Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong
If I asked you why Jojo left his home in Tucson, Arizona and you know the answer, you’re in for an exceptional early Holiday gift; if you don’t, sit yourself down and bask in what is the glory of Director Peter Jackson’s multi-part, three-night Docuseries THE BEATLES: GET BACK that will launch exclusively on Disney+. As a lifelong fanatic of this group that not only revolutionized music, their impact can be found in the social strata that exist to this day. It took Jackson four years of whittling down 60 hours of filmed footage by Michael Lindsay-Hogg for his 1970 feature film “Let It Be” for which (fun fact number one) The Beatles won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score.
We open with Peter Jackson on-screen explaining what drew him to this project and providing a little insight as to how he approached the wealth of cinematic gold. The phenomenal restoration techniques he utilized making his World War I Documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” is enhanced further in THE BEATLES: GET BACK, alongside restoring over two hundred hours of audio tapes. The pictures and sound here are pristine. Jackson also mentioned that he himself is not featured whatsoever in the Docuseries, so watching him provide fascinating tidbits was a bonus.
In a nutshell, the Series is about The Beatles recording what ultimately was called “Let It Be”, which was the last album released by the group. Fun fact number two: it is NOT the last album they recorded together; that would be the brilliant “Abbey Road”. We hear snippets of songs that ultimately wound up on both albums and even some music that were included in their solo albums after the breakup that shook the world. The greater chunk of what was presented is the famous rooftop performance, the last time the group ever performed live together. Those scenes and music are electric.
It was pure joy watching the guys create new music together and the bond they had. With glimpses of Yoko Ono, Linda Eastman, Maureen Cox, George Martin, Billy Preston and many names familiar with the history of the group, it is also a sad reminder of how many are no longer with us. I also loved learning things that this self-proclaimed Beatles know-it-all never knew before. I will not ruin those surprises for anyone except for fun fact number three: “Get Back” was originally intended to be a protest song that ultimately turned out to be one kick-ass Rock & Roll masterpiece.
I cannot wait for you all to discover THE BEATLES: GET BACK when it starts streaming on Disney+ November 25, 2021.
For advertising opportunites please contact mrwill@mrwillwong.com