From journalist-critic Chris Willman, a longtime Entertainment Weekly staffer: “I have grain on the brain just because I’m an HE reader, so I couldn’t help but noticing a surprising amount of the stuff when I saw the restored A Hard Day’s Night at the Chinese during the recent TCM Festival. Grain doesn’t bother me, but it was noticeable enough on that big screen that I was conscious of it several times and thinking about how it may be an issue for some folks, if it looks on Bluray like it did in this new digital print.

“I guess I was most aware of it during outdoor daytime sequences, where the overcast English sky was anything but a pure blinding white. I don’t remember being aware of grain when I’d seen it in the past, but I tend to be accepting of grain in contemporary remasters, because I assume it’s there in the source material and I’m okay with that. I do wonder, Jeff, if it’ll be an issue for you or if I’m just overestimating what I saw.”

Wells to Willman: I’ll hold off until I see the Bluray, but this sure sounds like Criterion. I’ve never been aware of any strong grain presence in this film, but if your assessment is correct I guess we’re all going to have to get used to one.

Willman: “For me, another issue is how fantastic the music sounds — i.e., almost too fantastic, like you’re suddenly there in the mixing room with George Martin, amid the otherwise naturalistic sound of the dialogue sequences. I can’t argue with the music sounding as great as it does; it just felt a little jarring on the first transition. But this isn’t the first time it’s been re-released with remixed sound. Since I believe the Bluray will have some rendering of the original sound mix as well, I don’t think there’ll be much to take issue with.

“During the Chinese screening I felt like there was a surprising amount of electricity in the audience air, given the not necessarily rock-heavy nature of the TCM crowd. I hope there’s at least a little screaming and seat-wetting when it plays venues like the Cinefamily, which we can definitely count on to turn it up.”