Peter Jackson Directing New Beatles Doc
• Lord of the Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson is working on a new Beatles documentary that will chronicle the making of the band’s 1970 Let It Be album. Jackson will have full access to the 55 hours of rare in-studio film shot by Michael Lindsay-Hogg in early 1969 for his 1970 feature film, Let It Be. Fittingly, the announcement about the project was made on Jan. 30 — the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ final live performance — their now legendary January 30, 1969 set (accompanied by Billy Preston on keyboards) on the roof of the Apple Corps building at 3 Savile Row in London. “The 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us ensure this movie will be the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about,” Jackson said. “It’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together.”
As Variety reports, the original Let It Be film has long been out of circulation, released only on VHS and laserdisc. The film was restored for a planned DVD release in the early 2000s, but that was scuttled amid reports that Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were unhappy with the movie’s emphasis on the tension in the studio. However, according to NPR, Jackson said, “I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth. After reviewing all the footage and audio that Michael Lindsay-Hogg shot 18 months before they broke up, it’s simply an amazing historical treasure-trove. Sure, there are moments of drama — but none of the discord this project has long been associated with. Watching John, Paul, George, and Ringo work together, creating now-classic songs from scratch, is not only fascinating — it’s funny, uplifting and surprisingly intimate.”
Jackson plans to enhance the film’s original 16mm footage using the same amazing technology he employed to restore the World War I footage he used for his highly acclaimed documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old. Sources believe the still-untitled film will be released in 2020 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Let It Be album and movie. [Photo by Apple Corps Ltd.]
