Starring The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr), Yoko Ono, Billy Preston, and Mal Evans
Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg
Music and Lyrics by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and others
By the time they made this look into the recording of the Abbey Road and Let It Be albums, the four Beatles had splintered far beyond their disinterest in movie-making. The sessions for The White Album had featured more squabbling than anything and were largely done separately. This is their attempt to "get back" to the camaraderie they had in the early 60's. Critics at the time were harsh, judging this a dark, depressing look at a band on the verge of breaking apart. Were they right, or as Peter Jackson discovered last year when he directed the Disney Plus documentary Get Back: The Beatles Sessions, is there more to this than just four fractured friends arguing over making music? Let's begin with the four Beatles and John's girlfriend Yoko Ono recording at Twickenham Studios in London and find out...
The Story: The Beatles, joined by Yoko, their road manager Mal Evans, and musician Billy Preston record songs for their Abbey Road and Let It Be albums. Sometimes, as when John and Paul gleefully perform "The Two of Us," they enjoy being together, but it doesn't always flow smoothly. There's bobbles with the music and between each other, notably a heated argument between Paul and George over Paul criticizing George's work. It all ends with the four Beatles in what would their final live performance on the roof of the then-Apple Ltd studios in London, reminding people why they were so beloved in the first place.
The Song and Dance: This is a break-up? If this is breaking apart, I don't know what you'd call staying together. There's a few mildly tense flare-ups (including the aforementioned George-Paul spat), but most of this movie is an unmitigated delight. The sequence in the second half at Apple is especially enjoyable. The Beatles got so into their classic rock medley, I couldn't help moving along with them. Neither Ono nor Preston are nearly as intrusive as people claimed in 1970. Preston adds a lot to the second half, and other than her dance with John, Yoko doesn't really do much besides listsen. There's the concert, too. Boy, do I envy the people in the street and on the roof who got to watch that, even if it did disrupt their lunch hour.
I have no idea what critics saw in 1970, but what I saw on Disney Plus was absolutely gorgeous. Someone did an incredible restoration on this film. The colors pop, especially in the Rooftop Concert sequence, where Ringo's scarlet jacket and the colorful clothes on the street gawkers stand out against the gray sky and black and brown buildings. It's so clear and intimate, it looks like it could have been filmed yesterday.
Favorite Number: We open with work on "Don't Let Me Down," which would be passed over for Let It Be in the original LP, but would be included on later CD versions. Mal Evans joins in for the comic horror novelty "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," banging that infamous hammer. Frankly at this point, he and Paul are the only ones who seem really interested. Things pick up as John and Paul clown and giggle over "The Two of Us." This is also the point where Paul scolds George over his guitar playing, and George says he's just doing what he's told. Paul introduces an early form of the bluesy "Oh! Darling" that would eventually turn up on Abbey Road as the Twickenham equipment is being dismantled. We even get an adorable - and rather well-done - little ballroom dance routine between John and Yoko.
Our first song at Apple is the rollicking "One After 909." Paul and John originally wrote this one during their early days under the Quarryman name. This was their second attempt at recording it. Their first, aborted try was in 1963. "Dig a Pony" is John's song for his then-girlfriend Yoko Ono. Ringo and Paul improvise a lovely little jazz tune on the piano before Paul goes into one of the signature numbers from Let It Be, the ballad "Across the Universe."
"Suzy Parker" is the only song written by all four Beatles. George finally gets in his numbers "I Me Mine" and "For You Blue." They get in a version of "You've Really Got a Hold On Me," then George helps Ringo with "Octopus' Garden." Their two classic rock medleys, especially the first of "Rip It Up" and "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" are a blast, with all four Beatles and Billy Preston really getting into the swinging numbers. This leads into John's goofy improvised "Dig It" right on the spot.
The movie ends with the famous Rooftop Concert. The Beatles perform for the delighted or shocked passers-by on the ground before the cops arrive to break up the show. Whatever their personal animosities were at this point, they proved they could still play together as well as ever with their definitive "Get Back" and "Let It Be."
Trivia: The reception on this film was so harsh - and the Beatles had such terrible memories of making it - that Star and McCartney insisted it not be re-released in their lifetimes. Huge Beatles fan Peter Jackson finally convinced them to let him make a movie out of the unreleased footage and re-release the original movie on DVD and Blu-Ray. Thanks to the pandemic, this was altered to the three-part miniseries Get Back: The Beatles Sessions being released on Disney Plus in 2023, with the original film following a year later.
What I Don't Like: First of all, despite the original G rating, this is not for young Beatles fans. There's a bit of swearing bandied around, including a clear f-bomb from George. Second, yes, some of the problems are more obvious than others. Things do get tense occasionally, especially early-on at Twickenham. There's also the stark look. While the restoration is certainly a lot more attractive than the grainy original was said to be, until they go outside for the Rooftop Concert, this is pretty studio-bound. It's not for those looking for something with an actual (or much happier) plot or big elaborate sets and costumes.
The Big Finale: Yes, John, you guys passed the audition with flying colors. I'm not sure I'd recommend this or Get Back for casual fans, but for those who are already into the Beatles like Peter Jackson and me, it's a worthy look at the last days of a band who rediscovered their joy before dropping away.
Home Media: As mentioned, this and Get Back can currently be found at Disney Plus with a subscription.
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