The newly-restored version of Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s documentary “Let It Be” dropped on Disney+ today. It’s largely been unavailable for the past 50 years, and everything I heard was that it was a dark, unflattering film exposing the tensions between the lads as they were breaking up.
I just finished watching it, and I loved it. Wasn’t bleak at all. To me, it was a less-bloated version of Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” (which I loved, but it’s not something I’ll go back and casually watch any time soon). “Let It Be” seems to be more focused on the jamming, the music, the back-and-forth during the rehearsals, and actually comes across as less about the drama between the boys than “Get Back” was.
The one thing missing from this film (that I would’ve loved to have seen in it) was that magical moment from “Get Back” when we see Paul introduce the song “Get Back” for the first time to George and Ringo. That gave me chills when I saw it for the first time. So, considering “Let It Be” is a lot shorter, we do miss out on some of those little nuggets of magic, but we also don’t have to sit through so many takes of “Don’t Let Me Down” either, so there’s that. Actually, the only time we hear Get Back and Don’t Let Me Down is in the end on the rooftop.
Also, with less conversations showing up in this movie, the conversations that we do see hit a little harder and stand out. Like Paul and George going at it over George’s guitar in “Two Of Us.” That exchange seemed to have had less impact in “Get Back.” To me anyway.
All in all, I give this two thumbs up. It wasn’t nearly as bleak as I had come to believe it would be. In fact, for someone just wanting to watch the boys jamming and working on their songs, this is a great film, imo.
Anyone else watch?
Thanks for the heads up. I’ve watched the Peter Jackson “Get Back” twice, probably won’t watch it again any time soon, but I’d like to see the original just for comparison.
I don’t know if it is in the Let It Be film, but the scene that I really enjoyed was when the set designer for the TV special came in and was showing the group his drawings, and everyone was over in a corner of the studio looking through them, except for Paul who was sitting at the grand piano noodling out what would become “Let It Be”.
It’s been decades since I saw it, but the scene of John and Yoko dancing a waltz to “I Me Mine” was quite touching…until I learned from Peter Jackson that Lennon was just being a sarcastic asshole.
From what I could tell, not really. It’s just a summary of the whole thing, which I liked. There was a conversation between John and Paul, where Paul was doing most of the talking, about playing a live show and George’s reluctance, that maybe wasn’t in Get Back. But there were so many conversations shown in Get Back that I really don’t remember if that particular one was in it.
Billy Preston just pops up with no explanation, but at this point Beatles fans know the story. If you didn’t know it, though, and were watching this for the first time, you may be like, WTF?
A most enjoyable re-watch after all these years. I originally saw it at a drive-in triple feature with A Hard Day’s Night and Help! Great to see Besame Mucho again, it has always been one of my favorite “deep tracks”. The last take of Two of Us really touched off a huge wave of nostalgia…bringing back memories of those days (and knowing what was to come). And of course the rooftop gig, the last hurrah of the best band of my lifetime.
I got a kick out of the reactions from the folks on the street during the rooftop set. Some seemed super excited, some confused, some annoyed, some bored. And the one older guy in an overcoat walking on the other rooftop smoking his pipe…I wonder what he was thinking.
The initial reaction of the Bobbies (Bobbys?) – at first, they seemed concerned about the crowding and traffic, then they had people complaining about the disturbance, so they kind of had to do something. The two younger policemen were probably thinking, “Oh man, it’s the BEATLES playing up there…we don’t want to be responsible for breaking up that performance!”
I don’t know if its the particular conversation you’re talking about, but I definitely remember a moment in Get Back when George said, “I don’t want to go on the roof!”
Saw LIB in 1970 (age 20) and about a dozen times since then, and I never thought it was depressing or a downer. The Fabs were clearly burning out after 10+ years together in a public pressure cooker, but their pleasure in making music still showed on film. Especially when they stepped out “on stage” for the first time in several years, the joy was contagious. My only criticism of the film was the unrealistically dim video image.
I do think Jackson’s new one is a far better film.
Actually, the only time we hear Get Back and Don’t Let Me Down is in the end on the rooftop.