STACK #213 July 2022

TV FEATURE

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George Harrison, Ringo Starr and their crew working towards a deadline, creating new songs from scratch, and trying to figure out a way to present them to the world. And it's mesmerising! The genius of these four young men from Liverpool has never been more apparent as they banter back and forth, humming melodies and creating songs out of thin air. One particular moment will stop viewers in their tracks, as Paul composes the song Get Back literally from nothing. He sits on a chair and passes the time with his guitar, and what begins as a simple strum of the strings evolves into one of the most iconic pop songs of all time. Furthermore, the camaraderie and boyish tomfoolery of The Beatles is irrefutable and delightful. Their rapport and love for one another is obvious, even when they find themselves in times of trouble (yes, we went there). Yoko's presence is not intrusive, nor is it a distraction for John as depicted in the 1970 documentary, and what unfolds is a revelation. Also featuring the iconic rooftop concert (their final public performance) in its entirety, Peter Jackson's The Beatles: Get Back is the most essential document of the band since the release of their Anthology in the PAUL & RINGO ON GET BACK PAUL: “It was a great period. We were a seriously good band, and for it to be documented in this way is very intimate, and I think that is the great thing about it. You get the music, you get the playing, you get the chat, but you mainly are just eavesdropping in a very intimate way on these guys.” RINGO: “I’m really excited for people to see it. Peter is great, and it was so cool seeing all this footage. There are hours and hours of us, just laughing and playing music, not at all like the version that came out in 1970. There is a lot of joy and a lot more peace and love like we really were.”

Kiwi filmmaker Peter Jackson debunks one of the greatest misconceptions about The Beatles in his epic new documentary series, The Beatles: Get Back , which chronicles the creation of their final album, Let it Be . Words Glenn Cochrane THE UNTOLD BEATLES

I t's no secret that the fabric of The Beatles was truly frayed by the time they finished making Let it Be , and the general consensus amongst fans has been that the recording was tumultuous and fraught with angst and hostility. And the legend of John and Yoko's relationship (compounded by fans’ general dislike of her) being the catalyst for the band's demise has perpetuated the notion of an ugly era for the Fab Four. Moreover, the infamous Let it Be film, released theatrically in 1970, depicted a volatile environment full of fighting and animosity. It was an ugly portrayal that internalised the misconception of The Beatles’ break-up, and was ultimately never released on home entertainment formats (but became a highly sought-after bootleg). But that wasn't the case, as Peter Jackson's incredible fly-on-the-wall documentary series reveals. With access to over 60 hours of rare and unseen footage, and 150 hours of audio from the Get Back sessions (the album's original title), Jackson painstakingly sifted through a vault of content that had been collecting dust for over half a century and began the mammoth task of reshaping the

narrative and recapturing the essence of The Beatles. With the keys to the kingdom, he delved into tens of hours of physically aged footage, and to his delight discovered the untold story of Let it Be . What he found was a narrative that goes against everything he thought he knew, and a story that needed to be told.

late ‘90s. Needless to say, it’s a crucial purchase for any self-respecting music lover.

• The Beatles: Get Back is out on July 13

Having previously overseen the immaculate restoration of archival war footage for his 2018 film They Shall Not Grow Old , Jackson began the meticulous task of bringing The Beatles' footage to life in the highest definition possible. From the moment he understood the significance of what he had discovered, Jackson made the decision to not only expand the project from the proposed two-and-a-half hour running time to an epic six hours, but to also present it without interruption. The Beatles: Get Back is without narration or exposition, aside from a brief introductory montage and title cards. The rest is simply comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney,

16 JULY 2022

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