Lord Reith wrote: ↑Sat Jan 29, 2022 11:29 pm
Thinking about this some more, I reckon it will not have the interviews. But it may have the split screen.
Was lucky enough to see it at a sold out London BFI IMAX yesterday. It had both the split screens and the interviews, and it was probably the most astonishing thing I've seen at a cinema since I saw Star Wars aged 7. The combination of both stellar visuals and an utterly incredible sound was fabulous. The second Paul revs up his bass, and then Ringo starts drumming, you realise the amps are all cranked up to 11. It is physically loud in a way that hits you, like seeing a band live. This is not the same experience as watching it at home.
It isn't (I think) exactly the same as the series footage - the split screens are sometimes 3 in a row in a way that might fill a 21:9 screen, sometimes 2x2 in a way that fills a 4:3 screen and sometimes 3 arranged 1 in 4:3 with 2 screens one on top of the other to the left or right (you'll appreciate I didn't have a ruler out so forgive me if the ratios are wrong). The latter 2 versions in particular filled the whole IMAX screen. Because there is so much going on when you have split screens, it's a complete feast for the eyes - you could watch it 3-4 times and spot new things each time. Kevin getting seriously into the first take of Get Back, doorman Jimmy getting a little teary eyed when he finally makes it to the rooftop - both of these were new to me.
I have a suspicion that the interviews (which frankly, I love) were only over the released tracks, which makes me wonder if there is some kind of copyright issue - maybe only UMG can release the uninterrupted music?
Before the film, Peter Jackson did a superb hour long Q&A. Information that I'm not sure we had before:
- In the last few years they interviewed loads of involved people on film - on his ipad he played 5 seconds of an interview with PC Ray Dagg on the rooftop. The idea was to get as full a picture of goings on as possible, and presumably he had one eye on a deluxe box set.
- He mentioned 3-4 hours of White album film footage
- He showed his ipad with the 10 cameras synced to the music and how cameras were going on and off all the time.
- the IMAX version has its own unique audio mix, supervised by Giles at the only IMAX audio suite in the UK - in, unbelievably, Twickenham
- He sounded a lot less bullish about a Directors cut than on the podcasts a couple of months back
Also before the film, there was the 10 minute preamble that we got at the start of Get Back, and my word some of that footage is in need of restoration.
If you get a chance to see it, do. There are not too many chances for new Beatles experiences and this is definitely one.
