With a documentary about Abbey Road Studios, Mary McCartney looks at the family heritage, but also at 90 years of recording history

When Mary McCartney was approached by producer John Battsek ("Searching for Sugar Man," "One Day in September") to make a film about London's legendary Abbey Road Studios, she didn't immediately jump at the chance, as almost any other photographer interested in getting into documentary filmmaking would have done. It's not hard to guess why she might have hesitated and then succumbed to the idea of ​​making "If These Walls Could Sing," which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival over the weekend and won. was picked up for streaming on Disney+.

"I think because of my last name I'm getting a little too sensitive", says Paul McCartney's daughter, seated at a table adjacent to the sidewalk in Telluride. “I used to be afraid of everything that concerned my family, wanting with my photography to make a name for myself in my own region. I mean, I've always been very proud of my family, but I recently realized (I should) not be afraid because I feel like I'm being judged. …. Before, I was like, my family is my family and my career is my career, and now I'm at the point where I'm confident enough to merge the two."

It didn't hurt to consider that The Beatles Adventures in Abbey Road in the '60s is obviously only part of the studio's history, though it's important enough to help satisfy Disney+'s craving for post-"Get Back" Beatles content. (A premiere date for the film on the service has yet to be announced.) Classic rock fans will likely be equally interested in the stories told by Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason about the making of "The Dark Side." of the Moon,” say, as they will in McCartney’s conversations with her dad and Ringo Starr. .

"I was literally like 'I love my job' that I got to interview John Williams . It was a highlight of my life," she said. "Oh my God, I fell in love with him. He is so talented and such a gentleman, and just being in his presence and sitting with him made me really happy. »

Mary McCartney at the Telluride Film Festival, September 4, 2022 Chris Willman/Variety

Williams is a key participant in "If These Walls Could Sing", representing how the studio being in the The classical music business for much of its history, and film music thereafter, really flourished after Williams composed "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in the orchestra-sized Studio 1, and often returned for "Star Wars" sequels and other projects. It is Williams who is most eloquent in describing the particular sonic characteristics of the Abbey Road installations, although McCartney notes that "he does it in such an eloquent way, it's almost not technical, because you can understand it as a layman. ”

As she explains, "I do it for an audience to take them into the studio. It it's not really about all the technical innovations and things like that, it's more about the stories of the album, the personal stories and the space and...