The 1964 movie Tom Hanks would choose over reality: “The most joyful movie I’ve ever seen”
Becoming a global superstar takes a certain amount of mettle.
No matter how winning the smile or how seemingly shy they may be, every artist who has been blessed with an established career in Hollywood has a whole heap of grit and determination. Of course, if you can do all that and still be considered a sweetheart of public opinion, then you’re on to a winner. There’s a certain degree of charm that radiates from Tom Hanks in every one of his performances, and it’s a large reason why he is so beloved.
Although Hanks has occasionally played villains or less-than-likeable characters, his lasting appeal comes from how relatable and grounded he feels on screen. That quality has helped make him one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, even decades into his career. Yet despite creating so many memorable worlds through his work, there is still one project he wishes he could have been part of.
Throughout his work with giants like Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, though, Hanks has delivered a clinic in escapism on film. Whether working behind the vocal booth as Woody in Toy Story or the lovable Forrest Gump looking to tell the audience his life story, Hanks tends to make people forget about their lives for a few hours whenever he’s on-screen and live in a space where they feel comfortable.
Long before Hanks was working magic on screen, The Beatles were doing the same thing with music. In the wake of the assassination of John F Kennedy in 1963, many Americans saw the Fab Four’s appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show as a turning point for the country. Although President Kennedy wasn’t around anymore, the lovable mop-tops singing innocent love songs became vicarious friends of people through their television sets.
Since The Beatles had idolised Elvis Presley from an early age, it was only natural for them to make their foray into movies. Working with Richard Lester, A Hard Day’s Night was the group’s first feature film, featuring the genesis of what would become music videos decades later with the rise of MTV.
Part of the film’s enduring appeal is that it barely feels scripted. Lester captured The Beatles at a moment when their personalities were every bit as compelling as their songs, and the result was something that felt refreshingly modern. Even now, British comedy owes a small debt to its quick-fire humour, which helped separate it from the more polished musical films that had dominated the previous decade.
Although Hanks had studied the different methods of acting before, he still thinks that A Hard Day’s Night has an energy unlike anything else, saying: “If I could live inside the world of any film, it is A Hard Day’s Night by the Beatles. It was the friendship that was exemplified by these four guys who just seemed to be having the greatest time of their lives doing what they naturally love to do”.
“It remains the most joyful movie I’ve ever seen”.
Tom Hanks
It’s not difficult to see why the film would resonate with Hanks. Much of his best work is built around an uncomplicated belief in decency and human connection. A Hard Day’s Night operates in much the same way. Beneath the chaos of Beatlemania, it’s ultimately a story about friendship, shared purpose and the simple pleasure of doing something you love alongside people you trust.
The Beatles are one of the most beloved bands of all time. Across a comparatively short span of time, the quartet would dominate the charts, push forward creativity and become perhaps the most influential individuals in pop music history. But it is their movies that seem to have had a lasting impact on Hanks.
Looking back at the footage, it’s easy to see where Hanks is coming from. Before the heaviness of Beatlemania had begun to creep in, seeing the chemistry between John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr was infectious from the moment they came onscreen. Written to accentuate the members’ personalities, every Beatle feels like an enhanced version of themselves, playing around like schoolchildren throughout the sequence of ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’.
Then again, it didn’t take long for the weariness of their lives to start creeping in. Realising that the massive adulation from fans wouldn’t stop, the band would only make one more feature film with Help! before deciding to leave the road for good after releasing the album Revolver.
While the band may not have been going from one city to another, they lived to bring their audience joy in the studio, crafting incredible music in the back half of their career on albums like Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road. The days of running around in a field may have been a thing of the past, but the impact of that first film is still bringing joy to millions of fans across the world.
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