The Beatles: Get Back, the latest archive doc from The Lord of the Rings maestro Peter Jackson, debuted to stellar reviews earlier this week, with critics centering on the series' "thrilling immersion" in placing us in the late-Sixties recording sessions variously enjoyed and endured by the plucky Liverpudlian lads. Much of the series' immersiveness is owed to the candor of the four central subjects: "[John] Lennon is visibly, joylessly stoned out of his gourd," as The Guardian says, and there are terrific moments of previously unseen friction, like when George Harrison storms out of a fiery taping.
But according to Jackson, speaking to NME, Disney almost forced the filmmakers to edit out the band's swearing. “Disney wanted to remove all the swearing and Ringo [Starr], Paul [McCartney] and Olivia [Harrison] said: ‘That’s how we spoke. That’s how we talked. That’s how we want the world to see us,’” Jackson said in the interview. This would have clearly negated the enthrallment, no?
No doubt the studio wanted to nix the bad language to sell the series to a broader audience, but one does have to wonder... how young do they think fans of The Beatles tend to slant? Whatever the case, fans around the world will be glad that, asked to make such censorious edits, the remaining members of the group had three words: let it be.
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Collider's own Steve Weintraub recently shared his thoughts on the documentary, saying:
"If you’re a fan of The Beatles and have Disney+, you absolutely need to set aside some time to watch Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back original docuseries later this week when it starts streaming. Originally filmed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg back in January 1969, the footage is an incredible behind-the-scenes look at one of the biggest bands of all time trying to write new songs under a tight deadline. In addition, it’s the very first time The Beatles’ last live performance as a group, the rooftop concert on London’s Savile Row, has been shown in its entirety. As a lifelong fan of the band, I was mesmerized watching John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr’s creative process and the way they interacted with one another in the studio."
The documentary is produced by Clare Olssen and Jonathan Clyde, alongside Ken Kamins and Apple Corps’ Jeff Jones as executive producers. Jabez Olssen is playing the pivotal role as the documentary’s editor, while all the musical elements will be handled by Giles Martin and Sam Okell. The Beatles: Get Back is currently streaming on Disney+.