The Beatles have teamed up with Sir Peter Jackson for a new film documenting the band’s final days.
Made by the band’s Apple Corps Ltd. and WingNut Films, the movie is based around 55 hours of never-released footage of the Fab Four in the studio recording final album ‘Let It Be’, shot between January 2 and January 31, 1969. It culminates with their final gig on the rooftop on their Apple HQ in London, which was exactly 50 years ago today.
“The 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us, ensures this movie will be the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about – 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,” said Lord Of The Rings director Jackson.
He continued: “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’s 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”.
“I’m thrilled and honoured to have been entrusted with this remarkable footage – making the movie will be a sheer joy,” he said.
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Famed for their recent work on World War One documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, the footage will be restored by Clare Olssen and editor Jabez Olssen. The footage will be restored by Park Road Post of Wellington, New Zealand, to a pristine standard using techniques developed for the WW1 documentary film which has been nominated for a BAFTA for best documentary.
A statement also declares that the film is being made with the full co-operation of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, and Olivia Harrison.
The as-yet-untitled film does not currently have a release date but will be followed by the previously confirmed restored version of the original Let It Be movie directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg next year.
Meanwhile, it was recently reported that The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’ was almost shelved as a single thanks to its “pornographic” vinyl cover.