Hated on its original release, Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s rereleased 1970 documentary is full of personality but drags in places
Unavailable to the public (unless you count ropey pirated VHS copies) for some 50 years and received on its release in 1970 with the enthusiasm usually reserved for a ferocious bout of norovirus (the sting of the band’s recent breakup had something to do with it, as did issues of tone, pacing and a Macca-skewed focus), Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s documentary is finally served up to audiences once again, via Disney+. Some, but not all, of this film about the making of the Beatles’ final album will be familiar to those who watched Get Back, Peter Jackson’s nearly eight-hour three-part series – assembled from footage shot by Lindsay-Hogg for this film. We see the formative stages of now-classic songs; a chipper Paul, rattling on to fill the silence; John looking so bored he’s on the verge of tears: at the very least it’s a fascinating historical document. However, the fly on the wall songbook approach is draggy and repetitive – this remains a flawed and slightly frustrating music documentary.
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