | Documentary | 1 hr 27 min Click here to watch the film  Saturday, January 16 Join us for a pre-recorded Q&A available to view for all ticket buyers. Summer camp meets Spinal Tap as we journey to Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp in ROCK CAMP, where dreamers from across America and around the […]

Zappa

An in-depth exploration of Frank Zappa’s private life and his rich, often controversial musical career. Featuring unfettered access to the Zappa vault and a deep cache of archival footage.

16 Bars

Starts Friday, July 10 $4.99 | 2018 ‧ Musical/Documentary | 1h 34m Click here to stream online https://lghtyr.video/16Bars-Rosendale 16 Bars is a feature-length music doc that offers a rare glimpse at the human stories — and songs — that are locked away in our nation’s jails and prisons. In a Virginia jail’s makeshift recording studio, […]

Other Music

$10 rental online streaming | 1h 23min | Documentary, Music
Link to film: https://othermusic.vhx.tv/checkout/rosendale-theatre-presents-other-music/purchase

Judy

7:15 pm | PG-13 | 1h 58min | Biography, Drama, History

Mama Africa

7:15 pm | 1h 30min | Documentary, Biography, Music

Rocketman

1:00 pm | $6 MATINEE | R | 2h 1min | Biography, Drama, Music

Amazing Grace

7:15 pm| Music/Concert | 2 hours | Presented by the Rosendale Theatre’s Music Fan Film Series

Imagine

7:15 pm | (1972) | Music genre/Documentary | 1h 23m

Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami

7:15 pm | Documentary, Music | 1h 56m

In honor of the passing of Aretha Franklin, Gospel singer Rene Bailey will perform Amazing Grace live, followed by a short Aretha Frankin music video before the screening of Grace Jones.

Beatles: Yellow Submarine

7:15 pm | (1968) | G | 1h 25min | Animation, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy
Additional screenings on Friday 7/20, 7:15 pm. Wednesday 7/25, $6 MATINEE, 1:00 pm

Our Latin Thing

7:15 pm | (1972) | 1h 42min | Documentary, Music | Q&A with director Leon Gast follows the screening

Mantra: Sounds into Silence

SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2:00 pm – 5:00 p.m.| Documentary | 1h 25m | Live kirtan with local musicians will follow the screening. Musicians will include Arundhati, Ned & Lynn, Sruti Ram, Avinash, and the Bhakti Belt Kirtan Community.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 7:15 p.m.| Documentary | 1h 25m | Live kirtan with local musicians will follow the screening. Musicians will include Lee Mirabai Harrington, Rob Norris, Renee Finkelstein (Radharani) and Eric Archer.

Presented by the Bhakti Belt Kirtan Community and Music Fan Film Series in collaboration with the Rondout Valley Holistic Health Community

Marley

7:15 pm | PG-13 | 2h 25m | (2012) | Documentary/Biography/Music

Soul Power

7:15 pm | PG-13 | 1h 32min | Documentary, Music | (2008) | Film Producer Leon Gast of Woodstock will Introduce Screening and Conduct Audience Q&A Afterwards

Danny Says

7:15 pm | 1h 44min | Documentary, Animation, Biography

Monterey Pop (1967)

2nd in a 3-week series of 50th Anniversary – 1967 Groovy Movie Flashbacks
7:15 pm | 1 hr 18 min | Documentary, History, Music | Sponsored by The Bakery in New Paltz and Lance’s Plumbing Service, Inc.

Chasing Trane: John Coltrane Feature Documentary

7:15 pm | 1 hr 39 min | Documentary, Biography, Music | Ulster County resident Rebecca Kalin, whose father painted hundreds of album covers for jazz labels, including Coltrane titles, will appear at the Tuesday screening to recall his artwork.

Gimme Danger

7:15 pm | R | 1 hr 48 min | Documentary, Music

Miles Ahead

7:15 pm | 1 hour, 40 minutes | R | Biography, Drama, Music

MILES AHEAD is not just about the music. It’s about what we all face at one time or another in our lives; questions about who we really are, what we have to say and how will we say it. How will we ultimately be defined and who gets to say so?

The Music of Strangers

7:15 | PG-13 | 1h 36min | Documentary, Music

Over the past 16 years, an extraordinary group of musicians has come together to celebrate the universal power of music. Named for the ancient trade route linking Asia, Africa and Europe, The Silk Road Ensemble, an international collective created by acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, exemplifies music’s ability to blur geographical boundaries, blend disparate cultures and inspire hope for both artists and audiences.

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, the latest film from the creators of the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom and the critically-hailed Best of Enemies, follows an ever-changing lineup of performers drawn from the ensemble’s more than 50 instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers as they gather in locations across the world, exploring the ways art can both preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution.
Blending performance footage, personal interviews and archival film, director Morgan Neville and producer Caitrin Rogers focus on the journeys of a small group of Silk Road Ensemble mainstays from across the globe to create an intensely personal chronicle of passion, talent and sacrifice. Through these moving individual stories, the filmmakers paint a vivid portrait of a bold musical experiment and a global search for the ties that bind.

LIVE! ON STAGE JONATHAN RICHMAN featuring TOMMY LARKINS on the drums!

Doors open @ 7:00 pm | $20

advance tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2596209

Jonathan Richman has been writing songs, making records and performing live for most of his life, winning fans and making friends around the world with his guileless honesty and playfully catchy compositions. He’s revered by countless fellow artists, and has built a remarkably loyal international audience through his tireless touring. His deceptively straightforward songs embody timeless qualities of humanity, optimism, emotional insight and a boundless sense of humor, untainted by cynicism or transient notions of hipness.

The records that Jonathan Richman has made over the past 30 years have long held a special place in the hearts of his fans. He began playing guitar at the age of 15, and in the early 1970s formed the Modern Lovers, whose raw, minimalist sound and emotionally forthright songs helped to lay the groundwork for punk rock. But by the time the group’s landmark debut album (including the much-covered “Road Runner,” a Top Five single in Europe) was released in 1976, Jonathan had already moved on to a quieter sound and a gentler lyrical focus. Since then, he’s continued to record and tour prolifically, first with a series of Modern Lovers lineups, later on his own, and eventually as a duo with drummer Tommy Larkins. Over the years, Jonathan’s music has absorbed a multitude of influences, from doo-wop to country to a variety of international styles, without sacrificing the artist’s effervescent personality.

The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years

7:15 pm | $10/$8 members | 2 hrs 9 min (99 min feature + 30 min The Beatles Live at Shea Stadium 1965)

Click Here for Advanced Ticket Sales: http://eightdaysaweek.bpt.me

Rosendale Theatre’s Music Fan Film Series is excited to bring you the world premiere of this highly anticipated Beatles documentary. We are making special plans to make the evening even more special: come dressed in Swinging London fashion, join in our Beatles medley sing-along, show off in our Beatles Trivia contest, add YOUR favorite Beatles song to our list!

The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years is based on the first part of The Beatles’ career (1962-1966) – the period in which they toured and captured the world’s acclaim. Ron Howard’s film will explore how John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr came together to become this extraordinary phenomenon, “The Beatles.” It will delve into their inner workings – how they made decisions, created their music and built their collective career together – all the while, highlighting The Beatles’ extraordinary and unique musical gifts and their remarkable, complementary personalities. The film will focus on the time period from the early Beatles’ journey in the days of The Cavern Club in Liverpool to their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966.

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words

7:15 pm | R | 1 hr 33 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
On Tuesday night, the Zappa film will be introduced by none other than Paul Green, visionary founder of the Paul Green Rock Academy–the performance based, interactive music school in Woodstock–and huge Zappa fan. http://www.rockacademy.com/index.html

In the 20th Century, Frank Zappa made his mark as a musician unlike any other in America. With a wild eccentric iconoclastic attitude guiding his distinctive music, which it was itself guided by a firm intellectual integrity, Zappa made himself an unforgettable force in popular music. This film covers his life and work through various archival footage through the decades. Whether it was his taboo challenging early creations, his outspoken efforts against the political forces determined to censor him or his constant quest for new artistic challenges, Zappa made a mark no one could ignore.

Sidemen: Long Road to Glory

7:15 pm | 1 hr 17 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Q&A after the film on Tuesday, Aug 2 with Hubert Sumlin’s manager, Toni Ann Mamary.

Co-Presented by The Woodstock Film Festival, Save the date: The 17th annual Woodstock Film Festival Oct 13 – 16.

Sidemen: Long Road To Glory is an intimate look at the incredible lives and legacies of piano player Pinetop Perkins, drummer Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith and guitarist Hubert Sumlin, all Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf sidemen. The film captures some of the last interviews and their final live performances together, before their deaths in 2011. The historic live shows are accompanied by performances and personal insights from many of the blues and rock stars these legendary sidemen inspired including; Bonnie Raitt, Gregg Allman, Derek Trucks, Shemekia Copeland, Robby Krieger, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Perry, Joe Bonamassa and Johnny Winter. Directed by Scott D. Rosenbaum.

Queen: A Night in Bohemia & Heavy Metal Parking Lot

7:15 pm, $10/$8 members
Queen: A Night in Bohemia, 1 hr 30 min | Music
Heavy Metal Parking Lot, 17 min | Documentary, Short, Music

Queen: A Night in Bohemia is the newly restored and re-mastered concert, filmed live on Christmas Eve 1975 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Heavy Metal Parking Lot documents heavy metal music fans tailgating in the parking lot outside the Capital Centre (which was demolished in December 2002) in Landover, Maryland before a Judas Priest concert.

Sing Street

1:00 PM | $5 matinee | 1 hour, 46 minutes | PG-13 | Drama, Music

From director John Carney (ONCE, BEGIN AGAIN), SING STREET takes us back to 1980s Dublin seen through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy named Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) who is looking for a break from a home strained by his parents’ relationship and money troubles, while trying to adjust to his new inner-city public school where the kids are rough and the teachers are rougher. He finds a glimmer of hope in the mysterious, über-cool and beautiful Raphina (Lucy Boynton), and with the aim of winning her heart he invites her to star in his band’s music videos. There’s only one problem: he’s not part of a band…yet. She agrees, and now Conor must deliver what he’s promised – calling himself “Cosmo” and immersing himself in the vibrant rock music trends of the decade, he forms a band with a few lads, and the group pours their heart into writing lyrics and shooting videos. Inspired by writer/director John Carney’s life and love for music, SING STREET shows us a world where music has the power to take us away from the urmoil of everyday life and transform us into something greater.

Purple Rain (1984) – A Tribute to Prince

Saturday, May 7 | 9:30 pm | $7/$5 members | R | 1 hr 51 min | Drama, Music, Musical

The Rosendale Theatre will host a special screening as a tribute to Prince. Audience members are encouraged to dress to impress and to sing along to the numerous hits featured in the 1984 rock film, Purple Rain. The box office will open at 8:00 pm on the day of the show and the house will open at 9:00.

So many of us are heartbroken that we lost Prince so suddenly and so before his time. He was a musical genius and cultural icon and his songs were the soundtrack for many of us at pivotal times in our lives. The Rosendale Theatre is proud to offer an opportunity for the community to come together to sing, cry and celebrate this amazing artist.

After the screening the Bywater Bistro will be hosting a Prince inspired dance party.

PURPLE RAIN (1984) A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance and his own dissatisfied band as his star begins to rise. Director: Albert Magnoli Stars: Prince, Apollonia Kotero, Morris Day

Mavis!

7:15 pm | 1 hr 20 min | $7/$5 members

Mavis! is the first feature documentary on gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, The Staple Singers. From the freedom songs of the ’60s and hits like I’ll Take You There in the ’70s, to funked-up collaborations with Prince and her recent albums with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Mavis has stayed true to her roots, kept her family close, and inspired millions along the way.

Featuring powerful live performances, rare archival footage, and conversations with friends and contemporaries including Bob Dylan, Prince, Bonnie Raitt, Levon Helm, Jeff Tweedy, Chuck D, and more, MAVIS! reveals the struggles, successes, and intimate stories of her journey. At 75, she’s making the most vital music of her career, winning Grammy awards, and reaching a new generation of fans. Her message of love and equality is needed now more than ever.

FEATURING
The Staple Singers, Jeff Tweedy, Chuck D, Julian Bond, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, Marty Stuart, Al Bell, Prince, Steve Cropper, Sharon Jones

Ornette: Made in America

7:15 | 1 hour, 15 minutes | Documentary, Music | (1985)
Tuesday March 8: live skype with Denardo Coleman
Wednesday March 9: we would like to wish Ornette a Happy Birthday (March 9, 1930 – June 11, 2015)

Ornette: Made In America captures Ornette’s evolution over three decades. Returning home to Fort Worth, Texas in 1983 as a famed performer and composer, documentary footage, dramatic scenes, and some of the first music video-style segments ever made, chronicle his boyhood in segregated Texas and his subsequent emergence as an American cultural pioneer and world-class icon. Among those who contribute to the film include William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Buckminster Fuller, Don Cherry, Yoko Ono, Charlie Haden, Robert Palmer, Jayne Cortez and John Rockwell.

The innovative techniques that director Shirley Clarke and producer Kathelin Hoffman employed in this film very closely parallel the music of the man who is its subject. Clarke defied traditional documentary formats to reveal Ornette’s extraordinary vision through her equally extraordinary filmmaking artistry.

Critically acclaimed when it released in 1985, the film is even more significant today, as Coleman’s influence has increased, while Clarke and Hoffman’s interpretation of his life and times remain as fresh and exciting as ever.

The film focuses on the struggles and triumphs of Ornette Coleman’s life as well as on the inspired intelligence that spawned his creativity and ensured his success. Clarke’s footage includes Ornette in conversation with family and friends; excerpts of interviews, riffs and travels, along with footage of his performances—in his hometown of Fort Worth, TX, in New York, in Morocco and beyond—presents the most comprehensive record of his career available.

The Amazing Nina Simone

7:15 pm | 1 hr 50 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Skype Q&A with the Writer, Producer and Director Jeff L. Lieberman Wednesday, 2/17 after the film

Much beloved and often misunderstood, the story of Americaʼs most overlooked musical genius is finally brought to light in “The Amazing Nina Simone.” Director Jeff L. Lieberman (”Re-Emerging: The Jews of Nigeria”) brings audiences on Nina’s journey from the segregated South, through the worlds of classical music, jazz joints & international concert halls. Navigating through the twists & turns of the 1960’s fight for racial equality, the film delves deep into Nina’s artistry and intentions, answering long-held questions behind Ninaʼs most beloved songs, bold style, controversial statements, and the reason she left America.

JANIS: Little Girl Blue

7:15 pm | 1 hr 43 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
TUESDAY NIGHT: Skype Q&A with Big Brother bassist Peter Albin

Rosendale Theatre is excited to host Peter Albin, the bass player for Big Brother and the Holding Company, via Skype from San Francisco for an audience Q&A. Albin is interviewed in the film, and told Rosendale Theatre, “The film includes footage I had never seen before, and a semi-acoustic version of “Me and Bobby McGee” that I’d never heard before. It is accurate and sensitive and I was very moved by it, unlike other films about Janis.”

JANIS: Little Girl Blue was written and directed by Amy Berg, Academy Award nominee for “Deliver Us From Evil.” It is narrated by singer-songwriter Cat Power.

“This is a meticulously researched film that makes good use of its incredible access. There’s enough to keep more casual fans interested, and devotees of the singer will be blown away — excited to find new angles and stories they didn’t know before.” Peter Hartlaub (San Francisco Chronicle)

Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got. Being an intellectual creates a lot of questions and no answers. I’m one of those regular weird people.

On stage I make love to twenty five thousand people; and then I go home alone.
If I hold back, I’m no good. I’m no good. I’d rather be good sometimes, than holding back all the time. ~ Janis Joplin

See this film on a big screen with big sound, surrounded by people who care about music just as much as you do.

Heart of a Dog

7:30 pm | 1 hour, 15 minutes | NR | Documentary

Lolabelle was Laurie Anderson’s beloved rat terrier. “Hello, little bonehead. I’ll love you forever,” is how she greets the puppy in the movie’s hilarious first scene in which she gives birth to her dog. Dreams, memories, and stories of childhood trauma and loss form a kind of emotional wallpaper against which Anderson foregrounds her story. The musician/composer/poet/philosopher creates a humorous, deeply moving meditation on the relationship of woman and dog, and in the process comments with wit and prescience on the changes in post-9/11 America. Rat terriers are bred to protect borders, but Lolabelle not only engages in the kind of surveillance the filmmaker notes proliferating everywhere, but also plays experimental piano and paints. “Every love story is a ghost story,” Anderson quotes David Foster Wallace, as she illuminates the Buddhist concept of the afterlife (the bardo). HEART OF A DOG employs an original, hypnotic visual language that embraces animation, home movies, and loop-like images, complemented by Anderson’s signature music. The artist dedicates her work “to the magnificent spirit of my husband Lou Reed (1942 – 2013).”

Paradise is There

9:30 pm | $7/$5 members

Paradise is There revisits Merchant’s multi-platinum solo debut, Tigerlily, originally released in 1995. The new release is accompanied by a memoir-style documentary film containing live performances, archival footage, and interviews with musicians, friends and fans about the influence the songs of Tigerlily have had over the past 20 years. The film encapsulates Merchant’s entire musical life, and dives deep, song by song, into Tigerlily through the impassioned words of fans, fellow musicians, and Merchant herself. The film is as much an exploration of Merchant’s music as it is the power of music itself to affect us in profound, lasting, and uplifting ways.

Amy

7:30pm | 2 hours, 8 minutes | R | Documentary, Biography, Music

Despite just two albums to her name Amy Winehouse is one of the biggest music icons in British history. With a voice oft described as a combination of Billy Holiday, Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan, Amy Winehouse was a pop star with soul; a once in two generational musical talent whose appeal crossed cultural and demographic boundaries. But while her music made her a star, her chaotic personal life stole headlines.

Lambert & Stamp

7:30 pm | R | 1 hr 57 min | Documentary, Biography, History

Aspiring filmmakers Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert set out to search for a subject for their underground movie, leading them to discover, mentor, and manage the iconic band known as The Who and create rock ‘n’ roll history.

Love & Mercy

7:30 pm | PG-13 | 2 hrs 1 min | Biography, Drama, Music
[Saturday, August 1 – DOUBLE FEATURE $12: Love & Mercy 7:30 + Lambert & Stamp 9:30]

LOVE & MERCY presents an unconventional portrait of Brian Wilson, the mercurial singer, songwriter and leader of The Beach Boys. Set against the era defining catalog of Wilson’s music, the film intimately examines the personal voyage and ultimate salvation of the icon whose success came at extraordinary personal cost.

The Last Waltz: Rosendale Theatre’s July 4th Music Invasion Weekend

4:00 pm | 1 hour, 57 minutes | PG | Documentary, Music

Martin Scorsese’s documentary of the 1976 final performance of the legendary Sixties rock group The Band is at once a show featuring some of the greatest rock performers of their generation and a bittersweet look back at an era that was just beginning to fade. As Scorsese guides the group through interview segments discussing their 15 years together, these relatively young men sound like battle-weary survivors. But The Band were in splendid form for this show, and their multiple guest stars pulled out all the stops, especially Muddy Waters, whose “Mannish Boy” is so powerful it nearly burns a hole in the screen; Van Morrison, with a rousing performance of “Caravan;” and Bob Dylan, whose “Baby Let Me Follow You Down” displays the brilliant cockiness of his barnstorming days with this band. The all-star camera crew and superb stereo sound mix create what is considered to be of the best-looking and sounding rock films ever (as the opening credit says, play this movie loud!), and two studio-shot sequences with Emmylou Harris and The Staple Singers stand on their own.

Stop Making Sense: Rosendale Theatre’s July 4th Music Invasion Weekend

7:15 pm | 1 hour, 28 minutes | NR | Documentary, Music

BEFORE THE FILM: 7:00 pm Music Trivia Final Smackdown with the winners of Rounds #1 & #2 at the Rosendale Theatre before the film.

Stop Making Sense was the first feature-length documentary effort of filmmaker Jonathan Demme. The director’s subject is The Talking Heads, a new-wave/pop-rock group comprised of David Byrne, Chris Franz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison. The film was made during a three-day concert gig at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. What emerges on screen says as much about director Demme’s taste and sensitivity as it does about the group and its visionary leader Byrne. Though some of the material in Stop Making Sense overlaps with the Talking Heads’ earlier concert film The Name of This Band is Talking Heads, one never gets the feeling of by-the-numbers repetition; the group’s energy is such that it virtually explodes from the screen.

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me: Rosendale Theatre’s July 4th Music Invasion Weekend

7:15 | 1 hour, 53 minutes | PG-13 | Documentary

BEFORE THE FILM: 5:00 pm Pre-show cocktails and Round #2 of our Music Trivia fun night at The Rosendale Cafe. Holly George-Warren will sign copies of her Alex Chilton bio, A Man Called Destruction.

Q&A follows the film with director Drew DeNicola and Alex Chilton biographer Holly George-Warren

A feature-length documentary film about the dismal commercial failure, subsequent massive critical acclaim, and enduring legacy of pop music’s greatest cult phenomenon, Big Star.

July 4th Music Invasion Weekend

Friday, July 4 – Monday, July 7
$7/$5 members or a festival pass for $24 at http://musicinvasion.brownpapertickets.com
Weekend schedule:
Friday, July 4
6:00 pm Opening of “50 Years of Classic LP Covers” in the theater lobby
7:15 pm A Hard Day’s Night
Okay, go to the Bloody Fireworks! But then come back to Main Street for….
Round #1 of our Music Trivia fun night at The 1850 House after the film.

Saturday, July 5
5:00 pm Pre-show cocktails and Round #2 of our Music Trivia fun night at The Rosendale Cafe. Holly George-Warren will sign copies of her Alex Chilton bio, A Man Called Destruction.
7:15 pm Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me
10:00 pm A Hard Day’s Night

Sunday, July 6
4:00 pm The Last Waltz
7:00 pm Music Trivia Final Smackdown with the winners of Rounds #1 & #2 at the Rosendale Theatre before the film
7:15 pm Stop Making Sense

Monday, July 7
7:15 pm A Hard Day’s Night

CALLING ALL RECORD COLLECTORS! Rosendale Theatre’s July 4th Music Invasion Weekend

Rosendale Theatre wants to know what classic LPs you’ve got in your closet.

The theatre is mounting an exhibition of 50 Years of Classic LP Covers in its lobby to coincide with the “Music Invasion Film Festival” over the weekend of July 4th.

The curators are seeking the widest selection from Hudson Valley music fans in all categories: pop, jazz, blues, R & B, folk, rock n roll, rock, classical, novelty. The possibilities are endless—and very, very cool.

The total number of LP covers in the exhibition—using just about every square inch of the lobby walls–will be approximately 80.

The Theatre will take the greatest care with your LP cover (you will keep the vinyl record). All covers will be professionally hung similar to a photography exhibit, without any alteration to the item.

To submit your LP for consideration, please email the artist name and album title to musicinvasionrtc@gmail.com by JUNE 15!

A Hard Day’s Night: Rosendale Theatre’s July 4th Music Invasion Weekend

7:15 pm | 1 hour, 27 minutes | NR | Comedy, Drama

BEFORE AND AFTER THE FILM:
6:00 pm Opening of “50 Years of Classic LP Covers” in the theater lobby
After the Film: Round #1 of our Music Trivia fun night at The 1850 House

During the first worldwide flush of Beatlemania in 1964, United Artists wanted to ship out a movie with The Beatles before their vogue was over. Working within a tight $500,000 budget, director Richard Lester turned out A Hard Day’s Night in a fast 6 1/2 weeks; the picture was in the theatres three months after shooting commenced. Using a variety of techniques cribbed from Hollywood slapstick comedies, the French “new wave” movement, and his own experiences as a TV-commercial director, Lester, with screenwriter Alun Owen, fashioned an exhilarating study of a “typical” 36 hours in the lives of the Fab Four. Onto a plot about getting to the Big Show on time are hung a series of instant-reaction gags, character vignettes, and musical setpieces. Much of the humor arises from Paul McCartney’s efforts to keep his grandfather (Wilfred Brambell), a “clean old man,” from getting into mischief. Also good for several laughs is the hookey-playing Ringo Starr, whose mistimed declaration of independence lands him in jail. We are also treated to a war of nerves between the unflappable John Lennon and an uptight TV director (Victor Spinelli), who worries that, should the Beatles not show up at broadcast time, he’ll be demoted to “News In Welsh.” George Harrison stars in a sequence in which he is mistaken for an auditionee by the producer (Kenneth Haigh) of a superficially trendy, teen-oriented TV weekly. Then there’s Norman Rossington and John Junkin as The Beatles’ managers, who carry on a battle royale simply because one man is taller than the other. The supporting cast includes comedienne Anna Quayle, cartoonist Bob Godfrey, TV host Robin Ray, dancer Lionel Blair, Harrison’s future wife Patti Boyd, and director Lester himself. The songs include “I Should Have Known Better,” “And I Love Her,” “Tell Me Why,” “If I Fell,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and the title song.