Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has been working on a documentary, The Beatles: Get Back, which has been created from the nearly 60 hours of unused footage shot for Michael Lindsay-Hogg's documentary Let it Be. "This film was due to be finished 'round about now, but like the rest of the world it has been affected by the COVID pandemic. The only good thing, really, is that we're editing the movie in New Zealand. Now that our country has largely stamped out the virus, we're able to come back into the cutting room and carry on."
Peter Jackson notes that the hours of unseen Beatles footage is "just great stuff" and that they're about halfway through the edit. He's put together a five-minute preview of the film. "It's not a trailer," he notes, "and it's not a 'sequence' from the film. It's more of a montage...that gives you a sense of the spirit of the film." You can watch that below.
Here's official PR synopsis:
Acclaimed filmmaker Peter Jackson’s “The Beatles: Get Back” is a unique cinematic experience that takes audiences back in time to The Beatles’ intimate recording sessions during a pivotal moment in music history. The film showcases the warmth, camaraderie and creative genius that defined the legacy of the iconic foursome. Shot in January 1969 and compiled from over 60 hours of unseen footage (filmed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg) and more than 150 hours of unheard audio, all of which has been brilliantly restored, “The Beatles: Get Back” is the story of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr as they plan their first live show in over two years and charts the writing and rehearsing of 14 new songs, originally intended for release on an accompanying live album. The film features – for the first time in its entirety – The Beatles' last live performance as a group, the unforgettable rooftop concert on London’s Savile Row as well as other songs and classic compositions featured on the band’s final two albums, Abbey Road and Let It Be.
The Beatles: Get Back will be out in theaters on August 27.
Paul McCartney just released McCartney III and sings on Ringo's new single.
