''Let It Be'' is a 1970 British documentary film starring

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. The film documents the group's rehearsing and recording songs in January 1969 for what was to become their twelfth and final studio album '' Let It Be''. The film ends with an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, their last public performance together. The film was originally planned as a television documentary that would accompany a concert broadcast. When plans for the concert were dropped, the project became a feature film production. Although ''Let It Be'' does not dwell on the dissension within the Beatles at the time, it provides some glimpses into the dynamics that would lead to their break-up. After the film's release,

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

and

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. Footage filmed for ''Let It Be'' was later

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004, by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard Aus ...

and re-edited for

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...

's 2021 documentary '' The Beatles: Get Back''. ''Let It Be'' had not been officially available on home video since the 1980s, although bootleg copies of the film still circulated. While attempts to release the film on DVD and

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

have not come to fruition, a restored 4K version of the film was made available to

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

for the first time on 8 May 2024.

Content

The film observes the Beatles (

and

) from a " fly on the wall" perspective, without narration, scene titles or interviews with the main subjects. The first portion of the film shows the band rehearsing on a

sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...

Twickenham Film Studios Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

. The songs are works in progress, with discussions among the band members about ways to improve them. McCartney dominates the proceedings while his bandmates show comparatively little interest. Also appearing are Mal Evans, providing the hammer blows on " Maxwell's Silver Hammer", and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

at Lennon's side at all times. At one point, McCartney seems to criticise Harrison's guitar part on " Two of Us" and a mildly tense conversation takes place between them. McCartney says "I always hear myself annoying you" and tells Harrison that this is not his intention. Harrison responds that McCartney no longer annoys him and that he is content to play what McCartney wishes or to not play at all. The Beatles individually arrive at

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

headquarters, where they begin the studio recording process with Harrison singing " For You Blue" while Lennon plays

lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar or lap slide guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of pla ...

. Starr and Harrison work on the structure for " Octopus's Garden" and then demonstrate it for

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, backing Little Richa ...

accompanies the band on impromptu renditions of several

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

covers, as well as Lennon's improvised jam " Dig It", while Linda Eastman's daughter Heather plays around the studio. Lennon listens in silence while McCartney expresses his concern about the band's inclination to stay confined to the recording studio. The Beatles conclude their studio work with complete performances of "Two of Us", " Let It Be" and " The Long and Winding Road". In the final portion of the film, the Beatles and Preston give an unannounced concert from the studio rooftop. They perform " Get Back", " Don't Let Me Down", " I've Got a Feeling", " One After 909" and " Dig a Pony", intercut with reactions and comments from surprised Londoners gathering on the streets below. The police eventually make their way to the roof and try to bring the show to a close, as it was disrupting businesses' lunch hour nearby. This prompts some ad-libbed lyrical asides from McCartney during the last performance of "Get Back". The concert ends with applause from the people on the rooftop and Lennon quipping, "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition!"

Production

Concept

After the stressful sessions for ''

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

'' (also known as the "White Album") wrapped up in October 1968, McCartney concluded that the group needed to return to their roots for their next project. The plan was to give a live performance featuring new songs, broadcast as a television special and recorded for release as an album. Unlike their recent albums, their new material would be designed to work well in concert, without the benefit of overdubs or other recording tricks. Lennon approved of the idea while Harrison, who spent the final months of the year recording in Los Angeles and visiting

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

and

the Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...

in upstate New York, agreed that the "new approach" to recording had merit. Many ideas were floated concerning the location of the concert. Conventional venues such as The Roundhouse in London were discussed, but they also considered more unusual locations such as a disused flour mill and an ocean liner. The location that received the most consideration was a Roman amphitheatre in

Sabratha Sabratha (; also ''Sabratah'', ''Siburata''), in the Zawiya DistrictThe Magic Christian'' (1969), it was agreed to start rehearsals without a firm decision on the concert location. Denis O'Dell, head of Apple's film division, suggested filming the rehearsals in 16 mm for use as a separate "Beatles at Work" television documentary which would supplement the concert broadcast. To facilitate filming, rehearsals would take place at

in London. Michael Lindsay-Hogg was hired as the director, having previously worked with the Beatles on promotional films for " Paperback Writer", "

Rain Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...

", "

Hey Jude "Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock music, rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' fir ...

" and "

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

Filming

The Beatles assembled at Twickenham Film Studios on 2 January 1969, accompanied by the film crew, and began rehearsing. Cameraman Les Parrott recalled: "My brief on the first day was to 'shoot The Beatles.' The sound crew instructions were to roll/record from the moment the first Beatle appeared and to record sound all day until the last one left. We had two cameras and just about did the same thing." The cold and austere conditions at Twickenham, along with nearly constant filming and sessions starting much earlier than the Beatles' preferred schedule, constrained creativity and exacerbated tensions within the group. The sessions were later described by Harrison as "the low of all-time" and by Lennon as "hell ... the most miserable sessions on earth". The infamous exchange between McCartney and Harrison (in which Harrison resented McCartney instructing him on what to play) occurred on Monday, 6 January. Around lunchtime on Friday, 10 January, tensions came to a head and Harrison told the others that he was leaving the band. This entire episode is omitted from the film. He later recalled: "I thought, 'I'm quite capable of being happy on my own, and if I'm not able to be happy in this situation I'm getting out of here.' So I got my guitar and went home and that afternoon wrote ' Wah-Wah'." Rehearsals and filming continued for a few more sessions; the finished film only used a boogie-woogie piano duet by McCartney and Starr, although it was included in such a way that Harrison's absence was not apparent. Towards the end of the 10 January rehearsal, Lennon raised the idea of drafting in

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

to play lead guitar if Harrison did not rejoin the band early the following week. Lennon was captured on tape saying, "I think if George doesn't come back by Monday or Tuesday, we ask Eric Clapton to play", adding that this would be congenial to Clapton since the Beatles, unlike Clapton's previous band

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

, "would give him full scope to play his guitar". Years later, Clapton dismissed this idea: "The problem with that was I had bonded or was developing a relationship with George, exclusive of them. I think it fitted a need of his and mine, that he could elevate himself by having this guy that could be like a gunslinger to them. Lennon would use my name every now and then for clout, as if I was the fastest gun. So, I don't think I could have been brought into the whole thing because I was too much a mate of George's." 3 Savile Row

At a meeting on 15 January, Harrison agreed to return with the conditions that elaborate concert plans be dropped and that work would resume at Apple's new recording studio. At this point, with the concert broadcast idea abandoned, it was decided that the footage being shot would be used to make a feature film. Filming resumed on 21 January at the basement studio inside Apple headquarters on Savile Row in London. Harrison invited keyboardist

to the studio to play

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into ele ...

and

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

. Harrison recalled that when Preston joined them, "straight away there was 100% improvement in the vibe in the room. Having this fifth person was just enough to cut the ice that we'd created among ourselves." Filming continued each day for the rest of January. During the sessions, the Beatles played many songs that were not featured in the film. Some would end up on ''

Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although '' Let It Be'' (1970) was the last album completed before th ...

'' (" I Want You (She's So Heavy)", " She Came in Through the Bathroom Window"); others were destined for future albums by McCartney (" The Back Seat of My Car", "

Teddy Boy The Teddy Boys or Teds were a mainly United Kingdom, British youth subculture originating in the early 1950s to mid-1960s and then revived in the 1970s who were interested in rock and roll and Rhythm and blues, R&B music, wearing clothes part ...

", " Every Night"), Lennon (" Gimme Some Truth", "Child of Nature" – later reworked as " Jealous Guy") and Harrison ("

All Things Must Pass ''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after Break-up of the Beatles, the break-up of the Beatles in April that year. It includes th ...

", "

Isn't It a Pity "Isn't It a Pity" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison from his 1970 solo album ''All Things Must Pass''. It appears in two variations there: one the well-known, seven-minute version; the other a reprise, titled "Isn't It a Pity ...

"). The group also experimented with some of their previous songs (" Love Me Do", "

Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965 by Parlophone. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the sin ...

", " Lady Madonna", " You Can't Do That") and played " I Lost My Little Girl" – which was the first song written by McCartney, when he was 14. Trying to come up with a conclusion for the film, it was suggested that the band play an unannounced lunchtime concert on the roof of the Apple building. On 30 January, the Beatles and Preston played on the rooftop in the cold wind for 42 minutes, about half of which ended up in the film. The Beatles started with a rehearsal of "Get Back", then played the five songs which are shown in the film. After repeating "I've Got a Feeling" and "Don't Let Me Down", takes which were left out of the film, the Beatles are shown in the film closing with another pass at "Get Back" as the police arrive to shut down the show. On 31 January, the last day of filming and recording, the Beatles reconvened in the Apple building's basement studio. They played complete performances of "Two of Us", "The Long and Winding Road" and "Let It Be", which were included in the film as the end of the Apple studio segment, before the closing rooftop segment.

Post-production

A rough cut of the movie was screened for the Beatles on 20 July 1969. Lindsay-Hogg recalled that the rough cut was about an hour longer than the released version: "There was much more stuff of John and Yoko, and the other three didn't really think that was appropriate because they wanted to make it a 'nicer' movie. They didn't want to have a lot of the dirty laundry, so a lot of it was cut down." After viewing the released version, Lennon said he felt that "the camera work was set up to show Paul and not to show anybody else" and that "the people that cut it, cut it as 'Paul is God' and we're just lyin' around". He described ''Let It Be'' as a film "set up by Paul for Paul" that was typical of the projects that, in alienating himself and Harrison, had brought about the Beatles' break-up. Lindsay-Hogg omitted any reference to Harrison leaving the sessions and temporarily quitting the group, but managed to keep some of the interpersonal strains in the final cut, including the McCartney–Harrison exchange which he had captured by deliberately placing the cameras where they would not be noticed. He also retained the scene that he described as "the back of Paul's head as he's yammering on and John looks like he's about to die from boredom". In early 1970, it was decided to change the planned name of the film and the associated album from ''Get Back'' to ''Let It Be'', matching the group's March 1970 single release. The final version of the film was blown-up from full-frame (1.33:1)

aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a geometry, geometric shape is the ratio of its sizes in different dimensions. For example, the aspect ratio of a rectangle is the ratio of its longer side to its shorter side—the ratio of width to height, when the rectangl ...

16 mm to 35mm film 1.85:1 aspect ratio for theatrical release, which increased the film's graininess. To create the wider theatrical aspect ratio, the top and bottom of the frame was cropped, necessitating the repositioning of every single shot for optimal picture composition.

Soundtrack

While the album '' Let It Be'' contains many of the songs featured in the film, in most cases they are different performances. The film has additional songs not included on the album. Songs listed in the order of appearance, written by

Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney is the songwriting partnership between the English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is widely considered one of the greatest, best known and most successful musical collabo ...

except as noted: *"Paul's Piano Intro" **based on " Adagio for Strings" (

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor (music), conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the mid-20th century. Principally influenced ...

), and titled "Paul's Piano Piece" on '' Let It Be... Naked'' *" Don't Let Me Down" *" Maxwell's Silver Hammer" *" Two of Us" *" I've Got a Feeling" *"

Oh! Darling "Oh! Darling" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, appearing as the fourth song on their eleventh studio album ''Abbey Road'' (1969). It was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Its working title w ...

" *" Just Fun" *" One After 909" *"Jazz Piano Song" (McCartney/ Starkey) *"

Across the Universe "Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album ''No One's Gonna Change Our W ...

" *" Dig a Pony" *"Suzy Parker" (Lennon/McCartney/ Harrison/Starkey) *"

I Me Mine "I Me Mine" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1970 album '' Let It Be''. Written by George Harrison, it was the last new track the group recorded before their break-up in April 1970. The song originated from their Januar ...

" (Harrison) *" For You Blue" (Harrison) *"

Bésame Mucho "Bésame Mucho" (; "Kiss Me A Lot") is a bolero song written in 1932 by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez. One of the most important songs in the history of Latin music, it became one the most popular pop standards of the 20th century as ...

" (

Consuelo Velázquez Consuelo Velázquez Torres (August 21, 1916, in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco – January 22, 2005, Mexico City), also popularly known as Consuelito Velázquez, was a Mexican concert pianist and composer. She was the composer of famous Mexican balla ...

Sunny Skylar Sunny Skylar (October 11, 1913 – February 2, 2009) was an American music composer, singer, lyricist, and music publisher, often recognized as one of the most prominent songwriters of the Tin Pan Alley era. Sunny Skylar had written over 300 so ...

) *" Octopus's Garden" (Starkey) *" You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...

) *" The Long and Winding Road" *Medley: **" Rip It Up" (

Robert Blackwell Robert Alexander "Bumps" Blackwell (May 23, 1918 – March 9, 1985) was an American bandleader, songwriter, arranger, and record producer, best known for his work overseeing the early hits of Little Richard, as well as mentoring Ray Char ...

/ John Marascalco) **" Shake, Rattle and Roll" ( Jesse Stone, under his working name Charles E. Calhoun) *Medley: **"

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

" ( Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller) **"Miss Ann" ( Richard Penniman/ Enotris Johnson) **" Lawdy Miss Clawdy" (

Lloyd Price Lloyd Price (March 9, 1933May 3, 2021) was an American R&B and rock 'n' roll singer, known as "Mr. Personality", after his 1959 million-selling hit, "Personality (Lloyd Price song), Personality". His first recording, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", was a ...

) *" Dig It" *" Let It Be" *" Get Back"

Release

The world premiere of the film was in New York City on 13 May 1970. One week later, UK premieres were held at the

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Gaumont Cinema and the London Pavilion. None of the Beatles attended any of the premieres. The Beatles won an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

for ''Let It Be'' in the category " Original Song Score", which

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

accepted on their behalf. The soundtrack also won a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

for " Best Original Score". Only Lennon, McCartney and Harrison were named as recipients by the Recording Academy due to the belief that they were the sole composers. They mistakenly overlooked Starr's writing credit on the song "Dig It".

Critical reception

Contemporaneous reviews

Initial reviews were generally unfavourable. Critics took issue with the film's technical and conceptual qualities, but in light of the Beatles' recent break-up, focused particularly on it as a document of the fractured relationships within the band. The British press were especially critical, with ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Tele ...

'' commenting that "it is only incidentally that we glimpse anything about their ''real'' characters – the way in which music now seems to be the only unifying force holding them together, and the way Paul McCartney chatters incessantly even when, it seems, none of the others are listening." The same reviewer lamented that "Watching an institution such as the Beatles in their film ''Let It Be'' is rather like watching the Albert Hall being dismantled into a block of

National Coal Board The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "ve ...

offices", while Penelope Gilliatt of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' deemed it "a very bad film and a touching one ... about the breaking apart of this reassuring, geometrically perfect, once apparently ageless family of siblings". ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' said that "rock scholars and Beatles fans will be enthralled" while others may consider it only a "mildly enjoyable documentary newsreel".

Retrospective reviews

Review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reports that 81% of 54 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The consensus reads, "So close and yet so far away from The Beatles as their union sunsets in real time, ''Let It Be'' observes the band from an emotionally chilly distance but gives audiences a valuable peek into their artistic process." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

rated the film as 3 out of 4 stars, calling it "uneven" and "draggy" but "rescued" by the Beatles' music. The ''TLA Video & DVD Guide'', also rating it as 3 out of 4 stars, described the film as a "fascinating look at the final days of the world's most famous rock group, punctuated by the Beatles' great songs and the legendary 'rooftop' concert sequence. ... It is important viewing for all music fans."

Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for '' Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...

of '' Variety'' considers the film to be "extraordinary", stating that "It was grainy and moody and desultory ... It contained moments that, after multiple viewings ..are lodged in my soul." He adds that though it has not been given a release on home media in recent years, " 'Let It Be''has a place in film history; it's a scraggly elegy, capturing a certain wistful moment of reckoning that's part of the Beatles' story." Lindsay-Hogg told ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' in 2003 that reception to ''Let It Be'' within the Beatles camp was "mixed". He believed McCartney and Lennon both liked the film, while Harrison disliked it because "it represented a time in his life when he was unhappy ... It was a time when he very much was trying to get out from under the thumb of Lennon–McCartney." According to

Jann Wenner Jann Simon Wenner ( ; born January 7, 1946) is an American businessman who co-founded the popular culture magazine ''Rolling Stone'' with Ralph J. Gleason and is the former owner of '' Men's Journal'' magazine. He participated in the Free S ...

, Lennon cried watching the film in a theatre. In 2007, McCartney stated that he could not bear to watch the film.

Home media

Original 1980s home media releases

The film was first released on VHS, Betamax and LaserDisc in 1981 by Magnetic Video and on

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

CED

videodisc Videodisc (or video disc) is a general term for a laser- or stylus-readable random-access disc that contains both audio and analog video signals recorded in an analog form. Typically, it is a reference to any such media that predates the mainstr ...

in 1982. The transfer to video was not considered high quality; in particular, the already-cropped theatrical version was again cropped to a 4:3 aspect ratio for television. The lack of availability has prompted considerable bootlegging of the film, first on VHS and later on DVD, derived from copies of the early 1980s releases. The film was also released on VHS and Betamax in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1980s. These versions were not the same transfer as the US release, as they were based on the native 4:3 aspect ratio from the original 16mm negative, thus presenting the film as less cropped than the US releases.

''Anthology'' excerpts and cancelled ''Let It Be... Naked'' re-release

The ''Let It Be'' movie was remastered from the original 16 mm film negative by Apple Corps in 1992, with some footage seen in the 1995 documentary ''

The Beatles Anthology ''The Beatles Anthology'' is a multimedia retrospective project consisting of a television documentary, a three-volume set of double albums, and a book describing the history of the Beatles. Beatles members Paul McCartney, George Harrison and R ...

''. After additional remastering, a DVD release containing additional footage (tentatively titled ''Let It A, B, C'') was planned to accompany the 2003 release of '' Let It Be... Naked'', including a second DVD of bonus material, but it never materialised. The remaster was done by Ron Furmanek, except he cropped the image below, and despite not having an official release, this remaster was leaked and became another bootleg edition. In February 2007,

Apple Corps Apple Corps Limited is a British multimedia company that was established in London by the members of the Beatles in the 1960s to form a Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. The company's name, pronounced "apple core", is a pun. Its chief div ...

' Neil Aspinall said, "The film was so controversial when it first came out. When we got halfway through restoring it, we looked at the outtakes and realised: this stuff is still controversial. It raised a lot of old issues." During the 2000s the fan-restored DVD known as The Get Back Chronicles was released through many Beatles-fan sites, being a

bootleg recording A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. Making and distributing such recordings is known as ''bootlegging''. Recordings may be copied and traded ...

. It featured extended scenes pulled from leaks obtained on the Internet as well as several excerpts from ''Anthology''.

Further re-release attempts

An anonymous industry source told the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

'' in July 2008 that, according to Apple insiders, McCartney and Starr blocked the release of the film on DVD. The two were concerned about the effect on the band's "global brand ... if the public sees the darker side of the story. Neither Paul nor Ringo would feel comfortable publicising a film showing the Beatles getting on each other's nerves ... There's all sorts of extra footage showing more squabbles but it's questionable if the film will ever see a reissue during Paul and Ringo's lifetime." However, in 2016, McCartney stated he was not opposed to an official re-release, saying, "I keep bringing it up, and everyone goes, 'Yeah, we should do that.' The objection should be me. I don't come off well."

''The Beatles: Get Back''

In September 2018, McCartney stated that ''Let It Be'' would most likely be re-released on Blu-ray and DVD in 2020 to coincide with its fiftieth anniversary, and that the creation of a "new version" of the film featuring sequences not present in the theatrical release was being considered by Apple. It was announced on 30 January 2019, the fiftieth anniversary of

the Beatles' rooftop concert On 30 January 1969, the Beatles performed a concert from the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row, in central London's office and fashion district. Joined by guest keyboardist Billy Preston, the band played a 42-minute se ...

, that the new film, built around "55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio" from the original 1969 sessions, was to be directed by

using the same restoration techniques as his acclaimed

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

documentary '' They Shall Not Grow Old''. The intention of the documentary was to provide a new level of insight into the band's dynamics during the album's creation, and was made with the cooperation of McCartney, Starr,

and Olivia Harrison. Clare Olssen and Jabez Olssen, the producer and editor of ''They Shall Not Grow Old'', reprised their roles for the film, while Ken Kamins, Jeff Jones and Jonathan Clyde acted as executive producers. Jackson's film was to be followed by a remastered re-release of Lindsay-Hogg's original film. The new documentary was officially announced in March 2020 with the title '' The Beatles: Get Back'' and a theatrical release date was originally set by distributor Walt Disney Studios for 4 September 2020, but was then rescheduled to 27 August 2021 due to restrictions imposed in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The theatrical release was later cancelled in favour of the documentary premiering on

, which it did as a three-part miniseries on 25, 26 and 27 November 2021. Lindsay-Hogg qualified the differences between the two projects in 2023, by describing his version as a "great short story" and Jackson's as a "great novel".

2024 re-release

On 16 April 2024, it was announced that ''Let It Be'' had been restored by

s Park Road Post and would be made available in 4K on the streaming service

, marking the first time it had been publicly screened since its original theatrical release. Jackson said about the film version: "''Let It Be'' is the climax of ''Get Back'', while ''Get Back'' provides a vital missing context for ''Let It Be''". It was released on 8 May 2024.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * * * * *

External links

* * *
Official 2024 trailer
{{Authority control 1970 films 1970 documentary films 1970s British films 1970s English-language films Apple Films films The Beatles bootleg recordings British musical documentary films British rock music films Concert films Documentary films about the Beatles Films directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg Films shot in London Films that won the Best Original Score Academy Award Rockumentaries United Artists films English-language documentary films