“Now And Then” Music Video, Directed by Oscar® and Emmy® Award-Winning Filmmaker Peter Jackson, to Launch on Disney+ November 3
BURBANK, Calif. (November 1, 2023) – “Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song” is now streaming on Disney+! The 12-minute documentary film, written and directed by Oliver Murray, tells the story behind the last Beatles song “Now And Then,” with exclusive footage and commentary from Paul, Ringo, George, Sean Ono Lennon and Peter Jackson.
Speaking about the short film, Oliver Murray says: “The legacy of The Beatles set one of the most important foundations for modern youth culture. It is a great honor to be given the responsibility of telling this story and I think it will conjure up a lot of different emotions for people as we all have a very personal relationship to the band’s work. ‘Now And Then’ is a story of musical archaeology and a brotherly bond between four guys that gave the world some of the most popular entertainment in history.”
The last Beatles song “Now And Then” will be released worldwide at 10:00am ET / 7:00am PT on Thursday, November 2 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. The accompanying music video for “Now And Then,” directed by three-time Oscar®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, will be available November 3 on Disney+.
Speaking about the music video, Peter Jackson says: “We wanted the music video to bring a few tears to the eye, but generating emotion using only archive footage is a tricky thing. Fortunately, the simple power of this beautiful song did a lot of the work for us. I have genuine pride in what we made, and I’ll cherish that for years to come.”
The eventful journey of “Now And Then” took place over five decades and is the product of conversations and collaborations between the four Beatles that go on to this day. The long mythologized John Lennon demo was first worked on in February 1995 by Paul, George and Ringo as part of The Beatles Anthology project but it remained unfinished, partly because of the impossible technological challenges involved in working with the vocal John had recorded on tape in the 1970s.
For years it looked like the song could never be completed. But in 2022 there was a stroke of serendipity. A software system developed by Peter Jackson and his team, used throughout the production of the documentary series “The Beatles: Get Back,” finally opened the way for the uncoupling of John’s vocal from his piano part. As a result, the original recording could be brought to life and worked on anew with contributions from all four Beatles. This remarkable story of musical archaeology reflects The Beatles’ endless creative curiosity and shared fascination with technology. It marks the completion of the last recording that John, Paul and George and Ringo will get to make together and celebrates the legacy of the foremost and most influential band in popular music history.
Subscribers can revisit fan-favorite content featuring The Beatles on Disney+ today. The Emmy Award-winning docuseries “The Beatles: Get Back” and the documentary film “If These Walls Could Sing” are now streaming.
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