Capsule Reviews

The Beatles and Peter Jackson

Just before breaking up, Liverpool’s best lads spent several weeks in rehearsal and then presented a final, unannounced concert on the roof of their Apple Corps building. All this was captured by Michael Lindsay-Hogg in 60 hours of film, then edited down to 81 minutes for the 1969 documentary Let It Be.

Filmmaker Peter Jackson, most famous for his Lord of the Rings movies, was granted access to the original footage and from it has made a new three-part film that lasts more than five hours.

Jackson, who calls the film “a documentary about a documentary,” has created something unexpected and wonderful: an extended, up-close-and-personal visit with the Beatles. They strolled into my house and stayed there for days, chatting, laughing, and creating some of their most famous songs right before my eyes.

Watch the trailer and view on Disney+

They Shall Not Grow Old

I can’t mention Peter Jackson without recommending another of his archival projects: They Shall Not Grow Old, a documentary that plunges us into World War I, as experienced by soldiers on the battlefield. 

Jackson colorized and digitally restored hundred-year-old footage, adding sound effects and voice-over descriptions from interviews with soldiers. His work is mind-boggling and moving.

Watch the trailer and view on Netflix