( APPLAUSE )
EVERYBODY!
FOLKS, I AM EXCITED TO SAY,s MY NEXT GUEST IS PETER JACKSON,
THE ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING WRITER AND DIRECTOR OF A FILM SERIES
I'VE SEEN ONCE OR TWICE: "THE LORD OF THE RINGS."
BUT I DARE SAY, HIS LATEST FILM IS SOMETHING EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE:
THE BEAUTIFUL BEATLES DOCUMENTARY, "GET BACK."
TO CREATE THIS FILM, THE BEATLES GAVE JACKSON ACCESS TO OVER 57
HOURS OF BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE FROM THE RECORDING
SESSIONS FROM THEIR ALBUM, "LET IT BE."
THESE MOMENTS WERE CAPTURED ON FILM, THEN PUT AWAY IN A
VAULT FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS, AND JACKSON SPENT THE LAST FOUR
YEARS POURING OVER THIS FOOTAGE AND RESTORING IT ALL IN ORDER TO
TELL A HISTORY-REWRITING STORY ABOUT WHAT WHAT THE
RELATIONSHIPS IN THE LAST YEAR OF THAT BAND WERE REALLY LIKE.
NOW, DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS, PETER COULDN'T LEAVE NEW
ZEALAND, BUT I HAD THE PLEASURE OF TALKING WITH HIM ALL THE WAY
FROM WELLINGTON.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY CONVERSATION WITH SIR PETER
JACKSON!
HELLO PETER.
>> HI, STEPHEN.
WE'RE HERE, RIGHT.
>> WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT THE NIGHT THAT I SHOWED YOU ALL THAT
SECRET FOOTAGE.
IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
BUT YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN A LOT OF IT A FEW YEARS AGO.
>> Stephen: SO I SHOULDN'T MENTION THAT TWO YEARS AGO, WHEN
I WAS IN NEW ZEALAND, I SPENT THE WEEKEND APT YOUR HOUSE, AND
WE SPENT EIGHT HOURS OVER TWO DAYS WATCHING RAW FOOTAGE THAT
YOU... SHOWED THE EDITING PROCESS.
>> THAT WOULD CAUSE ME HUGE PROBLEMS IF WE EVEN BREATHED A
WORD OF IT.
I THINK I REMEMBER WE EVEN SHED TEARS THAT NIGHT.
DIDN'T WE?
>> Stephen: I THINK I BURST INTO TEARS WHEN YOU SAID I COULD
WATCH IT.
I REMEMBER THAT PART.
>> THE TEARS MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN THE BEATLES.
THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ANOTHER THING WE WERE DOING.
THAT'S ALL RIGHT.
>> Stephen: I WANT TO START THIS INTERVIEW WITH SOMETHING
KIND OF SHOCKING, BECAUSE THIS WILL BE THE ONLY INTERVIEW I
EVER DO WITH YOU WHERE I DON'T TALK ABOUT "THE LORD OF THE
RINGS."
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY THIS-- I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY THIS, BUT
"THE LORD OF THE RINGS" IS NOW MY SECOND FAVORITE TRILOGY.
MY FAVORITE IS NOW "THE BEATLES: GET BACK."
>> I WONDER WILL THIS BE THE FIRST INTERVIEW I DO WITH
STEPHEN WHERE HE DOESN'T MENTION "THE LORD OF THE RINGS."
>> Stephen: ONLY TO MENTION I WON'T MENTION THEM.
THAT'S IT INSPECT NEVER COMES UP AGAIN.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WE ALL WERE SORT OF SOLD OR TAUGHT THIS HISTORY
OF THE BEATLES OF THIS SORT OF FRACTIOUS, VERY
FRICTION-FILLEDDED, ARGUMENTATIVE END TO THE LAST
YEAR OF THE BEATLES.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: THIS-- THIS THREE-PART FILM THAT YOU'VE MADE
COMPLETELY BLOWS THAT UP.
IT'S-- IT'S A-- THEY LOVE EACH OTHER.
THEY'RE-- THEY'RE HAVING AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF FUN.
THERE IS SOME FRICTION.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: BUT THEY CLEARLY LOVE CREATING WITH EACH OTHER.
WHAT DO YOU-- HOW DO YOU THINK IT'S GOING TO CHANGE PEOPLE'S
VIEW OF THE END OF THE BEATLES?
>> WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT IT IS KNOW-- AND IF IT'S
ANYTHING SORT OF SAD OR MEL AN COAL ABOUT IT, IT'S NOT BECAUSE
YOU'RE LOOKING AT THEM BREAKING UP, BUT YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE
BIGGEST BAND IN THE WORLD WHO HAVE DONE EVERYTHING THEY HAVE
DONE, BEATLEMANIA, SHEA STADIUM, "SERGEANT PEPPER "GROUNDBREAKING
ALBUMS, THEY ARRIVE AT JANUARY 1969 AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT IT IS TO BE THE BEATLES AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE-- DAMN.
EXCUSE ME.
AT THE END OF "THE LORD OF THE RINGS," WHEN FRODO SAYS WE SAVE
THE SHIRE BUT NOT FOR ME, I STARTED TO PROJECT THAT.
THE BEATLES CHANGED THE WORLD, DID ALL THIS, ONLY TO REALIZE
THAT THERE'S NOT REALLY A PLACE FOR THEM.
THEY CAN'T-- THEY DON'T WANT-- THEY WANT TO PERFORM TO 300
PEOPLE.
THEY'VE ASKED TO PERFORM 60,000.
YOU TRY TO SELL 300 TICKETS TO A SHOW, YOU WILL HAVE 60,000
PEOPLE COMING UP THE STREET.
WHAT THEY WANT TO DO IS NOT PRACTICAL.
THEY'RE SUDDENLY REALIZING,s WHAT WE WANT TO DO-- WE'RE THE
BIGGEST BAND IN THE WORLD, WE HAVE A VERY SIMPLE THING WE WANT
TO DO.
WE JUST WANT TO BE A ROCK 'N' ROLL BAND.
WE CAN'T DO IT.
THE WORLD HAS NO PLACE FOR US ANYMORE.
I GET THAT FEEL FROM IT.
IT'S A BITTERSWEET FEELING.
>> Stephen: PEOPLE MAKE A LOT OF THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN JOHN
AND PAUL, AND THAT'S OFTEN WHERE A LOT OF THE DISCUSSION OF THE
FRICTION IN THE BAND CAME.
THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF COMPLEXITY THAT'S REVEALED
BETWEEN ALL OF THEIR RELATIONSHIPS IN THIS
DOCUMENTARY.
BUT WHAT STRUCK ME IS THAT THIS IS, IN MANY WAYS, A LOVE STORY.
>> YEAH, I AGREE.
>> Stephen: BETWEEN-- BETWEEN ALL OF THEM, BUT REALLY BETWEEN
JOHN AND PAUL.
THEY-- THEY CLEARLY LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH, EVEN, LIKE, IN
MOMENTS WHEN JOHN MIGHT BE BEING A BIT OF A PILL FROM AN OUTSIDE
OBSERVER, PAUL WILL LAUGH AND SNEAK A LOOK TO THE CAMERA THAT
LOOKS LIKE "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE JOHN?" WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF THEIR
RELATIONSHIP AFTER SPENDING THESE MANY YEARS WITH THEM IN
SUCH AN INTIMATE WAY?
>> I'LL TELL YOU ONE OF THE THINGS THAT AFFECTED ME, AND I
NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE, BUT THE FOOTAGE IS
THERE.
I HAD AN APPRECIATION OF HOW UTTERLY PAINFUL THIS MUST HAVE
BEEN FOR PAUL BECAUSE HE'S WATCHING HIS CLOSEST CREATIVE
COLLABORATOR, SOMEONE HE'S KNOWN SINCE THEY WERE 15 OR 16 YEARS
OLD, START TO DRIFT AND GO TOWARDS-- JOHN'S NOT PUSHING
PAUL AWAY.
BUT PAUL'S WATCHING YOKO NOW BECOME THE COLLABORATOR JOHN IS
EXCITED ABOUT.
AND CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW PAINFUL THAT MUST BE FOR PAUL, HOW
UTTERLY, UTTERLY PAINFUL.
HE'S JUST WATCHING IT.
AN HE DEALS WITH IT.
HE DEALS WITH IT.
HE'S TRYING TO RATIONALIZE IT.
HE LOVES THE BEATLES AND WANTS TO GET ON WITH IT.
AND YOU FEEL IT.
THAT NEVER EVEN OCCURRED TO ME BEFORE.
IT'S ALL ABOUT JOHN AND PAUL, IT'S ALL THE NEGATIVE STUFF, BUT
YOU SEE THIS KIND OF THING HAPPENING, AND IT'S-- WOW.
>> Stephen: ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MOMENTS FOR ME IS WHEN
GEORGE ISN'T THERE, JOHN'S NOT THERE.
GEORGE HAS LEFT OF THE BAND.
THEY DON'T KNOW IF HE'S COMING BACK.
THEY'RE NOT SURE WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH JOHN.
IT'S JUST PAUL AND RINGO AND LINDA'S THERE, AND MICHEAL
LINDSAY-HOGG IS THERE, AND MIGHT BE WHEN THEY DIDN'T KNOW THEY
WERE BEING FILMED.
BUT THERE'S A SINGLE SHOT-- A SINGLE SHOT OF PAUL SAYING,
BASICALLY, "IF HE WANTS TO BE WITH YOKO, THAT'S FINE.
WE CAN'T MAKE HIM CHOOSE.
HE'LL CHOOSE YOKO AND THAT'S WHAT HE SHOULD DO."
BUT THE CAMERA IS SETTLED ON PAUL FOR WHAT FEELS LIKE 45
SECONDS OR SOMETHING, AND HE'S CLEARLY WRESTLING WITH ENORMOUS
EMOTION INSIDE ABOUT WHAT HE COULD-- I PROJECT ON THAT-- WHAT
HE COULD DO IN THAT MOMENT.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT MOMENT?
BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND HRPT WRENDING
MOMENTS IN THIS ENTIRE THING.
>> THAT MOMENT IS A MOMENT-- EVERYONE KNOWS THAT GEORGE
LEAVES.
THAT'S THE MOMENT THAT THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT JOHN HAS ALSO
LEFT.
JOHN HASN'T SH SHOWN UP FOR WORK THEY KNOW GEORGE HAS WALKED OUT.
AND THE SHOT STARTS WITH PAUL SAYING, "AND THEN THERE WERE
TWO."
AND HE TRIES TO HOLD THE TEARS BACK.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK, PETER.
DON'T GO ANYWHERE EVERYBODY WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH THE
DIRECTOR OF THE "THE BEATLES: GET BACK," PETER JACKSON.
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