Bootlegs and pirated copies low quality, but the official version of the Beatles documentary «Let It Be» had been out of circulation since the 1980s. Now the film directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and released in 1970, a few weeks after the dissolution of the legendary quartet, is available again on Disney+, from Wednesday 8 May, freshly restored thanks to the technological wonders of Peter Jackson.
The abandoned mill and amphitheater in Libya
«Let It Be» condenses the Beatles’ working sessions on the album of the same name into just an hour and a half and then documents the mythological «rooftop concert», the Fab Four’s last public performance, held on 30 January 1969 in London, on top of the Apple Corps building. Lindsay-Hogg had initially been hired to make a television special that was supposed to show the Beatles at work in the recording studio and then engaged in a special concert. Many locations are proposed, including the most disparate ones, such as a cruise ship, an abandoned mill, an amphitheater in Libya. But in the end every idea is set aside and the TV special becomes a documentary film.
The dissolution before the exit
Shortly thereafter, however, the Beatles said goodbye, casting great melancholy on their upcoming film work: «Let It Be it was ready for October-November 1969, but was only released in April 1970 – explains Lindsay-Hogg -. A month before the release, the Beatles officially broke up. So people went to see Let It Be with sadness in my heartthinking, ‘I’ll never see the Beatles together again. I’ll never have that joy again,’ and that made the perception of the film much darker.”
The never-collected Oscar and John Lennon’s jealousy
Initial reviews of the documentary were quite negative and none of the four Beatles went to the premiere, nor to collect the Oscar for best song which they then won with “Let It Be” itself. When Lindsay-Hogg showed the group the first cut of the film, he was asked for many cuts and, in particular, John Lennon complained that the work focused too much on the creative genius of Paul McCartney.
Ringo, over the years, he did not hide his dislike for this work which he says is “not very joyful” but which the director claims is important: “Let It Be” shows the birth of some of the Beatles’ masterpieces and focuses on the internal dynamics of the group at a certainly critical moment of their history, but still full of creative impetus. In light of the broader picture offered by the six hours of «Get Back», the three-part documentary made by Jackson in 2021 starting from the immense amount of material shot by Lindsay-Hogg, can now be re-evaluated from a less unfavorable perspective.
The argument between George and Paul (censored)
During the studio sessions filmed by Lindsay-Hogg, George Harrison famously left the group briefly, after an argument with Paul McCartney. In the documentary almost everything is omitted of his (fortunately) temporary farewell, although some scenes remain that show tension between the two members, in this case when Paul tries to instruct George on how to play a guitar part.
Who is the little girl playing in the studio
While the Beatles work, a little blonde girl he wanders around the studio, joking with the Fab Four, playing with Ringo Starr and showing great affection especially for Paul. It’s about Heather, Linda McCartney’s eldest daughter whom Paul married in 1969, also legally adopting her daughter. At the time those very tender images were shot, the little girl was six years old.
Yoko Ono “stuck” to John Lennon
In «Get Back» we see it even longer, but also in «Let It Be» it is very clear: John Lennon and Yoko Ono they were literally inseparable and during the studio sessions she sits next to him (with an almost always grim and inscrutable look) without letting go of him even for a second. A presence that was evidently welcomed by Lennon, but which could not fail to have an impact on the dynamics of the group: Paul McCartney admitted that others perceived Yoko Ono as “an interference”even if they tried not to make a drama out of it.
Two directors compared
The documentary is introduced by a dialogue between the two directors, Peter Jackson and Lindsay-Hogg: their comparison is in itself of great interest for all Beatlesians, certainly fresh from watching «Get Back». Lindsay-Hogg recalls that her «Let It Be» had «a bumpy ride over the years” and consecrates the link with the work done by Jackson, saying to consider «Let It Be» as the father of «Get Back».
A new technological marvel
Peter Jackson with his Park Road Post Production restored «Let It Be» using the same techniques that allowed him to work on «Get Back», starting from the original 16 mm negative. The 1970 documentary thus comes back to life with more vivid colours, remastered audio and an unprecedented clarity of images, so much so that you can even see them dust lint on John Lennon’s microphone.
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