"A Hard Days Night" DVD - really bad 5.1!

And as Carly Simon once sang:

Nobody does it better!

 

"The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1" vs. the AHDN DVD: Martin Lewis comments

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(12/22/04) A reader queried Martin Lewis' position on the Capitol albums given his production of the AHDN DVD. Contractual obligations as producer have prevented Martin from commenting publicly on the AHDN DVD audio issue since its September 2002 release. However he feels that the reader raised an excellent point that warrants a reply. So he has put together a detailed response. These are his first public comments in two and a half years about the DVD. And he has given them exclusively to Abbeyrd's Beatles Page. You'll find his commentary on this page:

The audio issues of AHDN DVD and The Capitol "Botch Set"

by Martin Lewis
As producer and also the marketing strategist of the DVD Edition of "A Hard Day's Night" - I am alas constrained by contractual obligations from publicly discussing precise details of the incredibly frustrating technical limitations placed upon me and my crew on the audio aspects of the DVD. Certainly at present. However let me carefully state the following -- and let astute readers deduce what they may.


1) The technical crew responsible for the 1982/3 US theatrical reissue of AHDN by Universal thought that they would enhance the film by including stereo versions of the music (shades of the same hubris that Capitol deployed in 1964!) Not only did they alter the soundtrack -- they compounded this crime by subsequently destroying the original mono master audio track of the film. After all (they must have reasoned) - they had "improved" the film's audio by giving us stereo music - so why keep the boring old mono tracks. This virtually criminal action has robbed us of part of Beatles heritage.

2) The film of "A Hard Day's Night" has never been owned by the Beatles or Apple. In 1979, ownership of the film passed from United Artists to its original producer Walter Shenson. He was a wonderful man and I was proud to be one of his friends. Beatles fans owe him a lot.
3) When the film was being prepared for DVD release the original intention was to include multiple soundtracks - including the best salvaged version of the original 1964 mono soundtrack. (Which is actually the ONLY version that truly reflects director Richard Lester's artistic choice.) Commercial pressures from some people (descendants of the Dave Dexter school of "we know better than George Martin") wanted to include a 5.1 version. A choice that actually makes no sense when you think about it carefully. The film's original audio intentionally reflects the quasi-documentary feel of the film. And that is totally undercut when the film's audio suddenly goes from neo-realistic dialogue into wide-screen spectacular music - and then back again. But (just like Capitol in 1964) there's always some smart-alec who thinks he knows better than the original creators.

4) As the DVD production moved forward -- it became apparent that 'certain parties' were deeply unhappy about the idea of more than one soundtrack being deployed on the DVD. Even though this was a very common feature on DVDs. These parties felt that the presence of more than one soundtrack would constitute 'interference' with the original music - and that therefore only one soundtrack could be permitted on the DVD.


5) A huge battle ensued over which soundtrack should be the sole one featured. Some argued that the original intention of the director should be honored. If only one soundtrack could be included -- then it should be the director's original mono soundtrack. Others argued that it was vital to have the words "5.1" on the packaging to appeal to owners of surround-sound systems -- and argued for a 5.1 version. Still others wanted to play it safe legally by using a soundtrack that had been recently released in the public marketplace - and had not resulted in any legal complaints from "interested parties."

6) The final decision was made by lawyers! (Always the people most concerned about artistic integrity!) And the decision was to use the audio that had been prepared in 1997 for the limited 2000 theatrical reissue. That audio version was created specifically to work in present-day surround-sound movie theaters -- not in a home environment. And it certainly did NOT reflect the intentions of Richard Lester in ANY environment. The reason that lawyers chose that version was because it was felt that "interested parties" could not make a legal claim in 2002 against an audio version that they had NOT made a claim about in 2000. A piss-poor reason to make a decision you might say... (I'm not allowed to say anything.)

7) That's as much as I can say now. You may deduce what you will from this. However disappointed I may have been -- in real life one has to play with the cards one is dealt. There are enough villains to go round. The cretins who destroyed the film's mono masters in 1982/3. Those who thought that they knew better than Richard Lester and George Martin. Those who thought that putting the words "NEW - IMPROVED!" on an already perfect product was a smart thing to do. And those who refuse to allow any cooperation or even dialogue of any kind when they do not have control or ownership of something. Even when it is against their own interests.

Who was hurt? We the fans. And the Beatles' own heritage. And the work of Richard Lester and George Martin.

8) I still maintain that overall the DVD Edition is an excellent product. The restored picture is immaculate. The audio -- while frustrating to purists such as me - is still of reasonably good quality. The majority of fans were content with it. And if you know how to work your audio system -- it sounds best in mono as chosen by the director. I am very proud of the bonus disc with its many hours of extras. Thirty interviews with cast, crew and friends - including many interviewed about the film for the first time ever. And a slew of other features.

9) Is there a moral to this story? You bet. I've been in the entertainment industry since the fabulous Derek Taylor made me one of his proteges 34 years ago. I've been a film producer and a marketing strategist. And I've seen and heard many varieties of stupidity from those who second-guess the true artists. Ultimately life is full of compromises and you have to make the best of any situation. But the DVD of AHDN was definitely handicapped by the actions of several parties. And that will have long-term ramifications for the Beatles.

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Original mono master audio track of the film destroyed? Anyone else hear anything about this?

 

Wow! What a frustrating experience...........

 

Hadn't heard about the destruction of the mono film track, but at this late date, who can be surprised if it's true? Sad, ridiculous and, yes, frustrating as hell. The world is not only full of compromises, but endless examples of galloping stupidity....

 

Steve,
I can fully appreciate there are lots of things that shouldn't be discussed.

Are there some guidelines on what's not ok...or will a helping hand be provided at the time a subject goes "out of bounds"?

Common sense, of course, applies, but in some cases it isn't quite so obvious.

 

I take back any bad comments I may have made about Martin with regard to this DVD.

 

That's Ok, I can use an evening off every now and again....

 

after all, your bad to da bone.

 

I wonder if this print has the original soundtrack?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=63821&item=6352728562&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

I sent the seller an email about the vintage of this print.

 

Are we sure about this? I just got a copy and put the audio in Peak to check it. Seems like a pretty good mono mix to me!