It’s 50 years ago to the day that The Beatles gave their last live performance as the Fab Four. To coincide with the special anniversary, The Lord of the Rings director Jackson has announced he’s making a documentary film on the recording of the band’s final album Let It Be. Last year the filmmaker released his astonishing colour WW1 documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, made up of hundreds of hours of footage. And now he has access to around 55 hours of unseen material of The Beatles in their studio recording Let It Be in January 1969.
In a statement, Jackson said: “The 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us, ensures this movie will be 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.
“I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth.
“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.”
Jackson added: “Sure, there’s moments of drama – but none of the discord this project has long been associated with.
“Watching John, Paul, George, and Ringo work together, creating now-classic songs from scratch, is not only fascinating – it’s funny, uplifting and surprisingly intimate.
“I’m thrilled and honoured to have been entrusted with this remarkable footage – making the movie will be a sheer joy.”
Jackson is working on the documentary film with his They Shall Not Grow Old team and a release date and title are yet to be announced.