The Beatles were once rumored to star in Lord of the Rings. And now Peter Jackson is reprogramming the only film they ever tried to hide from our eyes.
The Beatles: Get Back certainly has the ring of power to it. A failed reality programming project, the controversial Let It Be ended up as both a shelved then remixed album, as well a depressing documentary about The Beatles struggling to record and release that same album, fifty years go.
But deploying the digitalism that adapted Lord of the Rings‘ foundational cli-fi to award-winning film — and (re)created the high-resolution World War I documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old, which upgraded degraded footage from the apocalypse that traumatized Tolkien himself — Jackson has thankfully arrived to separate the warring Beatles from each other.
And so in honor of the annual, hilarious holiday albums they used to create for their expanding fandom, The Beatles have released a rousing reel showcasing more energetic footage that didn’t make Let It Be’s dour cut.
Lennon particularly leaps out, literally, always the trickster, even while recoding an album he disliked, in the midst of cameras he wished would go away. Ringo is a peacemaking riot, and Paul is the engine that always could, even when the machine breaks. Harrison, whose famed departure forced the The Beatles’ reality experiment to relocate to the comfort of Abbey Road, comes off looking happier — no small triumph, considering the ongoing personal and political drama that sundered the band.
Of course, none of this retouching comes as news or heresy to scholars or fans of The Beatles. Their legend and influence remains unshakable.
And being finally offered to the opportunity to pore over 50 hours of unreleased footage from the film that The Beatles took out of circulation? A documentary whose entire point was to finally see the Fab Four in the raw and the real, which was then too raw and real so now it’s shinier and happier, and also available in mega-res from Peter Jackson?
What scholar, or fan, says no to that?
So sit back and truly enjoy this holiday sneak peek of The Beatles: Get Back, knowing full well that this repeated reprogramming is all we have left of The Beatles, as the original copy (pun intended) fades away.
Acclaimed filmmaker Peter Jackson has released an exclusive sneak peek of his upcoming documentary “The Beatles: Get Back” for fans everywhere to enjoy. The 5-minute special look is available to fans worldwide on TheBeatles.com and streaming on Disney+.
Jackson said, “We wanted to give the fans of The Beatles all over the world a holiday treat, so we put together this five-minute sneak peek at our upcoming theatrical film ‘The Beatles: Get Back.’ We hope it will bring a smile to everyone’s faces and some much-needed joy at this difficult time.”
Acclaimed filmmaker Peter Jackson’s “The Beatles: Get Back” is a unique cinematic experience that takes audiences back in time to The Beatles’ intimate recording sessions during a pivotal moment in music history.
The film showcases the warmth, camaraderie and creative genius that defined the legacy of the iconic foursome. Shot in January 1969 and compiled from over 60 hours of unseen footage (filmed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg) and more than 150 hours of unheard audio, all of which has been brilliantly restored, “The Beatles: Get Back” is the story of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr as they plan their first live show in over two years and charts the writing and rehearsing of 14 new songs, originally intended for release on an accompanying live album.
The film features – for the first time in its entirety – The Beatles’ last live performance as a group, the unforgettable rooftop concert on London’s Savile Row as well as other songs and classic compositions featured on the band’s final two albums, Abbey Road and Let It Be.
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