Rarely, a documentary comes along that not only entertains and enlightens but can set a culture ablaze with hope and the uncanny sense that one is witnessing mostly jovial mastery in The Beatles’ Get Back. Which finds Peter Jackson’s incarnation of these same events wholeheartedly different. This was serious work, as anyone in the room will tell you, had a decent idea that their polar opposite to what Michael Lindsay-Hogg how painted a wholly different canvas than the Let it Be.
In a move that will blow the minds of any die-hard or even semi-devoted Mop Top lover, Walt Disney—are you seated? —has released the Blu-ray Collector’s Set of Jackson’s Get Back. It’s a multi-month effort chronicling the greatest band that the world had seen or would ever see.
Thankfully, Jackson is a master of restoration. Have you seen That Shall Not Grow Old? Run, don’t walk to the miracle of cinematic science that took 100-year-old black and white tainted film hit theaters in glorious 3D and with a color palette that popped off the screen saluting a generation that exhibited bravery like the U.S. has most rarely seen. The filmmaker was given 57 hours of video that has never seen the light of day, along with 130 hours of new audio.
After the dark gray cloud that engulfed Let it Be, Jackson’s film finds this Fab Four thoroughly enjoying playing with one another—along with producer George Martin working the audio controls. Let it Be arrived in theaters as the album arrived in stores in 1970. The movie was cut to foster the narrative that there was great tension between Beatles members that would ultimately lead to their breakup. The band never attended any of the global premieres, nor did they even show up when it won an Academy Award, the crème de la crème of entertainment business rewards.
Jackson and his production team’s first brilliant idea was to not make it a straight two-to-three-hour documentary versus release it as a 468-minute episodic docuseries that would run over three nights. Versus
The Movie Mensch was sent the Blu-ray Collector’s Set, which also came with a DVD copy of the series. Now, I was supremely impressed with Get Back when it aired on Disney+. One cannot imagine the thrill of opening the mail and witnessing my review copy of this collector’s set.
One of the biggest differences was the additional time, sure, but there is a wholesale emotive alternation that one is amazed it emanates from the same time and place! The additional footage, coupled with a conscious decision to focus on the pure joy at a group of musical wizards operating at the top of their game. It may seem silly, but there is a tsunami of smiles and silliness from the band members that it is a jarring difference from the 1970 documentary that documented the recording of the world’s greatest band’s final foray.
The second takeaway is impossible to ignore—the musicianship of these four men and the ear for a timeless sound, Martin. Witnessing the guys write a song, work on the track, alter it, add the lyrics, orchestrate it, and anything and everything is the purest of examples of people doing exactly how they were meant to be living their lives. These moments are glorious gifts that, thanks to Jackson’s tireless work, now illustrate a band operating at the highest level possible and the electric bliss that accompanies that.
Jackson’s love for not simply the music of The Beatles, but their seismic impact on our society is felt through every frame of his second documentary in a row. Don’t worry fans of his fantastic storytelling vision, he has just announced his turn behind the camera as arrived for The Adventures of Tintin: Red Rackham’s Treasure, the sequel to the Steven Spielberg-directed, Jackson-produced The Adventures of Tintin. The idea was that the pair would switch roles for the sequel—it’s taken long enough, but good news is good news.
Having someone of Jackson’s filmmaking stature, along with the help of ex-Beatles members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as George Harrison’s widow Olivia Harrison, and Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono Lennon. There’s being a fly on the wall experiencing unbridled brilliance, and there’s The Beatles: Get Back. It is the definitive look not only at the recording of an album by The Beatles but the end-all-be-all of capturing the musical and societal impact of one of history’s greats
Sure, there’s still the rooftop concert, but it has a different feel. Why? Simple, after hundreds of minutes of joy and mutual appreciation (and a pinch of tension), the live performance is the crescendo to one of the best docu-series I have ever seen. The moments between members along the way couldn’t be more of a true encapsulation of the interrelationships between The Fab Four.
The Beatles: Get Back has won its share of awards, including its recent announcement of two Emmy Awards—Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera). It won The Best Edited Documentary at the ACE Awards and Producers Guild Association award for its top award in this genre—Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television.
Not only has Jackson done a stellar job of assembling a doc that is as informing as it is enriching to the viewer musically, but technically the New Zealand native has hit it out of the park. His ability to restore old footage in a manner that makes it look like it’s a 4K print (even on run-of-the-mill Blu-ray). The colors pop—and the late 60s/early 70s certain were a time for some unique hues—all while sonically, it could not be more succulent. Get Back is the rarest of achievement. It is one part love letter, one-part important historical record, and one part the definitive video chronicling the end of an era history will likely never see again.
A list of how Jackson broke it down… The three-disc set includes:
Part One – The band gathers at Twickenham Film Studios to rehearse for a planned concert.
Part Two – Recording sessions start at Apple Studios, rehearsals continue, and the mood lifts.
Part Three – The Beatles perform on the rooftop of their Apple offices.
Grade: A+