A restored version of “Let it Be” to Disney+, the 1970 film about the Beatlesthe same platform that brought fans “The Beatles: Get Back”the documentary series Peter Jackson from 2021 that used outtakes from the director’s original film Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
The documentary will be re-released on Disney+ on May 8, which is sure to be an important day for fans of the films. Beatles who have spent most of their lives wondering if they would ever see this material again.
The 1970 film has not only been dusted off, but restored by Park Road Post Production of Peter Jackson using the same technology used to make old footage of “The Beatles: Get Back” look and sound as revitalized as you did.
Let it Bedirected by Michael Lindsay-Hoggstars John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starrwith a special appearance by Billy Preston. The film was produced by Neil Aspinall with The Beatles serving as executive producers. The cinematographer was Anthony B Richmond.
The connection of “The Beatles: Get Back” and “Let it Be”
The original film was notable for being the only item in the catalog of the Beatles which Apple seemed to want to suppress rather than exploit. “Let It Be” has not been officially in circulation in any form since the early 1980s, although shady-looking bootleg copies have been widely available.
Jackson used hours of outtakes from the Lindsay-Hogg footage to assemble “The Beatles: Get Back”. During that project’s publicity campaign, he repeatedly promised that his new treatment of the material was intended to complement the original film, not supplant it forever, and that the original documentary would eventually be revisited so they could serve as companion pieces.
“I am absolutely thrilled that Michael’s film ‘Let It Be’ has been restored and is finally being re-released after being unavailable for decades.”Jackson said in a statement.
“I was very lucky to have access to Michael’s outtakes for ‘Get Back,’ and I always thought that ‘Let It Be’ was necessary to complete the story of ‘Get Back.’ In three parts, we show Michael and the Beatles filming a groundbreaking new documentary, and ‘Let It Be’ is that documentary, the film they released in 1970. I now think of all of this as an 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 vital context missing from ‘Let It Be’. Michael Lindsay-Hogg was unconditionally helpful and kind while making ‘Get Back’, and it’s only fair that his original film has the last word…it looks and sounds so much better than it did in 1970.”
Lindsay-Hogg expressed her approval in a statement. “’Let It Be’ was ready for release in October/November 1969, but it didn’t come out until April 1970,” she recalled.
“A month before its release, the Beatles officially broke up. And then people went to see ‘Let It Be’ with sadness in their hearts, thinking, ‘I’ll never see the Beatles together again.’ I’ll never have that joy again,’ and that really darkened the perception of the film. But in fact, how often do you see artists of this stature working together to turn what they hear in their heads into songs? And then you get to the roof and see their enthusiasm and camaraderie and pure joy in playing together again as a group and you know, as we know now, that it was the last time, and we see it with the full understanding of who they were and still are and it’s a little moving. I was amazed at what Peter was able to do with ‘Get Back’, using all the footage he had filmed 50 years earlier.“.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
