The Beatles: Get Back

As a diehard Beatles fan, I had high hopes for Get Back upon announcement.  Peter Jackson’s impressive work on They Shall Not Grow Old proved he could pull off a restoration of decades-old footage and immerse the audience into the time period of a documentary.  When I heard that it was going to be a narration-free doc in which the Let it Be studio footage would speak for itself, I was even more stoked.  This is such a pivotal moment in the band’s history that it should be presented as extensively as possible, making the lengthy runtime necessary.  Almost no piece of Beatles-themed media has delved into the Fab Four’s creative process so deeply as Get Back, in a way that a 2-hour feature couldn’t. I’m happy to say that Get Back exceeded my expectations.  This has now become easily one of my favorite pieces of Beatles visual media.  I loved all 8 hours of this and had an absolute blast.  This sounds really cliched, but it feels like you are right there in the studio with the Beatles.  You feel like you’re with them as they record new songs and joke around and even argue in the studio.  I love how it doesn’t make the Let it Be sessions seem like the doom-and-gloom chaos that many think they were, or make it seem like all was well, making it a realistic portrayal of what life was like for the Fab Four in the studio in such a turning point in their history.  Based on the original announcement of the doc, it seemed like it would be an overly happy version of the session, but I’m glad it wasn’t. As I mentioned earlier, I love how it depicts the band’s creative process.  Towards the beginning of the Twickenham Studio sessions, we witness Paul coming up with “Get Back” on the spot as he jams in the studio.  We also see how their creative processes often clash with each other, especially in the first part, when Paul and George are at odds with each other.  Paul and John are very much workmen, to the point of being controlling studio presence, while George wants to jam and improvise. The final payoff in which Jackson shows the entire rooftop concert is absolutely epic and thrilling to watch.  He split-screens footage of the concert with interviews with pedestrians by the Apple studio and the police searching the building, making it feel even more immersive. I’m really biased as a fan, but I really adored this doc.  This is just such a moving, joyful experience that even further cements the Beatles’ legacy as true icons of popular culture. And Ringo’s just chilling at his drum kit.