While it can be said that “There is nothing you can know that isn’t known” about John, Paul, George and Ringo in the years between 1957 to 1970 when they existed in various forms of the band that would become the Beatles, the richness of the story is such that it still seems to reveal so much when revisited and seen through different eyes.

As the epic, and certainly not hobbit-sized, recent new cut of Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s footage of the Let it Be recording sessions, skilfully presented by Lord of the Rings Director, Peter Jackson, shows us, there are still things out there to surprise and even change our views on the dynamics and impact of the group.

Seeing Paul as the clear leader of the band, flies in the face of the role Lennon played, here he is more than happy to ceed control to his deputy, and on the flip side realising that George’s disillusionment with his role in the band is aggravated by McCartneys indifference and not John’s, shows that this story, the greatest story ever told (Well almost, there is one other), still has the potential to reveal more.

With a running time of 468 minutes, ‘Get Back’ released on Disney’s streaming service on the 25th November, is a thanksgiving gift that runs just 20 minutes shorter than Jackson’s other opus, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but is much more rewarding. So much of the great work the Beatles did happened behind closed doors so to be given this access all these years later is not so much a trip down memory lane but a time-travelling journey to rival anything Jules Verne could cook up.

Jackson and his crew, have in taking away the greatest barrier to enjoyment in cleaning up and enhancing the footage, allowed us to enjoy the unfolding of this new Beatle narrative without distraction. Seeing the young Beatles in glorious technicolour not only is a treat for the eyes but a reminder for us of the fragility and fleetingness of time itself. Paul, John, George and Ringo are not even 30 years old here but the footage makes it seem like it was filmed yesterday and that in itself makes Jackson, already laden with gold statuettes, worthy of whatever awards come his way.

As Jackson said in promoting the series, he sat there in editing waiting for the arguments, waiting for the spats, waiting for Yoko to cast her spell and it just never came. Much of what we thought we knew or had gleaned from the original cut of this footage by Lindsay-Hogg that became the film ‘Let it Be’ has been washed away.

From Episode 1 we can see that Paul has become the self-appointed leader of the band and part-time manager, he is also a greater creative force than John, proving a powerhouse during the weeks of filming, plucking the films title track from thin air in 2 minutes of inspiration and also contributing songs like The Long and Winding Road and Let it Be, during a purple patch that will be the envy of every song writer on the planet. That drive does also contribute the biggest drama too, where jealous of McCartney and Lennon’s bond and rightfully miffed at the luke-warm reaction to his own compositions from Paul in ‘All things Must Pass’, George votes with his feet, hot-footing it to Liverpool to let of steam and let the remaining band members stew in the hot mess they have created.

Watching on as 40 seconds of footage early in Part 2, shows Pauls Beatle life flash before his eyes, demonstrates that this band meant as much to him as it does to us. As Paul, along with Ringo, Linda, George Martin and others reflect on a chaotic 24 hours that has seen George leave and John a no-show, seeing Paul in tears as he contemplates what could be the end of the band and the end of his friendships as he knows them is heart wrenching. Paul’s pushiness makes sense now, he is trying to hold it all together, keep them interested by being the catalyst for them to make their best music together and not apart. Ringo is in tears too, the glue that has held them together, the most neutral member of the band has no control now, they are growing up and growing apart and it is sad but inevitable that they are either witnessing the end or it is likely in sight.

For us as viewers in the privileged position as flies on the wall at No. 3 Saville Row, we see a glimpse into the future, not just for the break up to follow after Abbey Road but the loss of John and then George, by 2001, Paul’s line he utters through the tears, ‘and then there were two’ becomes a sad and poignant moment of prophecy, as illness and unfathomable circumstance rob them of two fourths of their band of brothers and the world of half of the group who have been with us through our own journeys in that time.

What hits hard in this moment is that we have made these four men a reference for so much in our own lives. When we witness their loss, we are reminded of our own, when we celebrate their triumphs we remember our own victories. The genius of ‘Get Back’ is that we see them for what they are, four young men, as vulnerable and as human as the rest of us

Sharing this moment with us Jackson has allowed us to feel the same, to mourn the loss we know is coming, and it is this that makes ‘Get Backs’ second half the most rewarding and uplifting piece of documentary footage you will see for many a year. You can see the sheer joy and relief on Paul and Ringo’s face when John and Yoko, show up unannounced, eager to find a solution to get George back, although John quite bluntly suggests getting Clapton in if they have no joy, and you can see following the already infamous flower-pot scene how when John talks that Paul still listens and sees the error of his ways in not giving George the space he needs to get his ideas out.

As we get to Part 3, we are treated to a celebration of both the Beatles and life. Paul’s soon to be step daughter Heather and the luminous Billy Preston, light up the studio like a 1,000 watt bulb, their presence is a joy and sets the tone to allow Jackson to rewrite the rooftop gig, not as the damp squib we have been peddled for the last 50 plus years but actually a crowning moment for the band and the whole Beatle family, who got to see them perform live for the first, but sadly last time, since they abruptly ended their touring years.

As crowds gather on the street, to hear but not see, this moment, it is clear that each of the four are going to enjoy this and take it all in. John, prone to goofing and gooning during rehearsals is note perfect, George and Ringo too don’t miss a beat, and Paul looks happy and once again emotional that his grand vision has come together and he can share this moment with his three friends and their loved ones, with special mention to an enthusiastic Mo Starkey.

Jackson’s decision to employ split screen and intercut the concert with vox-pops from the street at this point seems inspired. We get to witness the event in real-time from multiple points of view, which turns the rooftop performance into a truly three dimensional experience. Even the slightly angry policemen, intent on bringing proceedings to a swift end, seem to embrace it by the time they make it skywards, perhaps aware that they are witnessing and becoming part of a little bit of history in the making.

Jackson’s decision to not fade-out at that point and to take us back to the studio to see and hear the happiness of a job well done, complete with well timed foot tapping from the Beatle wives and girlfriends, is a moment of true togetherness. There is no division here, they are laughing and listening together and enjoying the fruits of three weeks hard labour, even Yoko, so often cast, as we now know, unfairly as the wedge that broke up the Beatles is in her element, proud to have born witness to the birth of this new record and cock-a-hoop that her and John can soon tie the knot.

As the titles crawl, we get to see further run throughs of numbers, mostly Paul’s ballads, that were not best suited for the blustery and precarious rooftop, slowly Jackson edges us out of the room and we are aware that our time with the Beatles is nearly up. Reflecting, however, as many of us did after we witness the fade, we are left to ponder if there is ‘Nothing you can know that isn’t known’ about this band. One Twitter user even musing that he had thrown away all his Beatle books after the credits rolled, all that he believed now seemingly rendered useless.

What we do know for sure is that this was a moment where the band were not splitting up but battling to stay together. In the weeks that followed the story became much more complex. That John was so taken with Allen Klein, despite Glyn John’s barely veiled warnings that he could not be trusted, and that Paul was so against his appointment shows us why things went steadily south after the Beatles came down from that rooftop. From that high came the fall, where business took over from the real reason they were doing this in the first place, to make great music together.

As Klein came in and swept the decks of what he saw as deadwood, he took away the security the Beatles had in surrounding themselves with people they trusted. Gone were the likes of Mal Evans, the road manager turned concierge and fixer who had been with them since the Cavern days and also the kind of comforting presences and buffers they needed when things got tense. The heady days at Apple were gone, yes they lost the hangers on and the spongers but they also lost those that kept them grounded too.

The cracks in the veneer would soon show during the making of Abbey Road and the struggle for control of Apple, like the infamous deconstructed cups that John and Yoko would sell as art. By 1970 the Beatles cup was missing instructions and missing the glue to put it back together. We know that this was coming but what we didn’t know was that the making of ‘Let it Be’ was not the disaster it has often been painted to be, it was in fact the last moment of real togetherness and joy for four men who were growing up and apart.

It was the Beatles last summer and long may we bask in its warmth.