On May 8th, Disney+ will release a restored version of the classic 1970 documentary film Let It Be, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and featuring the Beatles during the writing and recording of their 12th and final studio album. It also showcases the band’s last performance together as a group, which famously took place on a rooftop in Savile Row. Re-releasing the film has been a long-awaited event for Beatles fans, as it has been difficult to acquire since its original release and has been subject to extensive bootlegging.
The original print of the film had not been maintained well over the years, and as a result, it lacked the high quality that modern-day digital technology can provide. Thus, acclaimed filmmaker Peter Jackson, who oversaw the 2022 docuseries Get Back which features additional archive material from the Let It Be shoot, worked to digitally restore the 55-year-old film reels to provide a new, crisp look and feel.
Although the cut of the film has remained the same, Lindsay-Hogg and his director of photography, Anthony Richmond, wanted to retain some of the film’s charm after restoration work. They asked Jackson to tweak the presentation slightly from how it looked in Get Back, which had a more digital look. The updated Let It Be also features a new introduction, which includes a conversation between Jackson and Lindsay-Hogg about the project.
The film was widely perceived as a depiction of the final days of the Beatles, and the tension between band members is evident in some scenes. One memorable sequence features a discussion between George Harrison and Paul McCartney about how Harrison should play a guitar part, which clearly causes tension between the two. The film has since become notorious for portraying the band’s break-up, though this was not the original intention of the movie. Despite this, the film remains a favourite of Beatles fans worldwide, and the re-release has long been anticipated
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