The Beatles Story Museum at Liverpool’s Royal Albert Dock has announced a new special exhibition to celebrate the 60th anniversary of A Hard Day’s Night.
Four Liverpool Beatles attractions are joining forces to mark this special occasion. The milestone event will feature a charity screening of the movie in partnership with Cavern City Tours (owners of The Cavern Club), Hard Days Night Hotel, and Strawberry Field.
A Hard Day’s Night, released in 1964, showcases The Beatles’ hectic lifestyle amidst the rise of Beatlemania, all set to a soundtrack of their legendary songs. The album, released in the UK on 10 July 1964, was the first Beatles album to feature entirely original material. The Northern premiere of the movie took place at Liverpool’s Odeon Cinema, just four days after its first premiere in London. 60 years years on, The Beatles Story Museum will unveil their new special exhibition, 60 Years of A Hard Day’s Night to press and VIPs on 10 July 2024. The exhibition will open to the public from 11 July 2024.
With the generous support of collectors Bruce and Martha Karsh, the exhibit is inspired by Mark Lewisohn’s book, The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night: A Private Archive, which is based on the couple’s extensive collection. Visitors to the exhibition can expect an immersive experience with recreations of key scenes from the movie, including the platform at Marylebone Station. They will have the chance to see original memorabilia from 1964, such as a rare copy of the A Hard Day’s Night album signed by all four Beatles, original movie posters, lobby cards, and cinema tickets.
In collaboration with tailor Gordon Millings, The Beatles Story has recreated the silver-grey suits worn by the Fab Four in the movie’s final scenes, using the original patterns from 1964. These suits were originally part of a collection of around 30 outfits designed by Gordon and his father, Dougie Millings, who was known as ‘the Beatles’ tailor’.
On working with The Beatles Story, Gordon Millings said, “Reviving the silver-grey suits from A Hard Day’s Night has allowed me to honour my father’s legacy and the lasting influence of The Beatles. By using my father’s original patterns and fabric from the same Savile Row supplier, as well as the original techniques used by my father and I in 1964, we’ve recreated the suits with great attention to detail. This collection of suits is a bridge between past and present, and I cannot wait for fans to see them.”
Mary Chadwick, General Manager of The Beatles Story added, “Sixty years on, A Hard Day’s Night still captures that special Beatles magic and the wild excitement of the Beatlemania era. We’re really excited to unveil this special exhibition, where fans can relive the film’s essence and see original memorabilia and meticulously recreated costumes first-hand. It’s a privilege to support the Strawberry Field charity through our one-night-only charity screening at The Odeon Cinema, and we hope this event will make a real difference.”
Major Kathy Versfeld, Mission Director at Strawberry Field said, “For Strawberry Field to be chosen as the charity for the special anniversary screening of A Hard Day’s Night is an honour. We are very grateful for this support which will help fund the incredible work that we do through our Steps at Strawberry Field programmes to support young people with learning difficulties and barriers to employment into paid work, and will help us continue to provide a place of sanctuary for visitors to Strawberry Field.”
The new exhibition is included in the price of a standard Beatles Story ticket, which can be purchased online. For £20, attendees can join the one-night-only charity screening of A Hard Day’s Night at Odeon, Liverpool One on 10 July 2024, with refreshments included. All proceeds will benefit Strawberry Field.
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