Get Back
- Jun 7
- 2 min read
When The Beatles documentary Let It Be was first released in 1970, I saw it on a double feature. It played with a Fellini movie! At a drive-in! And it was snowing! The impatient girlfriend who was with me wanted the night to be over! And who could blame her.
Since that memorable night, it became increasingly difficult to see Let It Be again. the movie was dropped from home video circulation in the 1980s. So if I wanted to find it, my best bet was to track down an old VHS tape of it or find a bootleg copy.
So, when it was announced that director Peter Jackson had produced a documentary using extra footage that had not been used in the original Let It Be documentary, I was thrilled at the prospect of seeing The Beatles again—this time without any snow on the windshield.
The result? Well, excitement doesn’t begin to describe my thrill of seeing Jackson’s new film, called Get Back. Culled from 150 hours of audio recordings and 60 hours of video—and restored with pristine visuals—the film is a knockout. Nearly eight hours in length and divided into three parts, the film is a stunning, intimate account of The Beatles in the studio as they write, rehearse and record their legendary album. There are so many glorious moments to savor as their musical genius I son display—far too many for me to recount here.
We are a fly on the wall for all of it.
The film also shines a light on the playful, loving rapport among John, Paul, George and Ringo—as well as their occasional tense bickering—as they struggle to deal with the fact that they are growing apart and the band is on the verge of breaking up. After a run as one of the greatest bands of all time, The Beatles would finally call it quits the following year. We are a fly on the wall for all of it.
Especially moving, for me, is the sequence where George clearly feels discouraged and hurt when some of his songs are overlooked by Paul and John. George’s history of having his songwriting overshadowed by Lennon and McCartney results in him quitting the band. To see that rupture unfold in real time is captivating, as is the finale when the band comes together and takes to the rooftop of their Apple studio to play an impromptu concert—their last ever.
I give Get Back four out of four stars. It’s long, yes, but what a revealing, magical journey it is.
