“A Hard Day’s Night” Celebrates 50th Anniversary in Theaters and New Release

You just have to smile when you watch this:

It’s for the restored version of A Hard Day’s Night that’s hitting U.S. theaters on 4th of July weekend, in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary.

But you can see the print, and a whole bunch more in the Criterion Collection’s beautifully restored edition of the film that helped define The Beatles’ image, including cementing the image of Paul McCartney shaking his mop top while playing his Hofner Bass.

The Criterion Collection not only includes the 4K digital restoration, but also two audio options — a monaural one and a 5.1 surround soundtrack made by Apple Records. There’s also audio commentary and several documentaries — one features interviews with The Beatles in 1964 and behind-the-scenes footage, another is from 1994 and documents the making of the movie, and yet one more from 2002 that includes director Richard Lester, music producer George Martin and the film’s writer and cinematographer.

But it doesn’t end there. The package features The Running Jumping and Standing Still Film, starring Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan of The Goon Show (a Beatles’ favorite.) And there’s an interview with top Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, along with a booklet about the film.

If you’re a fan of The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, or both, this package isn’t to be missed, even if you do go see the film in theaters. It is out now on DVD, Blu-ray and digital format.