January 1969. The Beatles are in the studio for three weeks. They are preparing their last two albums Abbey Road and Let it be. A director they chose, Peter Jackson, films them creating titles as famous as Across the Universe. In total, 60 hours of rushes, from which he will shoot an 80-minute film in 1970, which tells the story of the end of the group.
The editing was entrusted to Peter Jackson, the director of Lord of the Rings. He made a documentary series of three two-hour episodes, broadcast daily from Thursday, November 25 on Disney +.
What strikes first is the intimacy of the group in which we enter. Yoko Ono who knits keeping a watchful eye on John Lennon, even while recording. George Harrison says he went to bed late to follow his inspiration on a song. Ringo improvises a boogie woogie on the piano with McCartney. Four Boys in the Wind, but normal.
Peter Jackson explains: “We think we know the Beatles. Why ? Well, we saw the movies Help and Four Boys in the Wind. We saw them perform on stage. We saw them at a press conference. But they were in representation. But what happens when they are more natural, candid; when they don’t know that they are being filmed, that they are recorded, they become 100% natural again. “
“They’re whole men, we’ve never really seen on film. I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere else. They’re really pretty normal boys. They’re each different. But we’re all different.”
Director Peter Jacksonto franceinfo
The beauty of the frames and the colors is astounding. And the work on the sound is impressive. It allowed Peter Jackson to recover secrets after some technological feats: “What John Lennon and George Harrison used to do, when they were having a conversation, they would turn the amps up on high; they would plug in their guitars. They weren’t playing, they just made loud notes.”
“All the mics were recording was that loud guitar, and you could see them talking privately. With technology and artificial intelligence, we were able to suppress the sound of the guitars and isolate the conversations.”
Peter Jacksonto franceinfo
The Beatles: Get Back, 6 original hours including the famous last Beatles concert on the roof of the Apple premises. To discover from Thursday, November 25, on Disney +.