Disney+ will release a restored version of The Beatles’ classic 1970 documentary film Let It Be on May 8, NME can exclusively announce.
The film, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, was first released in cinemas 54 years ago and has been difficult to obtain since – prompting considerable bootlegging. It features footage of the Fab Four while they were writing and recording their 12th and final studio album of the same name in January 1969 at London’s Twickenham Film Studios.
Later in the film, the band moves to the headquarters of their company Apple Corps on Savile Row for further rehearsals and the iconic rooftop concert – the four Beatles’ last performance together as a group.
As he did for the 2022 docuseries Get Back, which features extra archive material from the Let It Be shoot, acclaimed filmmaker Peter Jackson has used state-of-the-art digital technology to restore the 55-year-old film reels to crisp, modern quality.
“Over the years, the original [film] print probably hasn’t been looked after that well and it didn’t look that good anymore,” Lindsay-Hogg told NME. “When Peter got involved [for Get Back] – and thank God he did – he had to do restoration on the original footage that was used in Let It Be [as well as the archive material]. And so when the idea of [re-releasing] Let It Be came up again [after Get Back was released], a lot of the work had already been done.”
The cut of the film remains the same, though Lindsay-Hogg and his director of photography, Anthony Richmond, wanted Let It Be to retain some of its “filmic” charm after restoration work – and asked Jackson to change the presentation slightly from how it looked in Get Back. “Peter had chosen a more digital look which looked almost contemporaneous,” said Lindsay-Hogg. There is also a new introduction which consists of a conversation between Jackson and Lindsay-Hogg about the project.
The film has become notorious as a depiction of the final days of The Beatles before they disbanded in 1970 – and though there are many scenes in the film showing them collaborating closely and enjoying each other’s company, there are also moments of obvious tension.
In one memorable sequence, George Harrison and Paul McCartney have an extended discussion about how Harrison should play a guitar part, much to the latter’s annoyance. More was revealed in Get Back, which included video of Harrison quitting the band – only to return a few days later.
At Last…
See The Beatles in the 1970 film, Let It Be, fully restored for the first time, streaming 8 May only on @disneyplusuk. pic.twitter.com/eqSTYh4NUJ
— Disney+ UK (@DisneyPlusUK) April 16, 2024
Little more than a year afterwards, in April 1970, news of The Beatles’ split proper broke when McCartney said in a press release that he was no longer working with the group. John, Paul, George and Ringo were all absent from the world premiere of Let It Be in New York one month later.
“None of the Beatles attended the London opening [either],” said Lindsay-Hogg. “I think it did colour the perception at the time because people thought of it as the breakup movie – which it wasn’t.”
He added: “It wasn’t promoted that way… it wasn’t really promoted at all because it was collateral damage to the break-up.”
In a press release, Jackson said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that Michael’s movie, Let It Be, has been restored and is finally being re-released after being unavailable for decades.
“I was so lucky to have access to Michael’s outtakes for Get Back, and I’ve always thought that Let It Be is needed to complete the Get Back story. Over three parts, we showed Michael and The Beatles filming a groundbreaking new documentary, and Let It Be is that documentary – the movie they released in 1970. I now think of it all as one epic story, finally completed after five decades. The two projects support and enhance each other: Let It Be is the climax of Get Back, while Get Back provides a vital missing context for Let It Be. Michael Lindsay-Hogg was unfailingly helpful and gracious while I made Get Back, and it’s only right that his original movie has the last word… looking and sounding far better than it did in 1970.”
‘Let It Be’ streams on Disney+ from May 8