A Hard Day's Night: Music on Film Series

A <strong>Hard</strong> Month’s Shoot 59
While no one would ever accuse the Beatles of being
master thespians, Lester’s approach gave the lads the room to
blossom into captivating screen personalities. When Walter
Shenson’s wife asked him after the first day of filming if the
Beatles could act, he said, “I don’t know. But I do know you
can’t take your eyes off them.”
Lester directed the rest of the film in the same loose manner,
leaving plenty of room for spontaneity and on-the-spot
invention. If a member of the cast or crew came up with an
ad lib that Lester liked, he’d use it. If something interesting
happened on the set, he would find a way to work it into
the scene. If mistakes were made or problems arose, Lester
would maneuver around them or else incorporate them
into the picture. He reworked scenes and sequences on the
spot to make them more effective and frequently tossed in
new, unscripted gags at the last minute. In keeping with his
absurdist sense of humor, some of these gags were surreal in
nature. Although they seemed incongruous with the realistic
approach that he had dictated for the picture, Lester wasn’t
bothered by the apparent discrepancy; for him, the documentary
style was a jumping-off point for the film rather
than a formal end in itself. Lester felt the absurd gags were
justified because they kept the piece fresh and, since this
was the sort of humor that the Beatles enjoyed, accurately
reflected the band’s sensibility.