Lunchtime in the West End of London. On that dry Thursday in January 1969, the streets were crowded with workers from the surrounding offices. Suddenly there is a crush on Savile Row. In front of house number 3, where the “Apple” headquarters of the Beatles is located, people jam, because unfamiliar sounds come from the roof: “Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged. . . ”A man in a suit and tie turns to a reporter hurrying by for help:“ What's going on? ”“ The Beatles are giving a free concert on the roof. ”“ Now? ”“ Yes, what do you think of that? ”“ Find I'm great, why aren't they playing on the street? ”Three camera teams are out there to capture the reactions of passers-by.
In front of the bespoke tailoring shop opposite, another passer-by vented his displeasure. “This kind of music may have its place, then it's thoroughly entertaining. But I find it unreasonable to disrupt all business life in the area here. ”Nonetheless, most of the reactions to the Fab Four's surprising“ rooftop ”concert are positive - after all, their first live performance in more than three years. Two policemen who want to step in to investigate thirty reports of disturbance of the peace add a touch of drama to the scene. However, the Beatles press spokesman Derek Taylor succeeds in holding the power of order until the band has finished their open-air concert. The film documentary "Get Back" by Peter Jackson ends with this legendary performance,which can now be seen in three parts on the streaming provider “Disney +”.
"I think I'll leave you now"
In 1969, Paul McCartney sensed that the Beatles' visionary power had suffered as a result of the individualized production processes in the studio, and therefore suggested going back to the roots of their heartbeat beat. Rehearsals for a scheduled concert will begin on January 2nd at the Twickenham Film Studios. A constantly present camera crew is supposed to document the creation process of the new pieces and the spontaneous enthusiasm of the band for a TV special. Instead, the film team accelerates the centrifugal forces within the group. Yoko Ono's presence and her constant turtling with Lennon don't seem to be the right choice to strengthen the loosened bond between the friends. To get going, you jam through old rock 'n' roll classics,works half-heartedly on new pieces like “Don't Let Me Down” or “Two of Us” and repeatedly discusses the planned comeback concert - preferably in an exotic location like the “Sabratha” amphitheater in Libya.
But George Harrison can do less and less with the live plans. When he once again felt himself not being taken seriously as a songwriter by Lennon and artistically reprimanded by McCartney, he announced his departure on January 10th: "I think I'll leave you now." John: [stops playing] "What? " George: ". . . the band. "John:" When? "George:" Now. See you in the clubs. ”After two crisis meetings, he returns on the condition that he forego the gigantic live show and leave the sterile film studio. You move to the basement studio of the “Apple” building and the atmosphere immediately seems noticeably more relaxed and cheerful.
Nonetheless, the narrative that the "Get Back / Let It Be" recordings were on the whole a rather bad-humored and joyless affair has been around for decades. In the original "Let It Be" film, which Michael Lindsay-Hogg released in 1970, there was hardly any trace of the quarrels. McCartney, Harrison and Starr made sure that the video release disappeared from the market in the eighties. Now the brilliant new start: For almost three years, the three-time Oscar winner, New Zealand director Peter Jackson, immersed himself in around sixty hours of film and more than 150 hours of sound material in order to develop a coherent story. Jackson, not exactly known as a short film fanatic thanks to his "Lord of the Rings" film adaptation, goes to great lengths here as well.For almost eight hours, the viewer can watch the Beatles in the studio writing songs and follow their sometimes confused debates.