In 1963, "Beatlemania" was sweeping the world. The Beatles (see entry under 1960s—Music in volume 4), a Liverpool, England, rock-pop group whose members were John Lennon (1940–1980), Paul McCartney (1942–), George Harrison (1943–2001), and Ringo Starr (1940–), were capturing the souls and hearts of young people worldwide. A Hard Day's Night (1964) is a comic film depicting a representative day in the lives of the early Beatles.

Unlike dozens of other films built around popular rock performers, A Hard Day's Night was a highly entertaining musical comedy that deftly used the personalities of each Beatle while incorporating dazzling, free-flowing visuals. Director Richard Lester (1932–) employed fast-motion and slow-motion and other cinematic trickery to keep the film moving and to present the "Fab Four" as likable, loony, and "hip."

Before breaking up in 1970, the Beatles collaborated on several other films: Help! (1965), a follow-up to A Hard...