Culture Crash: A New Perspective on the Fab Four

During Thanksgiving week, Disney+ rolled out all eight hours of Get Back, a new documentary from director Peter Jackson about The Beatles recording the album that would eventually become “Let It Be.” That period has long been believed to be the time that led to the band dissolving, not the least because of another documentary, called Let It Be, portrayed it as such.

But the magic of Jackson’s corrective, extended documentary is that it shows that period for what it actually was: an intense, magical time when The Beatles argued and grew apart, sure, but also when they continued to make great music and were having a lot of fun with each other. The arguments are there, but so is the collaboration and intense friendship.

Much of the documentary simply puts the viewer in the room with the Fab Four as they jam on their instruments or bang their heads against the wall trying to fix the melodies and lyrics that we all now know so well.

One particular moment, where Paul McCartney strums and hums his way through an unfinished version of the song “Get Back,” went viral, and it’s no wonder. It truly feels magical to be let in on the moment when one of our times great creative geniuses figures out his next big output. It’s a rare insight into Paul and The Beatles and also creativity itself.

Like I said, the biggest delight of Get Back is hanging out with the most famous band of all time, and to get to see them all in their natural element: making music, back in their 20s. It’s a thrill to watch, all eight hours of it.

Get Back is now streaming on Disney+.