Celebrated Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson has given us a sneak peak of his new Beatles rockumentary Get Back, which promises to challenge our perception of how the legendary group’s final album Let It Be came about, with an alternative telling to the popular narrative.
Fans’ understanding of those final Fab Four recording sessions was largely shaped by Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 telling, which painted a picture of a divided Beatles ravaged by personal tensions and infighting in the months leading up to their eventual demise.
However, after the Oscar-winning Jackson was let loose on the 55 hours of never-before-seen, digitally restored footage, he’s ended up with a very different story to tell.
“I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth,” Jackson said in a statement.
As The New Daily points out, the Kiwi director’s version of events focuses on goofier, sillier times as we watch four mates navigate the pitfalls of songwriting in the throes of global superstardom.
“Sure, there’s moments of drama, but none of the discord this project has long been associated with,” Jackson said.
“Watching John, Paul, George and Ringo work together, creating now-classic songs from scratch, is not only fascinating – it’s funny, uplifting and surprisingly intimate.
“It’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together.”
The rockumentary also comes bearing the seal of approval from surviving Beatles, Paul and Ringo, who’ve long vocally poo-poo’d Hogg’s old doco.
Originally set to land in cinemas late this year, the film’s production timeline was ravaged by the COVID pandemic. Thankfully, since NZ was able to get on top of the outbreak pretty quick-smart, Jackson’s team were able to get back to work fairly swiftly, achieving some remarkable results. Namely, restoration of the 16mm archival footage to near-perfect conditions (apparently even by 2020’s standards). HUGE.
The Beatles: Get Back will open in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on September 2, 2021.
For now, you can get your first look below.
