Beatles bonanza: Peter Jackson's 'Get Back' is a docuseries for fans to cherish

When I was 9, my brother and I pooled our meager cash reserves to purchase “Meet The Beatles” and “Something New” by those lovable mop-tops who three months earlier took the States by storm on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” If this dates me, so be it.

I only mention it because from that moment on, I became a certified Beatles geek. I bought every record, read every article, watched every interview, devoured every episode of the Saturday-morning cartoon series “The Beatles” and, of course, dutifully attended every film multiple times. There were four flicks in all, if you count the animated “Yellow Submarine,” and one cheeky BBC-TV special titled “Magical Mystery Tour” that was anything but magical.

I loved them all because they starred The Beatles – the greatest band that ever strapped on a guitar. But one of their four movies, 1970’s “Let It Be,” left a sour taste. It was a Beatles maniac’s worst nightmare, as someone crassly put it, capturing the boys with their pants down.

Indeed, it did. Shot by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg (alleged son of the great Orson Welles), “Let It Be” followed the Jane Goodall approach of observing the Fab Four in their natural habitat, the recording studio. It wasn’t pretty. Amid the creation of such classics as “Come Together,” “Get Back” and “Something,” there was much bickering and dictatorial behavior on the part of Sir Paul McCartney. Oh, yeah, there was also John Lennon’s new attached-at-the-hip girlfriend, Yoko Ono. Disaster ensued.

Or, so we’ve been led to believe. Turns out all those nasty looks and incessant bickering on display in “Let It Be” were manufactured out of Lindsay-Hogg’s need to meld his 57 hours of footage into a resemblance of a narrative. The Beatles hated the final cut, evidenced by an unwillingness to revisit “Let It Be” when it came time to digitize their videography, “Magical Mystery Tour” included. The original was just 81 minutes. What happened to those other 55-plus hours of footage Lindsay-Hogg shot? Surviving Beatles McCartney and Ringo Starr wondered the same. So did “Lord of the Rings” Oscar winner Peter Jackson. He practically begged to take a crack at restoring the goldmine of unseen footage into a more accurate depiction of the band.

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The result is the rapturous Disney+ offering “The Beatles: Get Back,” which doesn’t just take a sad song and make it better, it disproves what we’ve long been led to believe about the final days of The Beatles. At nearly eight hours, the doc is a butt-breaker, even when divided into three parts. So, it’s safe to say, it’s not for the casual observer. But, boy, if you’re a Beatles wonk like me, it’s practically nirvana watching "Get Back" elegantly rewrite the band’s epitaph, while also offering marvelous insight into the boredom and minutia of the creative process.

Here’s the setup, laid out via subtitles at the start: Fresh off the success of their performance of “Hey Jude” before a live TV audience, John, Paul, George and Ringo decide to follow in the footsteps of Rooney and Garland with the notion, “Hey, let’s put on a show.” The endeavor will include a TV special, a concert and an album recorded live in the studio, sans all the overdubs and reverse-tape tricks that dominated their output since “Revolver.” And to film it all, they hire Lindsay-Hogg (a dead ringer for Welles). Ah, the best-laid plans.

Things falter from the start. First, they’re given just the month of January 1969 to write and record 14 songs and then perform them live at a surprise concert at a yet-to-be-determined location. Originally, it was Libya, then a London park, before settling on what would become the famous rooftop concert at Abbey Road. Second, they were placed in a cavernous movie soundstage at Twickenham, the studio where work on “The Magic Christian” (starring Ringo and Peter Sellers, who also shows up here) was set to begin filming on Feb. 1.

Like real estate, making music is all about location, location, location, as the boys quickly discover. They crave the intimacy of a tiny recording studio, not the wide-open spaces of Twickenham. Paul’s constant harping on George Harrison only adds to the building spite, culminating with the easy-going guitarist walking away, unceremoniously announcing, “I’ll see you ’round the clubs.” He returned days later, of course, but not without a lot of John and Paul’s coddling, most of which occurs off-screen.

During George’s absence, two big things happen: a relocation to The Beatles’ new Abbey Road digs; and the unexpected addition of George’s buddy, Billy Preston, on electric piano. That, along with a promise to ax the TV special, were music to George’s ears. And soon he got back to “Get Back,” the title originally given to the project. But not before informing John of his desire to release a solo album, the mega-blockbuster “All Things Must Pass.” His announcement is met with a shrug, except for Yoko, who utters a condescending atta-boy.

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Such candid moments abound in “Get Back,” including alleged enemies Yoko and Linda Eastman sharing a laugh; a copy of the Rolling Stones’ “Beggar’s Banquet” callously tossed to the floor; George helping Ringo find the right notes for “Octopus’ Garden”; John and Yoko waltzing as George strums “I Me Mine”; and many others I won’t divulge.

It’s fascinating watching classics like “Get Back” (originally proffered as a protest song against white supremacists), “Two of Us” and “Dig a Pony” slowly fleshed out. And knowing the song “Get Back” as well as we do, it’s tempting to shout “Tucson” when McCartney fumbles to find the right word to precede “Arizona” in the lyrics. Just as fun are the many occasions when the boys spontaneously revert to their Hamburg days, covering golden oldies by Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins, etc. There’s also much clowning around by John and Ringo to keep everyone loose.

The takeaway for most will be the suggestion John and Paul did not hate each other. If anything, it’s like they’re falling in love again, bonding over such antics as dueting on “Two of Us” through gritted teeth and playfully jamming with a caterwauling Yoko. It’s as hilarious as it sounds. But the clouds of doom lurk. Just the mention of the name of their new manager, Allen Klein (replacing the deceased Brian Epstein), evokes shivers, given how hindsight informs us it will end with a severe case of the “Sue Me, Sue You Blues.”

We also hear bits and pieces of songs that would not make it onto “Let It Be” or “Abbey Road,” both recorded during those January sessions – songs such as “Teddy Boy” and “Backseat of My Car,” later debuting on McCartney’s solo albums. Then there’s Lennon’s crooning “The Road to Marrakesh” to the melody we all know will become the masterful “Jealous Guy.” I was in geek heaven. Still, you wish Jackson knew when to say “when.” We hear “Get Back,” “I Got a Feeling” and “Two of Us” rehearsed so many times, they threaten to lose their impact.

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All is forgiven when it comes time, at the end of Part 3, for the band to head to the Apple roof to perform its 40-minute impromptu concert. Some of the five songs played end up on “Let It Be” (the album), in keeping with their vow to record the entire record live. The tunes are tight and gripping, even though they perform “Get Back” at least three times and “Don’t Let Me Down” twice.

But like the original “Let It Be,” the elation is watching the crowd gathering on the street below. We hear many awestruck bystanders wondering if it really is The Beatles, with several seemingly unhip older folks commenting on how much they love what they’re hearing. Others, a very precious few, don’t. And that includes a handful of Bobbies none too pleased the iconic concert is “disturbing the peace.”

Jackson smartly saves the best for last. That's when later on in the afternoon of Jan. 30, 1969, our heroes and their wives and girlfriends gather around the mixing console to listen to what recording engineer Glyn Johns captured on the rooftop. Or, as Lennon quips while leaving the stage, an audition he hopes the band "passed."

Feet can be seen tapping, smiles widening and joy exuding. I found it all quite moving, a perfect coda for a film that daringly rewrites history, but also compellingly brings The Beatles back to life. The payoff is enthralling, as Jackson convincingly rebuts the widely held belief that The Beatles were at each other’s throats. Rather, they were arguably at their best. And we see it for ourselves thanks to Jackson, who saw a gross misrepresentation and refused to let it be.

'The Beatles: Get Back'

Rating: TV-MA for language, smoking and adult themes.

Director: A documentary by Peter Jackson

Where to watch: Disney+

Running time: 2:37 (Part 1), 2:53 (Part 2), 2:18 (Part 3)

Grade: A-

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Peter Jackson's 'The Beatles: Get Back' is series for fans to cherish