“Get Back To Where They Once Belonged”
By Shannon MacDonald
When the movie “Let It Be” was released in 1970, we were already in a state of mending as our broken Beatles-Hearts were blindsided by their unforeseen demise. We dashed to the theaters with high hopes of seeing the last jovial shenanigans of the Kings of Pop Music in all their glory… Something we were more than used to and would never see again. Instead, we sat and truly watched the break-up happen right before our very eyes. The movie was drab, cold, uninspiring, and brutal at best. The true treat was at the end of the film, when The Beatles performed their death waltz on the rooftop of Apple. As we left the theater, we and our friends were quiet and somewhat stung by the film’s reality. “How could this be? It can’t end this way!” It was as if we sat through the finest meal and the dessert never showed. We were torn and shattered, reminiscing about the delightful days of “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!”. Oh, how those movies recharged our senses and jolted us into a high no drug could ever induce!
As the film settled into the year ahead, there was no grand red carpet movie premiere or Box Office Mo-Jo. As promising rumors quickly spread, we had high hopes of seeing our heroes together, for one last time, at the 1971 Oscars. As Glen Campbell announced their win, the crowd’s enthusiasm was evident as faces looked around the room to spot a Beatle. The flame was quickly extinguished when it was announced, “And on behalf of The Beatles, Quincy Jones will accept the award.” Blah-blah-blah. We were spoon-fed another Beatles-No-Show. Once again, we were left deflated with the reality that the Mania was truly over.
Here we are a half-century later. Get ready to be infused with enthusiasm as history re-writes what we thought was un-rewritable. After 50-years, over 50-hours of footage from the “Let It Be” film sessions will be released in 2021. The new title is the original title, “Get Back”. It depicts The Beatles just as we remember them in their heyday. They are glorious within their brotherhood of music and tight-knit Good-Ship-Fab. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr are dancing, singing, clowning, and dawdling through their recording sessions with comical genius and wit. The magic is obvious within the new-old footage.
One must ask the questions… Why were we treated to a dimly lit movie, such as “Let It Be”, when all this amazing footage was available? Who piloted the “seat of responsibility” over what hit the cutting room floor and what didn’t?
We are happy to show you some footage of what is to come… in 2021. Enjoy!