"A Hard Day's Night" follows The Beatles over two "typical" days in their life as the boys struggle to keep themselves and Sir Paul McCartney's mischievous grandfather in check while preparing for a live TV performance. (Gary Reber)
Special features include a 92-page color booklet.
The 1.75:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD Dolby Vision/HDR10 picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, was photographed on film in black and white in its restored 1.75:1 aspect ratio using an Arriflex 35 IIB camera and sourced from a new 4K master Digital Intermediate restoration. The film had previously been restored in 4K and released on Blu-ray in 2014. This is the new 4K restoration in its native resolution. Film grain is virtually unnoticeable. The black-and-white gray scale is excellent throughout. Contrast in terms of black levels and shadow delineation also is excellent. Clarity, depth, and sharpness are superb as well. Resolutions excellent throughout. Beatle fans will love this new release, which represents the best the film has ever appeared. (Gary Reber)
There are three standard audio tracks on this release: English LPCM 2.0 (Mono), English LPCM 2.0 (Stereo), and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack really opens up the soundfield, particularly when The Beatles perform their music. However, overall the soundtrack is on the bright side with crisp dialogue. The music sequences are studio quality
with superb sound quality and balance. Bass response is
natural sounding. Vocals are excellent Guitars are articulate throughout. The shenanigans are full of atmospherics that nicely define the settings such as in a car, in a train, in a room and on a set, The music is the real treat as the recordings are excellent and enhanced with enveloping surrounds. (Gary Reber)