On January 30, 1969, The Beatles took to the roof of Apple Records headquarters in London, England, and gave passersby a one-of-a-kind experience when they performed what would be their final live performance. What is now known as The Beatles’ Rooftop Concert has gone down as one of the most iconic moments of 20th Century pop culture more than 50 years later. This concert, however, is just a small part of the Peter Jackson documentary The Beatles: Get Back, a soon-to-be-released intimate look at the final days of the seminal rock and roll band.
Here are quick things to know about The Beatles: Get Back.
The Beatles: Get Back Release Date Is Set For August 27, 2021
There is not all that much time between now and the release of The Beatles: Get Back as Peter Jackson’s documentary film is scheduled to land in theaters August 27, 2021 after nearly a yearlong delay. Jackson, who has been working on the project for a few years now, originally planned on releasing Get Back in September 2020, but when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a series of delays with the production, not to mention the closure of theaters around the world, the Lord of the Rings director and other major players elected to push things back.
The Beatles: Get Back, which is being released by Walt Disney Studios, isn’t your standard rock and roll documentary and takes more of a “fly on the wall” approach to the way it documents the “Fab Four” — John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr — during a pivotal nearly monthlong January 1969 recording session, including the writing and rehearsing of 14 new songs, some of which would go on to be featured on the two final studios albums from the legendary rock and roll outfit: Abbey Road and Let It Be. These intimate sessions, featuring the recording of the final songs written by the songwriting powerhouse will shed new light on the band’s final days.
Director Peter Jackson Combed Through 60 Hours Of Unseen Footage And 150 Hours Of Unheard Audio For The Beatles: Get Back
The footage featured throughout The Beatles: Get Back was compiled from 60 hours of never-before-scene footage that was captured by Michael Lindsay-Hogg who was sitting in with the band while putting together a documentary of his own, 1970’s Let It Be. According to Walt Disney Studios, this rare video footage (which has been restored) is combined with over 150 hours of unheard audio taking directly from the recording sessions, conversations, and that January 1969 rooftop concert which will be focal point of the upcoming film.
The Beatles: Get Back Is The First Time The Iconic Rooftop Concert Has Been Shown In Its Entirety
The Beatles’ historic January 30, 1969 concert has been featured in everything from the 1995 documentary series The Beatles Anthology to videos found on YouTube, but the upcoming Peter Jackson documentary will be the first time it has ever been shown in its entirety. According Disney, the concert, and the band’s decision to hold their first live performance since they stopped touring two years earlier, will be a major part of The Beatles: Get Back. High above London’s Savile Row, this landmark moment in rock and roll history will be shown like never before in brilliantly restored video and audio.
Peter Jackson Restored Footage For The Beatles: Get Back With The Same Technology He Used For They Shall Not Grow Old
Those who have seen Peter Jackson’s 2018 World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old are all too familiar with the technology that was used to restore and bring new life to 100-year-old video footage of British soldiers during the Great War. That same technology, which digitized, refined, colored, and converted the old film stock to 4K quality is also being used by Jackson and the team at Park Road Post, per Collider. Early footage that has been shown almost looks as if it was captured on high-definition cameras in the 21st Century opposed to January 1969.
Peter Jackson Has Said The Beatles: Get Back Changes The Narrative Of The Band’s Final Days
For decades now, the story has gone that the final days of The Beatles’ existence were filled with drama, in-fighting, and a breakdown of communication. And while some of that may very well be true, Peter Jackson has said The Beatles: Get Back shows a different side of the band and its four members, as he explained in a statement upon the documentary’s reveal:
” I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth. After reviewing all the footage and audio that Michael Lindsay-Hogg shot 18 months before they broke up, it’s simply an amazing historical treasure-trove. Sure, there’s moments of drama — but none of the discord this project has long been associated with. 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 will be interesting to see how The Beatles: Get Back sheds new light on the mood of the band just as they were in the final stretch of their unparalleled run at the top of the music world, especially if it helps break down the prevailing narrative that has followed the band’s break up all these years.
Disney Released A Sneak Peak For The Beatles: Get Back In December 2020
In December 2020 — three months after the documentary’s original release date had come and gone — Disney and The Beatles official YouTube channel shared a sneak peak for The Beatles: Get Back that showed the band in various stages of the writing and recording of the titular track. The footage, which looks and sounds absolutely amazing.
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