The stirring snippet splices together even more never-before-seen footage of the band as they rush to write and record 14 songs in three weeks, prior to their rooftop performance at London's Savile Row
(Image credit: Walt Disney Studios/YouTube)
After its initial 2020 release date was postponed due to the pandemic, Peter Jackson’s hotly awaited Beatles documentary, The Beatles: Get Back, is just weeks away from its November 25 premiere.
And, to increase anticipation for the film even further, Walt Disney Studios has shared the first official trailer for the three-part docuseries – the second extended look we’ve seen of Get Back following last year’s five minute sneak peek.
The trailer shares even more never-before-seen footage, splicing together clips taken from the band’s hallowed January 1969 writing and recording sessions that preceded their first live performance in three years – the unforgettable rooftop gig on London’s Savile Row.
It is this era of the Beatles that the film focuses on, with Get Back retracing the heated tensions and warming camaraderie of the crew in the build up to the band’s final live performance as a group.
Of course, though it was an era that brought about the end of the Beatles, it was also a time during which the band wrote, recorded and released some of their most iconic songs.
“In January 1969, a film crew was given unprecedented access to document The Beatles at work,” reads the trailer’s on-screen text. “This resulted in over 57 hours of the most intimate footage ever shot of the band.
“The footage has been locked in a vault for over half a century. Unseen… until now.”
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Pieced together by three-time Oscar-winner Jackson – whose academy award-winning directorial credits include The Lord Of The Rings trilogy – the film will also feature previously unheard audio clips, and has been compiled from over 21 days worth of footage that was originally filmed by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
Highlights from the new trailer include snippets of the stirring-as-ever tracks Don’t Let Me Down, Get Back and Let It Be, as well as Harrison’s mid-session departure from the band. “I think we should forget the whole idea of the show,” Harrison comments before leaving, with the remaining Beatles going on to discuss how best to continue without their guitarist.
Paul McCartney playing George Harrison's rosewood Fender Telecaster (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios/YouTube)
Some other neat little trailer tidbits that are bound to get guitarists raving include McCartney playing Harrison’s rosewood Fender Telecaster upside-down, and Lennon wielding a Fender Bass VI.
As well as including glimpses of band’s fallouts, the trailer also pays tribute to the group’s world-conquering chemistry, with McCartney defiantly declaring, “The best bit of us all ways has been, and always will be, when we’re backs against the wall.”
A statement issued with the trailer commented, “Get Back takes audiences back in time to the band’s January 1969 recording sessions, which became a pivotal moment in music history. Faced with a nearly impossible deadline, the strong bonds of friendship shared by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr are put to the test.
“What emerges is an unbelievably intimate portrait of The Beatles, showing how, with their backs against the wall, they could still rely on their friendship, good humor, and creative genius.”
The Beatles: Get Back will premiere on November 25 on Disney+ , and run for consecutive days up until November 27.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
