Beatles' 1970 ‘Let It Be' Documentary Is Now Streaming on Disney+
The Beatles’ “Let It Be” documentary, which first released in theaters in 1970, finally sees the light of day once again. The documentary re-releases on Disney+ on Wednesday, May 8.
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The film was restored by Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production using the same technology employed to revitalize the vintage footage in “The Beatles: Get Back.” Jackson used hours of outtakes from Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s footage to assemble “The Beatles: Get Back” and during that film’s press cycle, he repeatedly vowed that his fresh treatment of the material was meant to complement the original film and that the original doc would eventually be re-released so that they could stand as companion pieces.
“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,” Jackson said in a statement. “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.”
It’s a huge day for Beatles fans considering that the original film was the last item in the Beatles’ catalog that Apple was keeping in the vault for an indefinite amount of time, if not forever. “Let It Be” has not been officially in circulation in any form since the early 1980s aside from bootleg copies.
In his review of the documentary, Variety music editor Jem Aswad wrote that “Even after Jackson’s expansive, happier ‘Get Back,’ watching ‘Let It Be’ is still like watching footage of a couple during the weeks leading up to their divorce. For all the hindsight, restoration and counter-narratives, “Let It Be’ remains a sad ending to rock’s greatest fairy tale.”
Stream “Let It Be” on Disney+ below:
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