Friday, July 4 – Monday, July 7
$7/$5 members or a festival pass for $24
At 9:30 on the morning of July 4th, the Rosendale Theatre will hold its third annual reading of the Declaration of Independence …immediately followed by the announcement of the British Invasion.  We mean, of course, The Beatles! – and the music revolution they started.

July 4th is also the 50th anniversary of the release of A Hard Day’s Night, the revolutionary black & white film about “a typical day in the life of The Beatles.”  Rosendale Theatre is proud to be among theatres nationwide participating in this landmark release of a new restoration of the film.
The distributor states:  “The final master was approved by director Richard Lester, and will be presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio.  A new sound mix was completed by Giles Martin (George Martin’s son) at Apple Studios, giving an extra depth and clarity to the songs that is simply stunning.”
A Hard Day’s Night will anchor a weekend of extraordinary music films at Rosendale Theatre. Saturday night at 7:15, Rosendale will feature Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me. This 2012 documentary tells the wrenching story of the Memphis band that practically invented power pop in the 70s.  Fronted by Alex Chilton (who sang “The Letter” with the Box Tops when he was only 16), Big Star has been called “the best band that never made it.”  The film “puts us inside the music, and the head space, of a great, lost band.” (Nicolas Rapold, The New York Times).
Drew DeNicola

There’s more:  Introducing the film and following with Q&A will be the film’s director Drew DeNicola, and the author of the just-published biography of Alex Chilton, Phoenicia’s Holly George-Warren.  Ms George-Warren will also be signing her book: A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton (Viking, 2014).

Holly George-Warren
And you know they’ll both be staying for the 2nd screening of A Hard Day’s Night at 10PM.
The “Music Invasion” continues on Sunday with The Last Waltz at 4PM.  This classic film of The Band’s last concert was the top vote-getter in the “Favorite Music Film” survey sent by Rosendale Theatre to all of its volunteers.  The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, features performances by the top names in music at that time, including Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris and Eric Clapton.
The Festival closer is Stop Making Sense, the landmark concert film with Talking Heads, filmed in 1984 by Jonathan Demme.  2014 marks the film’s 30th anniversary, and it too has been remastered for this national re-release.
But the weekend is not only great music films.
There will be a curated exhibition in the Theatre lobby of “50 Years of Classic LP Covers.”  The album covers will be on loan from local collectors and music fans.

There will also be a Music Trivia Contest, for all those who know the original title of “Yesterday.”  Round #1 will take place Friday after A Hard Day’s Night, Round #2 on Saturday before Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me.  The Music Trivia Smackdown Finale will take place Sunday at 7pm, just before Stop Making Sense. Prizes will be awarded to the winners.