New Paul McCartney documentary tells the story of Wings

In the fall of 1969, John Lennon announced that he was leaving The Beatles. Paul McCartney then retreated from the world's "Beatlemania," too. He moved back to his old farm in Scotland, which he bought years earlier, intending to rest and spend time with his family, dogs and sheep. Meanwhile, rumors swirled: What was going on with the Beatles?

The news became official in April 1970: The greatest pop band in the world was history. On the day his first solo album was released, Paul declared the Beatles era over. Paul had already begun work on his new record after John Lennon left the band, looking to redefine his sound outside the shadow of the partner with whom he had co-written most of the Beatles' songs.

The new documentary about Paul's post-Beatles life is titled "Man on the Run." It traces Paul's musical reinvention, which began in the Beatles' final months and led to the formation of his new band, Wings, after he "fled" to Scotland. Wings would go on to make music history with their album "Band on the Run."

Linda McCartney, whom Paul married in 1969, was always by his side. She wasn't a trained musician, but she could sing and play the keyboard. Away from the pressures of showbiz, they began recording simple demos and testing new ideas, discovering what worked and what didn't. The couple paved a new musical path: light, playful and happy.

After a while, they needed more musicians to bring their new ideas to life. Denny Laine (right), former frontman of Moody Blues, had been a close friend of Paul's for a long time. Next to Linda, he would become the most loyal member of the new band. He was also responsible for Wings' sound and wrote several of their later hits. 

While the other ex-Beatles members released acclaimed solo records, including John Lennon's "Imagine," Wings remained a playful band that didn't shy away from appearing in sometimes bizarre revues and TV shows. Above all, it was Paul McCartney's name that kept the band in the spotlight. Wings added more members and began to change their image.

Aboard a brightly painted bus, their families in tow, the band toured Europe. At times celebrated and at others dismissed, they nonetheless continued to grow. In 1973, Wings returned to the studio. Despite a robbery and other setbacks, they recorded an album that silenced the critics: "Band on the Run," featuring hits like "Live and Let Die" and "Jet," would come to be seen as a masterpiece.

"Man on the Run" features archive footage and previously unreleased material. Some are blurry or shaky Super 8 recordings, while others have been distorted and re-edited by Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville from the US. The protagonists' off-screen voices accompany the images, giving the film an intimate feel.

The film also asks who was truly responsible for the Beatles' breakup. Was it John, Paul, Yoko Ono or their later manager, Allen Klein? In an almost therapeutic way, it returns to this question throughout, suggesting that the band's end was, for Paul McCartney, a kind of catharsis. In 1981, Wings disbanded.