Disney+ announced today that LET IT BE, Michael Lindsay-Hogg's original 1970 film about The Beatles, will be released exclusively on May 8 2024. It is the first time in more than 50 years that the film is available.
Initially released in May 1970 amid the commotion generated by the breakup of The Beatles, LET IT BE now takes its rightful place in the band's history. Viewed through a darker lens in the past, the film now comes to light restored and in the context of what was revealed in Peter Jackson's multi-Emmy® award-winning docuseriesThe Beatles: Get Back , released on Disney+ in 2021, the docuseries shows the warmth and camaraderie that existed between the four members of the band, capturing a crucial moment in music history.
LET IT BEcontains material not included in the docuseries Get Back, taking viewers into the studio and the rooftop of Apple Corps headquarters in London in January 1969 when The Beatles, along with Billy Preston, wrote and recorded their award-winning album “LET IT BE.” a Grammy® Award, including the Oscar®-winning song of the same name, and perform live for the last time as a group. With the release ofThe Beatles: Get Back, the outcry from fans for the original film LET IT BE reached a fever pitch. With Lindsay-Hogg's full support, Apple Corps asked Peter Jackson's Park Road Post Production to meticulously restore the film from the original 16mm negative, including remastering the sound using the same technology. de-mixwhich was used in the docuseries Get Back.
Says Michael Lindsay-Hogg: “LET IT BE was ready for release in October/November 1969 but did not premiere until April 1970. A month before release, The Beatles officially broke up, so people sadly went to see the movie, thinking “I'm never going to see The Beatles perform together again. I'm never going to have that same joy," and that greatly clouded the perception of the film. But really, how many times do you have the opportunity to see artists of this caliber working together to turn what they hear inside into songs? And then you go to the roof and see his enthusiasm, his camaraderie and the happiness of playing together again as a group and knowing, as we know now, that it was the last time, and we see him understanding perfectly who They were, and still are, and with a certain awe. I was shocked by what Peter did with Get Back, using footage I had shot 50 years earlier.
“I'm thrilled that Michael's film, LET IT BE, has been restored and is finally being re-released after not being available for decades –says Peter Jackson–. I was very lucky to have access to the discarded scenes for Get Back, and I always thought that LET IT BE I had to complete the Get Back story. In three episodes, we show Michael and The Beatles filming a pioneering documentary and LET IT BE is that documentary, the film they released in 1970. I now see this as a grand epic story, completed after five decades. The two projects support and enhance each other: LET IT BEis the climax of Get Back and Get Back, in turn, provides vital context that was not in LET IT BE. Michael Lindsay-Hogg graciously collaborated with us all the way when we made Get Back, and it's only right that his original film has the last word... with a vastly better picture and sound than it had in 1970." .
LET IT BE, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, stars John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, with a special performance by Billy Preston. The film was produced by Neil Aspinall with The Beatles as executive producers. The director of photography was Anthony B Richmond.
LET IT BE premieres exclusively on Disney+ on May 8, 2024.
The Beatles: Get Backis available on Disney+.
