A Hard Day's Night (1964)

After cementing their status as musical icons with their February 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles began production on their feature film debut shortly thereafter, A Hard Day's Night (1964). Rather than simply embracing the concert film formula that was all the rage back then, this film set out to capture what it was like to be in The Beatles' orbit at the height of their fame. Yes, there are plenty of musical numbers and concert performances, but the film is at least slightly more interested in capturing the phenomenon of the band as much their music. Director Richard Lester put together a one of a kind film experience wherein John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr appear as loosely fictionalized versions of themselves, first seen outrunning hordes of screaming fan girls across London. The Fab Four soon find themselves on a train where they're united with Paul's mischievous grandfather (Wilfrid Brambell), who becomes something of a plot device as various members of the band become saddled with watching after him as they make their way through the film. Along the way, we're treated to musical performances of some of the band's most beloved songs from the title tune to "If I Fell," "All My Loving," "Can't Buy Me Love," "I Should've Known Better," and over a dozen more. Since this was a family friendly endeavor, there's no nudity to speak of, though Margaret Nolan does give us some great cleavage when she appears as Paul's grandfather's female companion in a casino! That'll give you A Hard Day's Night... emphasis on the Hard!