After a lengthy Covid-induced delay, a two-year editing period and months of teasers, Peter Jackson’s Beatles documentary – The Beatles: Get Back – has finally arrived, and the nine-plus hour musical masterpiece is already receiving rave reviews.
That shouldn’t come as a shock, though. The three-part series is assembled entirely from an archive of 55 hours of unseen footage shot by Michael Lindsey-Hogg and 140 hours of unheard audio tapes, and follows the Fab Four during the 1969 recording sessions that lead to their last-ever studio album, Let It Be.
With an emphasis on the warming camaraderie shared by the Beatles and the group’s mountain-moving musical chemistry, Get Back also follows the four in the lead up to their last-ever public performance – a rooftop gig at London’s Savile Row, which is included in ultra-high definition.
So, how can I watch the musical documentary event of the year, you ask? Well, The Beatles: Get Back is only available directly from Disney+, which you can subscribe to for $7.99 a month.
For context, that works out to be $1 per hour of Get Back action, and if you’re only interested in subscribing to see Macca and co, you can cancel at any time and pay for just the one month.
All three episodes – which are in essence three miniature movies – are available to stream as soon as you subscribe, so if you head over to Disney+ now you’ll be watching the Fab Four write Get Back, Let It Be, Maggie Mae and more in no time.
We’ve been treated to a number of teasers – a five-minute sneak peek, a stirring trailer and a behind-the-scenes rehearsal clip – so we know exactly what you can expect: lots of humor, a little bit of conflict, and a whole load of iconic music.
From a guitar/gear perspective, Get Back is the perfect opportunity to see and hear McCartney, Lennon and Harrison play some of their most iconic instruments. As was teased by the trailer, the documentary is jam packed with six- and four-string eye candy. Harrison’s Fender Rosewood Telecaster? Check. Lennon’s Epiphone Casino? You betcha. McCartney’s Hofner 500/1? Oh, yes.
And, if there’s one person you’d want to helm a Beatles documentary, Peter Jackson would probably be the leading contender. Not one to skimp on detail – he turned the 310-page The Hobbit into three films, for crying out loud – the visionary is a serial Academy Award winner.
Jackson’s epic is, unsurprisingly, currently being lauded by the trades. The Wall Street Journal called it “joyous, tedious, euphoric and fab”, while Rolling Stone labeled it “funnier, louder, sadder, realer than anyone even hoped”.
And, in perhaps the most glowing review of them all, Paul McCartney himself said, “I just love it – to me it proves we were having a great time, that we loved each other and we made great music together.”
For your chance to see four geniuses in action, head over to Disney+ and subscribe for $7.99 a month.
