Beatles ‘64is a great new Beatles documentary on Disney+, but Peter Jackson made an even better Beatles doc for the platform,The Beatles: Get Back, three years ago.Produced by Martin Scorsese,Beatles ‘64examines the impact that the Fab Four had on American pop culture when they first arrived in the United States in the titular year. It uses newly restored footage of landmark moments from the band’s history, like their historic performance onThe Ed Sullivan Show, to capture what it felt like when the Beatlemania craze went global.
WhileBeatles ‘64is the newest Beatles doc to hit the streaming library of Disney+, it’s far from the first. Earlier this year, Disney droppeda new 4K restoration ofLet It Be, the 1970 doc that had struggled to secure a DVD and Blu-ray release for decades. Disney released a doc about the Abbey Road studio,If These Walls Could Sing, in 2022, and an in-depth interview series with Paul McCartney,McCartney 3,2,1, in 2021. After watchingBeatles ‘64, it’s the perfect time to check out the Mouse House’s greatest Beatles doc to date.
Beatles ‘64 Is A Great Reminder To Watch Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back
Get Back Captures The Beatles’ Creative Process In Real Time
The release ofBeatles ‘64is a great reminder to go back and watchThe Beatles: Get Back. Jackson constructed the three-part documentary series fromunused footage and audio material that Michael Lindsay-Hogg recorded during the production ofLet It Be. The series comprises 21 days of studio time, with each episode covering a week. Jackson and his team used cutting-edge techniques to de-noise, remaster, and digitally smooth out the footage. It was filmed in 1970, but when Jackson’s team was done with it, it looked like it could’ve been shot yesterday.
Jackson co-producedGet Backwith Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, and Olivia Harrison.
Get Backcertainly isn’t brief in its coverage of the album’s production — the series runs for a total of nearly eight hours, and the episodes are each between two and three hours long — but that looseness is one of the series’ strengths.It captures the Beatles’ creative process, and it’s a joy to see these geniuses at work. It gives viewers a chance to witness some of the band’s most iconic songs getting conceived, written, developed, and recorded in real time. It’s deeply insightful for fans who want to get to know the band better.
Beatles ‘64 & Get Back Cover Different Points In The Beatles’ Career
Beatles ‘64 Is About The Band’s Breakout; Get Back Is About Their Breakup
Beatles ‘64andGet Backboth cover a very different period in the Beatles’ decade-long career.Beatles ‘64chronicles their arrival in America in 1964, when they broke out as international stars and became the biggest band in the world.Get Back, on the other hand, sees the Beatles on the precipice of their breakup in 1970.Beatles ‘64shows a band that’s just starting to gain recognitionand reckoning with their newfound fame;Get Backshows the end of an eraas the band members each separately realize they want to go in different directions.
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Get Backactually went a long way towards dispelling some of the rumors about the making ofLet It Be. For years, the common misconception had been that the creation of the album was marred by tensions between the band. ButGet Backshows that it wasn’t all bad. There was some bickering between them, which is to be expected from close creative partners, but they were still good friends when they made the album.Get Backreshaped how Beatles fans think about the final days of the band’s career.
What Peter Jackson’s Get Back Does Better Than Beatles ‘64
Get Back Shows The Beatles On A More Intimate Level
AlthoughBeatles ‘64andGet Backare both great documentaries about the Beatles,Get Backis arguably the stronger one of the two.Beatles ‘64has an incredible soundtrackand does a fine job of getting through the bullet points of that period in the band’s history, andcontrasting their growing fandom with their interpersonal conflicts. ButGet Backcaptures the Beatles on a more intimate, personal level. Its eight-hour runtime might be intimidating to some audiences, but that’s what makes it work so well. It feels like hanging out with the Beatles for eight hours.
Get Back captures the Beatles on a more intimate, personal level. Its eight-hour runtime might be intimidating to some audiences, but that’s what makes it work so well. It feels like hanging out with the Beatles for eight hours.
Beatles ‘64director David Tedeschihas delivered an insightful historical document that gives fans a chance to see what the Beatles’ first trip to the U.S. was like, and what a huge impact it had on the band’s career. ButGet Backgoes so much deeper than just capturing a specific point in the history of the Beatles. It gives viewers an opportunity to see John, Paul, George, and Ringo as human beings in their element. After watchingBeatles ‘64, there’s no better time to finally get around to checking outThe Beatles: Get Back.
The Beatles: Get Back
Cast
Directed by three-time Oscar®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, They Shall Not Grow Old), The Beatles: Get Back takes audiences back to the band’s January 1969 recording sessions, which became a pivotal moment in music history. The docu-series showcases The Beatles’ creative process as they attempt to write 14 new songs in preparation for their first live concert in over two years. Faced with a nearly impossible deadline, the strong bonds of friendship shared by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are tested.
