Paul McCartney shares his personal story, after his split from the Beatles, in the comprehensive new documentary, Man on the Run.

In 1970, news of the group’s break up has been kept from the public. It is John who triggers the rupture by secretly leaving the group, but in the media, Paul appears responsible, when on the advice of the Eastmans, his photographer girlfriend Linda’s family, he takes legal action to break his contract with the Beatles manager Alan Klein.

After he departs from “The Fab Four”, Paul disappears to his farm in Scotland, refuelling rumours of his death. Man on the Run traces Paul’s life from 1970 to 1981, not dead, but in his own words, trying to “grow up” and create a new musical identity for himself. It isn’t always plain sailing.

First, he lures Linda and her seven-year-old daughter Heather to the farm, and they revel in an idyllic existence out of the spotlight. They fix roofs, keep sheep, live off the land, and become vegetarians. Soon, they are married and have their first child together, Mary.

Their home movies show the most basic of living conditions. For a couple who could afford to own a palace anywhere in the world, they are more than happy to live in their isolated, run-down croft on the Mull of Kintyre.

Paul writes an album called McCartney and records it on a simple 4-track machine at his London house, playing all the instruments himself. It is a moderate success, but is overshadowed by bold new releases by John Lennon and George Harrison.

He decides to record his next album in a proper studio with the best session musicians available. The result is the surprising Ram, which, like Sgt. Pepper and Brian Wilson’s Smile, is joyful baroque pop, but not fully appreciated in 1971. Linda provides backing vocals, and Stella is born in September of that year.

Paul misses the stimulation of a band and asks Linda if she would help in starting one – she could sing and play keyboards. She agrees. He then approaches musicians Denny Laine and Henry McCulloch to accompany them on guitar and vocals, and Denny Seiwell to play drums and percussion.

The resulting quintet is named Wings, and after a short time in rehearsals, they turn up unannounced at various English universities, giving gigs on the spot.

The success of this “tour” leads to Wings Over Europe. In the summer of 1972, musicians and family – the McCartney girls are still small – set off in a colourful bus, like the psychedelic coach from The Magical Mystery Tour, for a working holiday. They play to sold-out audiences in 25  venues across nine countries.

In September 1972, Scottish police discovered cannabis plants growing at the McCartney farm. Paul and Linda are arrested but plead ignorance in court and are let off with a £100 fine. The charge, however, will come back to haunt them.

In 1973, at the height of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Vietnam War protests, Paul and Linda appear superficial and out of touch when they produce a cringeworthy TV variety special.

During this period, Linda is particularly unpopular. She is constantly misrepresented in the press, but she shrugs off criticism, knowing that her talents lie elsewhere. She is more than just Paul’s appendage.

Their next project starts badly. With the romantic idea of recording an album at the EMI studios in Nigeria, and encouraged by his friendship with Fela Kuti, Paul flies Wings to Lagos. What they find is less than ideal. The studios are rudimentary, and the city is alien, uncomfortable, and dangerous. One night after leaving work, the band is robbed at knifepoint by six men who steal everything, including their demos. This is the last straw for Denny Seiwell and Henry McCulloch, who feel that they are “hired hands” with no real voice and underpaid for their contribution to the band. Paul seems oblivious to their plight and is unable to prevent them from leaving. He resolves to be a better boss.

Later in 1973, Band on the Run was released with an unusual cover concept, showing Wings plus a motley crew of British celebrities, caught in a searchlight, escaping from prison – a nod to the period craze for outlaw movies. It’s a huge success and becomes the biggest-selling record of 1974 in the UK and Australia.

Meanwhile, the other Beatles, having clashed too often with Alan Klein, finalise their legal breakup, admitting that Paul had been right about him all along.

With the success of Band on the Run, a much more ambitious tour, Wings Over the World is planned for 1975/76. Joe English and Jimmy McCulloch join the group, and a brass/woodwind section is incorporated into the lineup.

The band is scheduled to play in the UK, Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada, and the USA. On entry to Japan, however, Paul and Linda are turned away because of their marijuana conviction. All Japanese concerts are cancelled, but the tour continues.

When the band arrives in the USA, marking the first time that Paul has played here since 1966, the country experiences Beatlemania all over again. Venues are sold out, and performances are phenomenal, which leads to the release of a triple live album, Wings Over America, in late 1976.

By 1977, Punk had arrived on the scene and Paul McCartney, at the age of 35, and now father to a son, James, is seen as an old establishment figure – but that doesn’t deter him. He believes that his music has a timeless quality which appeals to all ages and is proven right when the iconic, non-ironic and very uncool, Mull of Kintyre, becomes the biggest ever-selling single in the UK.

For various reasons, over the following year, the Wings line up changes again. After their 1979 album Back to the Egg flops, Linda decides that she wants to retreat from the public eye. Morale is bad and what is to become the final Wings performance, a fundraiser for the people of Kampuchea at the Hammersmith Odeon, is described by Paul as “dreadful”.

However, in 1980, after clearing visa issues, Paul decides to give Wings and Japan one more try. Unthinkingly, he leaves a bag of marijuana in his suitcase, which is captured on film at airport customs. He is immediately arrested and spends 9 nights in jail. It is the first time that he and Linda have been separated during their marriage. Although he could have served a maximum sentence of 7 years in jail, he was released but immediately expelled from the country. This personal and financial disaster hastens the breakup of the band.

On his own again in the UK, this time incorporating synthesisers, Paul records McCartney Two, which becomes one of his most popular albums. One of its fans is John Lennon.

John had dismissed Wings as just a “backing band for Paul” and labelled much of their music “bubblegum pop,” so it was heartening for Paul to gain John’s approval, first for Band on the Run and then for McCartney Two. They are finally reunited.

Paul and Linda are seen regularly visiting John and Yoko in New York. Their renewed friendship is long overdue, but is cut short by John’s murder outside his home in the Dakota Building in December 1981.

At one level, Man on the Run’s narrative can be seen as Paul’s coming to terms with John’s absence in his life. It begins with their breakup, tracks Paul’s wavering career without him, celebrates their reunion, and ends tragically with his death.

Although not as compelling as  Peter Jackson’s brilliant TV series The Beatles: Get Back, Man on the Run is the missing McCartney footage fans have been waiting for. It may have been crafted from Paul’s unique standpoint, but the original movie clips, interviews, voiceovers and soundtrack make for fascinating nostalgic viewing.  7/10