The Beatles: Get Back! - The Long Awaited Beatles Documentary

There have been countless Beatles documentaries exploring the lives of the famous four, as well as five Beatles movies. So the world is certainly not short of Beatles content, raising the question as to what makes this Beatles documentary different. 

Firstly, this film series was created with involvement from the band members themselves. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both consulted on the project, while Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison (the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison) also provided their cooperation during the project.

The project’s director, Peter Jackson, has taken 60 hours of exclusive Beatles footage to create an intimate insight into the band’s relationships and recording process. Jackson explained that ‘music isn’t at the forefront of this film’ because it focuses on the conversations and lives of the fab four alongside their musical talents and achievements.

It’s possible to see ‘The Beatles: Get Back!’ as a reinvention or extension of the 1970 Beatles documentary, ‘Let It Be’, especially as much of the footage used in this new series is taken from the original project. The 1970 documentary’s original title was actually intended to be ‘Get Back!’, before it was changed to match the release of the single ‘Let It Be’ that was released in March 1970. 

The ‘Let It Be’ film came under fire several times during post-production for its imbalance in regards to portraying different band members, and for its generally negative portrayal of the band’s final years together. Speaking about ‘The Beatles: Get Back!’, Paul McCartnery has expressed his excitement for the documentary’s release, explaining that Peter Jackson has managed to ‘make a film that shows the truth about the Beatles recording together’ by capturing ‘a lot of joy’ from their archive footage.

Jackson has shared that he was ‘relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth’ in relation to The Beatles’ final years together. In addition, this will be the first time that the footage of the rooftop concert will be shared in full with the public.

With all of this in mind, it seems that Beatles fans can look forward to a balanced, unseen documentary that explores both the highs and lows of the band’s final project together. We can’t wait to pull on our Beatles socks and get comfy in front of Disney+ - what an autumnal treat!

This Beatles documentary was announced on 30th January 2019 - the 50th anniversary of their infamous rooftop concert. This unannounced concert atop the Apple Corps headquarters was the final public performance of their career, making this a fitting date for the new film’s announcement. 

Over a year later, The Walt Disney Studios announced that they had acquired the global distribution rights for the project, and the intention was to release Jackson’s documentary as a full length feature film through their distribution studio, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

However, in June 2021, it was announced that Peter Jackson’s documentary would no longer be released as a single film. Instead, the project would be released as a three-part documentary, with each episode lasting approximately two hours. As a result, viewers can look forward to 6 hours of additional content exploring the life of The Beatles.

The initial release date attached to the project was penned for 4th September 2020. However, the release date has since been extended twice due to the pandemic. Initially the release date for ‘The Beatles: Get Back!’ was pushed back just under a year to 27th August 2021, but the final release date has now been confirmed as 25th November for the first episode, with the remaining episodes releasing on 26th and 27th November respectively.

So how can you prepare for ‘The Beatles: Get Back!’, one of the most highly anticipated Beatles documentaries in years? 

1. Make sure you have Disney+, as they have the exclusive streaming rights for the project, meaning you won’t be able to enjoy it on any other platform. (Plus you can enjoy Marvel and Disney content there too, so what’s not to love?)
   

2. Get the ‘Let It Be’ studio album on repeat (as if you don’t know all of the songs off by heart already…)

3. Grab your Beatles socks to make sure your feet enjoy the documentary just as much as you are!

We can’t wait to all COME TOGETHER and enjoy exclusive, extended access into the fab four’s incredible world.

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