The Fab Four sang a song originally by Buck Owens “Ringo Starr once sang, “Act Naturally,” which included the phrase “Might win an Oscar you can never know.” In addition to their 1971 Academy Award for the documentary Let It Be, the Disney+ series The Beatles: Get Back, directed by Peter Jackson, won five honours at the 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmys. Last night at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, The Beatles: Get Back swept all five of the categories in which it was nominated for the three-part series.
These categories included Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program, and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Non ” (for “Part 3: Days 17-22”). Jackson won the prize for Outstanding Directing over other nominees such as George Carlin’s American Dream directors Judd Apatow and Micahel Bonfiglio, Lucy and Desi’s Amy Pohler, We Need to Talk About Cosby’s W. Kamau Bell, and The Andy Warhol Diaries’ Andrew Rossi. The Beatles: Get Back, which premiered on Disney+ one episode each day from November 25-27, 2018, followed the Fab Four as they recorded their last album, Let It Be.
While a documentary about the album’s creation was produced in 1970, Jackson’s three-part version is more in-depth and runs for a total of 468 minutes. In these sessions, the audience gets a behind-the-scenes look into the band’s creative process, witnessing Paul McCartney write “Get Back” from a basic bass line and hearing other members of the band perform older compositions (such as “Twenty Flight Rock” and “Stand By Me”). Songs like “All Things Must Pass” by George Harrison and “The Back Seat of My Car,” which appeared on Paul McCartney’s album Ram, had their genesis in this documentary series.
The renowned rooftop concert is the series’ climax. Jackson has remastered the old film and crafted a monumental documentary for Beatles fans to devour. Disney also aired the documentary’s rooftop performance segment in select IMAX cinemas earlier this year under the title The Beatles: Get Back — The Rooftop Concert. The Dolby Atmos-remixed concert recording was made accessible on streaming platforms. Jackson’s restoration work was used in McCartney’s recent Got Back tour. That includes letting McCartney sing a duet with the late John Lennon on the song “I’ve Got a Feeling” from the album Let It Be.
The Beatles: Get Back is out now on Blu-ray, DVD, and the Disney+ streaming service.