Beatles LET IT BE Doc Heads to Disney+ After Peter Jackson’s Team Restores
By Movieguide® Contributor
The 1970 Beatles’ documentary, LET IT BE, will find a home on Disney+ four decades after it has been out of circulation.
“A restored version of the 1970 movie is coming soon to Disney+, the same service that brought fans THE BEATLES: GET BACK, the 2021 Peter Jackson docuseries that used outtakes from director Michael Lindsay-Hogg‘s original film,” Variety reported.
“The documentary will re-premiere on Disney+ May 8, certain to be a red-letter day for Beatles fans who have spent most of their lives wondering if it would ever be let out of the vault again. Not only has the 1970 film been dusted off, but it’s been restored by Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production using the same technology employed to make the vintage footage in THE BEATLES: GET BACK look and sound as revitalized as it did,” Variety reported.
Per Variety, Apple Corps kept the documentary in the dark instead of turning it for a profit. The only versions of the movie that exist are bootlegged VHS and laserdisc copies. It never came out on DVD.
“Jackson used hours of outtakes from Lindsay-Hogg’s footage to assemble THE BEATLES: GET BACK. During the publicity campaign for that project, he repeatedly vowed that his fresh treatment of the material was meant to complement the original film, not forever supplant it, and that the original doc would eventually be seen again so that they could stand as companion pieces,” Variety said.
Fans viewed LET IT BE, which features some tension-filled discussions, as a “divorce proceeding” before the band’s split.
When Lindsay-Hogg shot the doc, he had no idea that the Beatles would part ways.
“What you see in the movie is that the affection is eternal between the four of them. But they were living very separate lives,” the 83-year-old said. “I thought they might go off and do their own thing, follow their heart and release separate albums, but then get together…I didn’t think the Beatles were going to break up till they broke up.”
The New York Times observed that many saw GET BACK as a “corrective” to LET IT BE. It seems as though Jackson would agree in part, as he confirmed that it provides “missing context” for LET IT BE.
He said in a statement:
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 BACKstory.
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.
Part of Movieguide®’s review of GET BACK reads:
THE BEATLES: GET BACK is an accumulation of the footage recorded over the 21 days of studio time leading up to the 42-minute rooftop concert that served as the live recording of Let it Be. Viewers see raw footage of the Beatles writing songs, playing music, planning the show, arguing, and having fun. Except for a few clips, the entirety of THE BEATLES: GET BACK is composed of alternative footage that was not used in Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s original 1970 documentary. As a result, the new miniseries includes never-before-seen footage such as Harrison’s brief resignation from the band.
THE BEATLES: GET BACK has a mild romantic worldview. The series focuses on the self-fulfillment and self-expression the Beatles experienced through their artistry and fame. Both the portrayal of the Beatles and their music focuses on one’s emotions being the most important element of life and reflects the search for happiness and fulfillment. This is reflected in their discussions about alcohol consumption and recreational drug use.
- Content: +2Share:
- Content: +1