Peter Jackson’s long-awaited Beatles documentary series came out over the weekend after months of anticipation.
The Beatles: Get Back is a three-part documentary, with all episodes now ready to stream on Disney+. It follows the band’s fascinating creative process from their recording sessions at Twickenham Studios as they aim to finish the album Let It Be and prepare for their first live show in over two years.
The content is filmed during a hectic, undeniably fractious 21-day period in the studio for the band, and was gathered by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, director of the 1970 Beatles documentary Let It Be.
The episodes are compiled from more than 60 hours of unseen footage and more than 150 hours of unheard audio, all of which has been expertly restored. Each episode has a running time of approximately 2.5 hours and, for those looking to binge the whole thing, the total running time is just under eight hours.
According to Disney+, three-time Oscar-winner Peter Jackson is the only person in 50 years to have been given access to this archival footage and the work has been officially approved by the band.
The Lord of the Rings producer and director told GQ back in July: “It’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together.”
Sir Paul McCartney made an appearance at the official screening for the film in London and said: “For me it’s lovely because it brings back to me my mates, my fallen heroes, who aren’t here. It’s great to see them on the film.”
A 240-page hardcover book is available to buy in conjunction with the documentary’s release. The book is also titled The Beatles: Get Back, and contains transcriptions of the band’s recorded conversations along with hundreds of exclusive, never before published photos.
Critical reception has been largely positive so far, with Variety calling the documentary “addictive and essential”, while The Hollywood Reporter called it an “immersive, in-the-moment chronicle of a generation-defining band.”
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