Peter Jackson’s new Beatles film is what ‘fans have long dreamt about’

By MiNDFOOD

New Zealand film maker Peter Jackson arrives for the world premiere of his film "They Shall Not Grow Old" during the BFI London Film Festival in London, Britain October 16, 2018. Photo Credit: Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool via REUTERS
New Zealand film maker Peter Jackson arrives for the world premiere of his film "They Shall Not Grow Old" during the BFI London Film Festival in London, Britain October 16, 2018. Photo Credit: Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool via REUTERS

Sir Peter Jackson is set to make a new Beatles film documenting the bands’ ‘Let It Be’ recording sessions.

Following his successful first world war documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, Peter Jackson has signed on to direct a second archive project: a film edited from the full 55 hours of footage of the Beatles’ Let It Be recording sessions.

The Lord of the Rings director says his take on the recording sessions for the Let it Be album turned out to be “funnyuplifting and surprisingly intimate”.

In a statement, he described the film as “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,” he says.

New Zealand film maker Peter Jackson arrives for the world premiere of his film “They Shall Not Grow Old” during the BFI London Film Festival in London, Britain October 16, 2018. Photo Credit: Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool via REUTERS

The Kiwi director is collaborating with the Beatles’ record company Apple, with the approval of McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison.

“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 … I’m thrilled and honoured to have been entrusted with this remarkable footage. Making the movie will be a sheer joy.”

Jackson has teamed up again with his They Shall Not Grow Old partners, producer Clare Olssen and editor Jabez Olssen. The footage will be restored with techniques developed for the first World War documentary film which has been nominated for a BAFTA for best documentary.

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