I Wanna Hold Your Hand [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Robert Zemeckis, Richard Marquand Robert Zemeckis

Overview

The time is 1964, and the Beatles, already a hugely popular group, are about to go on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, an appearance that launched them into a worldwide phenomenon. Already, girls are fainting during their concerts from sheer excitement at being in the same theater with them. Pam Mitchell (Nancy Allen) is happy enough to be getting married but wants to bed one of the "Fab Four" before she does. Grace Corrigan (Theresa Saldana), a dedicated fan, is certain that if she can get some exclusive photos of the Beatles, her career as a photographer will be secured. And then there are two people who feel that the future of civilization as we know it depends on their efforts to ruin the Beatles' appearance on Ed Sullivan's show. In this madcap comedy, when these people (and others besides) descend on the New York hotel the Beatles are staying in, things begin hopping. This comedy was Robert Zemeckis' first feature. A protégé of Stephen Spielberg, he went on to direct Forrest Gump, Back to the Future, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? among other popular features.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/26/2019
UPC:	0715515228015
Original Release:	1978
Rating:	PG
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	9,755

Special Features

New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Robert Zemeckis and cowriter Bob Gale, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack New conversation among Zemeckis, Gale, and executive producer Steven Spielberg New interview with actors Nancy Allen and Marc McClure Audio commentary from 2004 featuring Zemeckis and Gale The Lift (1972) and A Field of Honor (1973), two early short films by Zemeckis Trailer and radio spots

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Nancy Allen	Pam Mitchell
Bobby DiCicco	Tony Smerko
Marc McClure	Larry Dubois
Susan Kendall Newman	Janis Goldman
Wendie Jo Sperber	Rosie Petrofsky
Eddie Deezen	Richard `Ringo' Klaus
Christian Juttner	Peter Plimpton
Will Jordan	Ed Sullivan
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	Peter's Father,Actor,Peter's Father,Peter's Father
Claude Earl Jones	A1
James Houghton	Eddie
Michael Hewitson	Neil
Dick Miller	Sgt. Bresner
Vito Carenzo	CBS Security Guard
Luke Andreas	Police Officer in Alley
Roberta Lee Carroll	Cafeteria Girl
Sherry Lynn	Cafeteria Girl
Irene Arranga	Sheet Girl
Carole H. Field	Club Leader
Nancy Osborne	Amazon
Newton D. Arnold	Barber,Barber
Troy Melton	Guard
Nick Pellegrino	Lou
Martin Fiscoe	Elevator Operator
Marilyn Moe	Woman on Elevator
Michael Ross Verona	Reporter
Marilyn Fox	Interviewee
Kristine DeBell	Cindy
Gene LeBell	Reese
Victor Brandt	Foley
Roger Pancake	Sergeant
Kimberly Spengel	Sheet Girl,Protestor
Bob Maroff	Bartender
Ivy Bethune	Foreigner
Frank Verroca	Protestor
Derek Barton	Driver
Edward Call	Actor,Reporter
John Malloy	Reporter
Larry Pines	Actor
Dave Adams	Reporter
Poppy Lagos	Reporter
Robyn Petti	Actor
Paula Watson	Actor
Leslie Hoffman	Actor
Chuck Waters	Actor
Rick Sawaya	Actor,Actor
Jim Nickerson	Actor
Theresa Saldana	Grace Corrigan
Murray the K	Actor
Wil Albert	Goldman
Stephen Mackenna	Actor
Rod Culbertson	Actor
David Wilkinson	Actor
Brian Jameson	Actor
Linal Haft	Actor

Technical Credits

Robert Zemeckis

Bob Gale

Robert Zemeckis	Director,Screenwriter
Tamara Asseyev	Producer
Curtis Dickson	Special Effects
Alexandra Rose	Producer
Steven Spielberg	Executive Producer
Albert Whitlock	Special Effects
Richard Marquand	Director
Bob Gale	Screenwriter
Albert J. Whitlock	Special Effects
Don Sharpless	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

This amiable period piece is essentially a dry run for the madcap comedic style Robert Zemeckis would later perfect in Back to the Future. The script, which Zemeckis co-wrote with Bob Gale, does a great job of re-creating the atmosphere of Beatlemania and is full of clever bits of period detail. Unfortunately, the characters lack the depth that would really allow the viewers to invest themselves in the story and the pacing periodically lags in the midsection due to too many divergent plot threads (no one character ever becomes the heart of the story). Despite these problems, I Wanna Hold Your Hand remains a fun and worthwhile film thanks to its contagious sense of fun. This spirit is brought to life by a game cast. Nancy Allen adds a bit of emotional weight as an engaged girl who has second thoughts when hit by Beatles fever and Wendie Jo Sperber and Eddie Deezen make the ultimate slapstick comedy couple as they lay waste to everything in their path to get their Ed Sullivan Show tickets. I Wanna Hold Your Hand further benefits from skillful direction by Zemeckis, who shows the flair for comedic set pieces that would serve him well throughout the first part of his career. In the end, I Wanna Hold Your Hand is a lightweight but likable comedy that is worth a look for nostalgic Beatles buffs and fans of Zemeckis.

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