Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Beatles: Get Back Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 3, 2022

Note: Disney originally planned to launch 'The Beatles: Get Back' on Blu-ray in February 2022 but delayed the release by several months at the last minute due to an undisclosed (to me, anyway) audio issue. The delay hit so close to release date that the studio actually delivered screeners to the review press, only to put a halt to reviews. Disney has now supplied a fresh screener with a new release date of July 12, 2022, with the audio issue apparently fixed and with the addition of an LPCM 7.1 uncompressed track that was not on the original release. The set is otherwise identical in terms of the disappointing video presentation, the lack of supplements, and packaging.

The Beatles need no introduction, but this Blu-Ray does. This is, essentially, a fly on the wall look into the Beatles' world of record making. The series takes place in 1969, following about three weeks' worth of studio sessions as the band makes the 1970 album Let It Be. It is culled from hours of historical footage -- opening text reveals about 60 ours altogether, plus another 150 worth of audio -- and directed by Peter Jackson (who directed the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies). “At all times,” the text continues to say, “the film-makers have attempted to present an accurate portrait of the events depicted and the people involved.” Indeed, this is an in-depth, detailed, at times tedious, but often also fascinating look not just into the making of a record but into the very souls of those who gave their lives to making their music.

Official synopsis: Directed by filmmaker Peter Jackson, 'The Beatles: Get Back' is a three-part documentary series that takes audiences back in time to the band’s intimate recording sessions. The documentary showcases the warmth, camaraderie and creative genius that defined the legacy of the iconic foursome, and is compiled from over 60 hours of unseen footage shot in January 1969 (by Michael Lindsay-Hogg) and more than 150 hours of unheard audio, all of which has been brilliantly restored. Also featured — for the first time in its entirety — is The Beatles’ last live performance as a group — the unforgettable rooftop concert on London’s Savile Row — as well as other songs and classic compositions featured on the band’s final two albums, 'Abbey Road' and 'Let It Be.'

The film opens with a few minutes of basic Beatles introduction, looking at their early days as The Quarrymen, adding Rino Starr to the band, Brian Epstein's management and George Martin's production, their meteoric rise to stardom, and the “Beatlemania” phenomenon raging through Britain and the United States. As the history becomes more apropos to this program, it looks at the time when the Beatles began spending more time in the studio and making more complex music in the mid-1960s. It also explores Epstein's death and the formation of Apple Corps. That all takes place in the first few minutes and what follows is a gargantuan exploration of life in the studio over a three-week span that reveals only a fraction of the material Jackson and company methodically sorted through and assembled for this production. It's a dense, complex web of men and music and all of the noise beyond the notes that went into the making of a Beatles album. At this length it's certainly only for the most ardent Beatles fan; no doubt the material proves fascinating but more casual observers will likely tire of it well before the third installment comes to a close.

That said, hardcore fans will be rewarded with a rare -- super rare -- opportunity to peer inside the band's intimate recording sessions and explore not just the music but also the nuts and bolts behind making it -- the takes, the talks, the more serious side and the lighter side of the musical collaboration and the musicians' camaraderie. The program is oftentimes captivating, not so much for the larger dynamics at play but for the smaller nuances at work: how the foursome engages with one another, responds to suggestions, feels the music, and makes magic. Of course, there are moments when the conversation turns a little more heated, and therein lies much of the attraction, too. But that's only part of the larger picture, a raw, unfiltered (as much as it can be unfiltered, whittling the runtime down to about a tenth of the actual footage) look at how the world's most famous band made music. Jackson is essentially editor here, but he does that duty admirably, crafting a narrative flow rather than a workprint of content. As best he can, a story is built, scenes are constructed, and characters are made through footage he didn't shoot or conceive. It's a special bit of work, again more suited to a Beatles superfan but even those interested in a bit of musical history, or musical engineering, should find it a compelling bit of television.

The Beatles: Get Back Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 1080p video presentation looks poor. The image has been heavily processed. The picture is not particularly clear and in fact looks downright smudgy. Grain manipulation is obvious, rendering the image appearing far less than naturally filmic. Fine details are hard to come by. Even in close-up the picture struggles to overcome the processing that flattens the grain and smooths out detail. On the plus side, there is no print wear. Clean up has been thorough in that area; it's a shame that it's so fuzzy and processed. Overlaid graphics, the digital calendar, and the like look great -- sharp, vivid, in control -- which is in stark contrast to the fuzzy textures. Colors are not particularly dynamic, either, offering solid foundational depth but not much vividness and vibrancy. Maybe this was manipulated to deliberately look gauzy and dreamy, but whatever the reason, it does not look very good. While Beatles fans are going to be thrilled with the film proper, they're going to be severely disappointed by this video presentation.

The Beatles: Get Back Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney brings The Beatles: Get Back to Blu-ray with a trio of primary audio options: a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, LPCM 7.1 (which is new for this reissue) and an LPCM 2.0 presentation. The Atmos track is the default, and it plays fine, though the program's very nature disallows much in the way of spatial aggression or awareness. The presentation is almost entirely center focused and front-heavy through the bulk of the program inside the sessions. Dialogue is full and clear from a front-center position. Musical fidelity is fine as the listener gets to hear everything form light piano keystrokes to full band rehearsals. The track doesn't even open up all that wide at the most intensely musical scenes, but the feeling for clarity and width are fine. The 2.0 LPCM track is a little less full and dialogue not quite so firmly rooted in the center area, but it is also well capable of carrying the meager sonic needs. The track opens up all the way at day 21 on the day of the rooftop concert. Suddenly, various outdoor elements during setup are impressively full and fluid. That is not to say they are dynamic, but the greater sense of spatial awareness plays in stark contrast to the more limited scope inside through the program's bulk. This is particularly true in the Atmos configuration, though even in LPCM the added width offers more opportunity for sonic engagement and exploration. Even at its most active surrounds and overheads are scarcely in use, but the Atmos track does offer that sense of more total immersion that the LPCM 2.0 track cannot match in these more sonically dynamic scenes.

The newly supplied 7.1 LPCM track sounds a good bit fuller, deeper, and richer compared to the Atmos track but doesn't seem to really lose any significant content in terms of overall spacing that the top channels may have delivered. It's curious to find this track tacked on, and sounding superior (admittedly simply by comparing a number of scenes rather than re-listening to the entire program), making me wonder if the Atmos track has been "fixed" or of it was just "fixed" by adding this track instead. I would suggest just choosing LPCM 7.1; it's the best of the three.

The Beatles: Get Back Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No on-disc supplements are included. No DVD or digital copies are included. The set does include a promo for a companion book and four cards featuring the band members, which are difficult to slide in and out of the supplied pouch. The set ships in a glossy fold-open, book-style case with each disc inserted into its own sleeve; it will require fingerprinting the discs to remove them from the packaging. Flipping pages reveals various photographs and a calendar as the one seen throughout the series.

The Beatles: Get Back Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For lifelong, die-hard Beatles fans, this release will be a treat, at least for the content. The Blu-ray itself is disappointing, featuring wonky video quality that drastically smooths down the picture from its native film state. The audio is fine, with the new 7.1 track the best bet. No extras are disappointing, and the packaging is attractive but, like so many others built like this, somewhat frustrating and impractical in terms of ease of disc removal. Highly recommended to Beatles fans, despite the poor picture quality.